A Crossworder's Delight

Nero Blanc's bestselling mystery series continues in a holiday tale featuring Belle Graham, Rosco Polycrates, and dessert recipes with ingredients that are clues to the crossword puzzles The Holiday Decoration Competition is in full swing at Newcastle's historic Paul Revere Inn. As the rivalry heats up, crossword editor Belle Graham unearths an abandoned treasure: a book of dessert recipes written in the form of crosswords handed down from mother to daughter. While Belle is busy deciphering the ingredients for delectable dishes like "Holiday Slay Ride," another mystery is unraveling. A valuable Longfellow poem has been stolen from its place of honor on the wall of the inn's front parlor. Called in to investigate, Belle's PI husband, Rosco Polycrates, discovers he has a new partner in crime. Twelve-year-old E. T. Whitman, a bit of a wordsmith himself, has all sorts of theories about the theft. But the case is far from a piece of cake. And the search for the...