Playboys, Murder, and . . . Crosswords?

The crossword puzzle as we know it was invented more than a century ago. A little more than 30 years ago, however, authors like Herbert Resnicow, Parnell Hall, and our very own Nero Blanc began to use the crossword puzzle for something new and exciting: the mystery novel. After all, who could match the brains and daring of a puzzle-cracking PI?

In the Crossword Mysteries series, Nero Blanc even includes DIY crossword puzzles in his book, allowing readers to try to solve the mystery along with characters PI Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham—that is, if you’re up for the challenge. (Even Nero Blanc himself is actually somewhat of a mystery. He is, in fact, two people—the husband and wife team Steve Zettler and Cordelia Frances Biddle.) We at Open Road Media are excited to bring back the Crossword Mysteries series by Nero Blanc in ebook form and, in celebration, here’s our very own crossword puzzle for you to solve!

Across
3. Who made the first ever crossword puzzle?
9. Number of Crossword Mysteries books
10. What does “Nero” mean?
11. What is the name of the detective in the Crossword Mysteries series?
12. Where did Steve Zettler and Cordelia Frances Biddle first meet?

Down
1. Who completed the largest ever crossword puzzle?
2. Creating a crossword
4. What is the first book in the Crossword Mysteries series?
5. What does “Blanc” mean?
6. Which newspaper initially condemned crossword puzzles and refused to publish them for more than a decade?
7. Which language does the name “Nero” come from?
8. What is the name of the crossword editor in the Crossword Mysteries series?

 

The Crossword Mysteries by Nero Blanc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer

1. AraHovhannisian 2. Cruciverbalism 3. ArthurWynne 4. TheCrosswordMurder 5. White 6. NewYorkTimes 7. Italian 8. BelleGraham 9.Twelve 10. Black 11. RoscoPolycrates 12. NewYork

If you want to make your own crossword puzzle, visit Discovery Education.