"The Broken Teaglass," the debut novel by Emily Arsenault, has an origin as unusual and intriguing as the book itself.

Arsenault, a former Peace Corps volunteer in rural South Africa, wrote the first draft of this book while passing long, quiet, TV-less evenings in her mud-brick hut. From her experiences as a lexicographer (one who works compiling a dictionary), combined with her life in Africa, she has pieced together a novel of secrets, suspense and cautionary love.

Billy Webb, newest hire at Samuelson Co., "the oldest and most revered name in American dictionaries," tells the story, aided by a fellow newcomer, Mona Minot. In their diligent research of new words, they discover that someone has been fiddling with the files. The more they search the 100-year-old dusty basement, the more chillingly the tale unravels.

Could an actual crime have been committed? Or is it the ruse of a desperately lonely woman seeking attention? Or a desperate woman looking for revenge? Or, as Billy asks, "Is that theory realistic for a lexicographer? A reserved, intellectual lexicographer?"

Together the "Bloodhound Gang" searches microfiche and old citations (the definition for a precise word). They interview suspicious co-workers, not to mention friends and relations. Not until they find a particularly telling clue in one of the oldest citations do they realize they are on to the real thing.

The truth will surprise you; it is a particularly delicious moment for Mona and Billy.

Though the plot occasionally rambles, this is a sweet and intelligent mystery. Written with both wit and grace, it is a rare find on today's bookshelves.