Two Down: A New Crossword Mystery with Puzzles Included (Crossword Mysteries)

Amazon.com Review Constructing a mystery around a crossword puzzle is nothing new. Dorothy Sayers's 1929 Lord Peter Wimsey short story, "Uncle Meleander's Will," is an early and particularly charming example. After all, logic, extrapolation, and methodical musings are all stock-in-trade for detectives and puzzlers alike. Two Down , the second crossword-puzzle mystery from Nero Blanc (nom de plume of cowriters Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler), marks the return of private investigator Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham, first thrown together in The Crossword Murder . Easygoing Rosco and charmingly absent-minded Belle--an intellectual who seems to sustain herself entirely on deviled eggs--are now tentatively navigating the uncertain waters of romance in Newcastle, Massachusetts. More treacherous waters, however, claim an unlikely pair of victims when Hollywood femme fatale Jamaica Nevisson and her friend Genie Pepper, an experienced yacht racer, disappear off the coast of Nantucket, leaving only a charred boat hull behind. When their dinghy washes up in a cove where the tide can't reach, Rosco, Belle, and Genie's husband Tom begin to wonder whether they were murdered. The arrival of a series of cryptic crosswords strengthens their suspicions. Obscure hints of fraud, jealousy, and murder send Belle into a pile of thesauri and dictionaries--and Rosco into some decidedly unfriendly situations. Divining the clues behind the clues will take two heads and a willingness to confront the slightly seedy underbelly of Newcastle's aggressively genteel, Waspy upper crust. It's all fun, but the premise of a crossword-puzzle mystery comes across less as a game of wits than as a gimmick. It seems odd that everyone, including stodgy police sergeant Al Lever, is perfectly willing to accept anonymous crossword puzzles as prophecies from some scurrilous oracle. Readers probably won't guess who the crossword constructor is, and by the time this person is unmasked, many may not care. The puzzles themselves, though, are delightful. One hopes that in future novels, Nero Blanc will polish the plots and characters to better surround these little gems. --Kelly Flynn From Publishers Weekly The case of two women lost at sea off Nantucket interferes with the burgeoning romance of crossword puzzle editor Belle Graham and her beau, PI Rosco Polycrates, in this second engaging crossword mystery from Blanc (The Crossword Murder). A wealthy investment banker, Tom Pepper, calls in Rosco after Newcastle, Mass., fishermen tow into the harbor the charred hulk of the sailboat rented by Tom's wife, Genie, and her famous actress friend, Jamaica Nevisson. The distraught Tom is convinced that the man who rented Genie the sailboat was negligent. While Rosco investigates the rental agent and the Coast Guard searches for the women, Belle begins to receive ominous crossword puzzles. The first one insinuates through pointed clues that something dire has happened to Jamaica. Rosco thinks Belle is imagining links to his case, until he finds human blood in the fishermen's boat. Then the missing women's inflatable life raft surfaces on a remote beach, well above the tide line and with a large gash in its side. Rosco fears for Belle's safety, since later puzzles not only suggest their constructor is watching both of them closely but contain veiled personal threats. Clever, charming Belle and meticulous, plodding Rosco have to hustle if they're to prevent a missing persons investigation from turning into a homicide case. In an interactive touch that adds to the problem-solving fun, the author supplies copies of the six crossword puzzles that Belle receives, so readers can fill in the blanks for themselves. (July) FYI: Nero Blanc is the joint pseudonym of husband and wife Steve Zettlerand and Cordelia Frances Biddle. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. In this brain-teasing follow-up to the smash-hit debut, The Crossword Murder, P.I. Rosco Polycrates returns to discover that--up, down, or across--S.O.S. spells danger...When a famous Hollywood actress and her friend set sail off the coast of Nantucket Island--and never return, it sounds like foul play to P.I. Rosco Polycrates and his paramour/crossword editor Belle Graham. They are sharpening their pencils and their minds to solve this case. But the truth is not so easily spelled out, and it will take all their sleuthing skills to fill in the missing blanks.Praise for Nero Blanc's The Crossword Murder:"A puzzle lover's delight...a touch of suspense, a pinch of romance, and a whole lot of clever word clues...sure to appeal to crossword addicts and cozy lovers alike. What's a three-letter word for this book? F-U-N." --Earlene Fowler"Evoe! At last puzzle fans have their revenge...super sleuthing and solving for puzzle lovers and mystery fans." --Charles Preston, Puzzle Editor, USA Today"Adroit word play and high society intrigueEan enjoyable, complex solution and likable protagonists...Clever." --Publishers Weekly Crosswords get the Hollywood treatment in this mystery featuring PI Rosco Polycrates and master puzzle solver Belle Graham. Jamaica Nevisson--or Cassandra Lovett, as she's known to the adoring fans of her daytime soap--has vanished without a trace. She and her pal Genie Pepper went pleasure yachting off Nantucket, only to end up lost at sea. So far, only the charred hull of the boat has turned up. Called in by Pepper's husband, Massachusetts detective Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham uncover a list of potential evildoers that reads like a who's who of Hollywood vipers, including paparazzi stalker Reggie Flack, Jamaica's longtime nemesis. But when Belle starts receiving cryptic crosswords, she believes the women are alive and in grave danger. Now she's up against the clock as she races to unravel the messages before someone completes an across-the-board coup. Because with two down, that leaves only one more to go. This ebook includes six crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book When A Famous Hollywood Actress And Her Friend Set Sail Off The Coast Of Nantucket And Never Return, Everyone Assumes They Were Victims Of An Accident. But When Their Dinghy Suspiciously Washes Up In A Cove Where The Tide Can't Reach, It Sounds More Like Foul Play.--back Cover. Nero Blanc. Berkley Prime Crime Mystery--spine.