National Network for Equitable Library Service

It's murder most puzzling for a New England cop-turned-private-investigator and a crossword editor in the first three Crossword Mysteries. If there's a case too cryptic for the police to solve in the coastal town of Newcastle, Massachusetts, locals can always count on private investigator Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Annabelle Graham to get things squared away ... The Crossword Murder: Thompson C. Briephs, a wealthy playboy and crossword editor for the Newcastle Herald, is found strangled in his bed. Although the police assume he died from kinky sex gone wrong, Rosco thinks the answer isn't so black-and-white, and enlists the help of Annabelle. With a lengthy list of suspects and five of Briephs's puzzles to help them fill in the blanks, Rosco and Annabelle must hurry if they hope to take down the killer. Two Down: After a daytime soap star and her friend vanish while yachting off Nantucket, all that's found are the charred remnants of their boat. But when mysterious crosswords begin arriving on Annabelle's doorstep, she believes the women are still alive. With the clock ticking, she'll need to keep her pencil sharp and her wits sharper before this missing persons case turns into a double murder. The Crossword Connection: Rosco and Annabelle are preparing to tie the knot. But before they can walk down the aisle, they must deal with two murders and a missing dog. Then, Rosco disappears. Soon Annabelle begins receiving threatening messages concealed in fiendishly clever crossword clues, and she realizes she must act fast to find Rosco before he winds up a four-letter word: dead. This ebook includes crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book.