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Death on the Diagonal [Paperback]

Nero Blanc (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


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Book Description

June 27, 2006
Crossword editor Belle Graham hears that the devastating fire at the Collins family stables may have been a torch job. Former Prohibition-era bootleggers, the Collinses morphed into legitimate Newcastle high society. Rich and shameless, they feud amongst themselves as the aged patriarch enjoys marriage to a woman younger than his children-who have been pushed aside by their new step-mom.

Belle's P.I. hubby, Roscoe, is investigating the fire for the insurance company. The blaze is being blamed on the barn manager, a hard drinker who was sober enough to rescue the horses before being knocked into a coma. As Roscoe searches through a haystack of clues, Belle's guessing that someone in the Collins family already knows the answers.


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nero Blanc is the pseudonym of Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler, who are husband and wife and serious crossword buffs.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 280 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 27, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425209989
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425209981
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Nero Blanc Always Entertaining, May 6, 2007
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J. Stevenson (San Jose, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death on the Diagonal (Paperback)
I started purchasing the "Crossword Puzzle Mysteries" a few years back. I guess it was mostly because I am interested in crossword puzzels. I thought "What the heck." Much to my surprise the book was highly entertaining and kept you completely engrossed from beginning to end. Have purchased every one of the books and have never been disappointed. Always eagerly awaiting the next mystery to be unraveled by Roscoe and Belle.

J. Stevenson
San Jose, Ca
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Death on the Diagonal, March 9, 2007
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This review is from: Death on the Diagonal (Paperback)
Very good. Puzzles were fun and the mystery was, too.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars delightful puzzler, July 5, 2006
This review is from: Death on the Diagonal (Paperback)
Times are tough for the show and breeding stable King Wenstarin Farms. A fire burns down of the stables, but the barn manager Orlando with the help of the owner Todd Collins free the horses. A beam hit Orlando on the head and when he awakens; he takes full responsibility for the accident claiming he was drunk and tripped over a space heater. The insurance company wants to check his story out so they send P.I. Roscoe Polycrates to investigate whether arson instead of an accident caused the fire.

A couple days after the barn fire, Todd's wife Ryan is murdered by a hoof pick jammed into her temple several times. Following Roscoe's questioning of the main suspects, the sleuth thinks that at least one of them lies in terms of knowing more about the fire and homicide. When another murder occurs, a puzzle is found on the victim similar to ones faxed to Belle, a puzzle constructor and Roscoe's wife. Roscoe Belle insinuates herself on the case, not realizing the peril she places herself in by someone who wants the across and down squares left blank.

Though similar in theme to the previous novels, DEATH ON THE DIAGONAL is one of the best of Nero Blanc's delightful puzzlers with the clues found as always in the puzzles. The insight into a horse farm operation anchors the fun story line as well as presents several viable suspects with means and opportunities. Roscoe and Belle look to the puzzles for motive. Readers will enjoy this fine treat as the whodunit is cleverly devised to make the crosswords even more enticing.

Harriet Klausner
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Although his name might suggest otherwise, Moon-dog was a proven champion. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
barn manager, hoof pick
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dawn Davis, King Wenstarin Farms, Jack Curry, Todd Collins, Ryan Collins, Walter Gudgeon, Orlando Polk, Dartmouth Group, Bartholomew Kerr, Newcastle Memorial, Abe Jones, Michael Palamountain, Big House, Clint Mize, Dew Drop Inn, Saul Bownes, Kelly Polk, Palm Beach, Rosco Polycrates, The Horse With No Name, Tulip House, Young Walt, Annabella Graham, Evening Crier, Healthy Life
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