The Crossword Murder (Crossword Mysteries) (Paperback)

by Nero Blanc (Author) "HOLD MY CALLS!" Thompson Briephs flicked the lock in his office door as he barked out the command..." (more)
Key Phrases: crossword editor, stolen artwork, fifteen letters, Thompson Briephs, Steven Housemann, Congress Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Designed to delight both crossword puzzle enthusiasts and mystery readers, this pseudonymous novel, the first in a projected series from the husband-and-wife team of Cordelia Frances Biddle (Beneath the Wind) and Steve Zettler (Double Identity), features adroit wordplay and high society intrigue. Wealthy Thomas C. Briephs is a crossword puzzle editor for the Newport, Mass., Herald, and a man-about-town whose immoral private life has made him an easy target for blackmail. Yet when he dies under unusual circumstances (strangulation in his bed), the police declare the death accidental, the result of a kinky sex game gone wrong, and try to hush up the affair in order to protect the reputation of Briephs's uncle, a U.S. senator. Briephs's mother, however, asks Greek-American private detective Rosco Polycrates to conduct a discreet investigation. Seeking background information, Rosco interviews Mrs. Annabella "Belle" Graham, the crossword editor for another Newcastle paper. The deeper Rosco investigates, the murkier the case gets, especially when two of Briephs's crosswords are published posthumously. At first Rosco is inclined to scoff at Belle's idea that the puzzles hold vital clues to the murder, but he reconsiders after Briephs's assistant is brutally attacked and three remaining puzzles disappear. Fighting a growing attraction, Rosco and Belle fill in the blanks as they edge toward the killer's true motive. Though Blanc's descriptions are awkward in spots and his secondary characters tend to be overblown, he delivers an enjoyable, complex solution and likable protagonists who are strong enough to carry the series forward. In a clever innovation, the text includes Briephs's final crosswords, which puzzle buffs can try to decipher before Rosco and Belle do. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
Fiftyish Thompson Crane Briephs is the crossword editor at the Newcastle Herald. A bachelor and one of New England's aristocratic Crane family, impeccably dressed and groomed, Briephs seems an unlikely target for blackmail, but for the last year he has been receiving crudely written letters and complying with their demands that he drop off varying sums of money at specified drop-off sites. Briephs and his tormenter meet one day at Briephs' island home, Winwords, an architectural wonder filled with Minoan antiquities. It's here that Briephs is found deadheart failure, according to the Medical Examiner. But Briephs' mother Sara is not convinced and hires p.i. Rosco Polycrates, once of the Newcastle PD, to investigate. Al Lever, a onetime co-worker, fills Rosco in on some of Briephs's less than respectable pals and pastimes, and a meeting with the rival Evening Crier's crossword editor Belle Graham brings him lots of crossword lore as well as an enthusiastic partner. Matters become more urgent when Briephs' s adoring secretary JaneAlice is viciously attacked. Eventually, though, Belle's headstrong style brings the killer back to the scene of the crime, where she and Rosco wind up the case. Blanc (a.k.a. Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler) present a likable if a bit too passive detective, but the storyline itself is clumsy, confusing, and unconvincing: all in all, an overwritten first effort for this husband-and-wife writing team. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425177017
• ISBN-13: 978-0425177013
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #827,591 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor research + Bad puzzles = Uninteresting read, August 3, 2000

By	"davetuller" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crossword Murder (Crossword Mysteries) (Paperback)

It's a bad sign when you have to put a book down after reading only the first chapter. After several attempts to get started, I finally forced myself to get further into it hoping it would get better. Unfortunately, it only got more annoying as the writers showed their lack of understanding of the puzzle world although I have to admit, the idea of a rich crossword editor made me laugh at loud at its ridiculousness. Other problems: normal crosswords are constantly called cryptics even though those are two very different puzzle types, the crosswords included in the book needed to go through a good crossword editor to fix up problems with the clues and poor entry choices, one of the main characters takes a huge leap from seeing BLACK and MAIL in a grid to believing that the constructor was being blackmailed (and the words weren't even close to one another in the grid).

If you want crosswords and mysteries put together, you're probably better off reading the earlier Herbert Resnicow books which had puzzles by Henry Hook, a professional crossword constructor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent Mystery With a Twist, August 18, 2000

By	William T. Whiting (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crossword Murder (Crossword Mysteries) (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed Nero Blanc's 'The Crossword Murder'. It harkend back to good old-fashioned classic mystery writing. Characters and situations were contemporary but with a feel that was reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles. It was bright, stylish and challanging. The puzzles did however stump me in several places, but I don't want a crossword puzzle to be 'dumbed-down'. I was glad to see that there was a sequel, 'Two Down' and bought it as soon as it was available. Here's hoping this book series has a good long run with many sequels to come!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars cute idea that fails, December 31, 1999

By	Michael S. Berliner (W. Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crossword Murder (Crossword Mysteries) (Paperback)

Combining crossword puzzles with a murder mystery is a good idea, but the authors don't carry it off. The writing is generally amateurish and the plot less than challenging. The authors are even relegated to the triteness of a climax that depends on having the otherwise-intelligent heroine do something laughably stupid, thus putting herself in mortal danger. Lastly, the puzzles aren't very difficult nor do they play a significant role in the solving of the mystery.