Click image for reviews of Death on the Diagonal.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-20998-9

When crossword editor Belle Graham arrives at the Evening Crier, the latest gossip is about the devastating fire at the Collins family stables. It's tempting to think it's a torch job. The Collinses made their fortune in bootlegged Prohibition whisky before morphing into a legitimate multimillion dollar corporation. Now Newcastle high society, they're living the lives of the rich and shameless, feuding amongst themselves as the family's aging patriarch marries younger and younger women. The latest is even younger than his children - who have been pushed aside by their new "step-mom."

Belle's P.I. hubby, Rosco, 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 falling debris - or something else - knocked him into a coma. And as Rosco searches for a needle in a haystack of clues, Belle is guessing that someone in the quarrelsome Collins clan already knows the answers... (top of page)

Click image for reviews of Death on the Diagonal.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-20656-4

On the day after Thanksgiving, everyone in Newcastle, Massachusetts, gathers around to deck the halls of the beloved Paul Revere Inn; noted, among other things, for their signed copy of Longfellow's poem about the New England patriot. In the midst of the holiday revelry, Belle finds something very special indeed - a handmade, and obviously unused, book of dessert recipes written in the form of crosswords, and dedicated from mother to daughter. Movie and song references in the clues date the book to the 1940s, the midst of the Second World War. How did such ae sumptuous treasure come to be abandond?

While Belle follows the book's trail, some foul play is added to the mix - the inn's "revered" icon goes missing and the owners call Rosco to investigate. A twelve-year-old boy, E. T. Whitman, is thrilled to have fellow wordaholics to talk to, and eager to assist; although his constant punning can make him more of a hindrance than a help. At first, Belle and Rosco think the case is a piece of cake, and gently roll their eyes at the fantastic scenarios that E. T. is cooking up to explain the theft. But in this case, they just might measure up to the truth...

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Click image for reviews of Death on the Diagonal.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-20270-4

BRUSHING UP ON MURDER Crossword editor Belle graham has just spent a picture-perfect spring day with her new friend Karen when they discover that Karen's husband, Dan, has been kidnapped. Neither Belle nor her PI hubby Rosco have met Doctor Dan, but his reputation as a successful oral surgeon and upstanding community member precedes him. Adding to Karen's worries are verbal threats made against her daughter that seem to mirror a series of nursery rhyme-themed crosswords being sent to Belle.

Tragically, Karen's fear turns to grief when her husband's body is found torched in his prized Corvette at the bottom of a ravine. But as Rosco investigates, he learns that the dead man had a very dark side - hiding an extramarital affair and a penchant for blackmail - and Dan's charity cases might have been something much more sinister. Even as the investigation begins to expose Karen's own disturbing past, Belle must wonder: Just who were Dan and Karen? And more important, who wanted Dan dead?

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Click image for reviews of Another Word for Murder.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-19974-6

Rosco's search for the perfect Christmas present for Belle may finally be over. Or at least that's what the couple's canny canines seem to think. After the dogs spot Rosco eyeing a pair of chatty lovebirds at a local pet shop, jealousy ensues. And soon, the dogs begin to act up...destroying crossword puzzles and feather pillows.

Meanwhile, Santa Clause is coming to the town of Newcastle. But this year, there are three of them - and more is not the merrier. That's because three escaped prisoners are supposedly missing, along with three Santa suits. After several homes in the area are robbed, folks are not opening the door - or chimney - to anyone. And Belle and Rosco must follow a trail of crossword clues to the culprit to make sure these costumed convicts are caught red-handed...

Nero Blanc is dedicating a percentage of the "Wrapped Up In Crosswords" profits to the Pennsylvania SPCA.

The SPCA website is at: http://www.pspca.org

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Click image for reviews of Anatomy of a Crossword

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-19620-8

DOWN AND UP IN BEVERLY HILLS Crossword editor Belle Graham is headed for Hollywood. It seems that a crossword crime story is the perfect hook for an new TV series called "Anatomy of a Crossword." All Belle has to do is whip up a new puzzle for the TV pilot, act as technical consultant on the set, and of course, sign on the dotted line. A little cajoling from starstruck friends and the promise of warm, California sunshine, and she's fast on her way to Tinseltown...

But just a couple of days into shooting, things go awry. First, when the puzzle Belle created for the show arrives from the typesetter, she discovers that the clues have been completely changed. Then, one of the actors suddenly dies on the set. And what is going on with the screenwriter? Why is he fighting with actors, getting kicked off the set, and acting so nervous? Belle is certainly out of her element, and with only long-distance detective help from husband P.I. Rosco, she is virtually on her own solving this one... (top of page)

Click image for reviews of A Crosssworder's Gift.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-19260-1

Five Wintry Short Stories with Puzzles Included!

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Click image for reviews of Corpus de Crossword.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-19021-8


THE _____ THICKENS . . . P.I. Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham take their puzzle-sleuthing skills to a sleepy New England town that’s waking up to some nasty surprises...

Folks in Taneysville, Massachusetts are in an uproar. A builder wants to develop fifteen acres of land - and they’re sure it will be the ruin of the quaint and quiet lifestyle they hold dear. Then the determined developer is stopped cold in his tracks... not by a demonstration, but by a grisly discovery. The skeletal remains of a young woman have been unearthed by the construction crew. Belle and Rosco are fast on the case. It’s not long before anonymous crosswords start pouring in - but even with a plethora of clues, Belle and Rosco are finding that in this old-fashioned hamlet, not everything is black and white... (top of page)

Click image for reviews of A Crossword To Die For.

Click image for reviews of A Crossworder''s Holiday.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN: 0-425-18733-0

A wintry short story collection with puzzles included - in a hard bound edition, for yourself... or that puzzle fiend on your gift list! (top of page)

Click image for reviews of A Crossworder''s Holiday.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN 0-425-17950-8

DOWN THE AISLE... P.I. Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham are back for more puzzle and crime solving. This time they discover the ups and downs of married life - and death...

Everyone's favorite puzzle lovers - Belle and Rosco - have finally decided to tie the knot. But their wedding vows are put on hold when murder pays a visit. Two homeless people turn up dead, a crossword puzzle tucked beneath them. But who could hold a grudge against a couple of harmless vagrants? Then Rosco disappears without a trace.

Left to her own defenses, the only thing Belle has to work with is a series of anonymous crossword puzzles delivered to her door. If she can figure out the clues, she can solve the crime - and find Rosco. It all adds up to a murderous puzzler that's starting to give Belle a serious case of cold feet... (top of page)

Click image for reviews of Two Down.

Available Now In E-Book from
Open Road Publishing
ISBN 0-425-17510-3

Up, down, or across . . . S.O.S. spells the same thing – danger! When a famous Hollywood actress and her friend set sail off the coast of Nantucket – and never return – everyone assumes they were victims of an accident. But when their dinghy suspiciously washes up in a cove where the tide can't reach, it sounds more like foul play.

P.I. Rosco Polycrates and his paramour/crossword editor Belle Graham are sharpening their pencils and their minds to solve this case. When Belle discovers anonymous puzzles with clues left on her doorstep, it looks like they're off to a good start, and it will take all their sleuthing skills to fill in the missing blanks. (top of page)

Click image for reviews of The Crossword Murder.

That's right – Thompson C. Briephs is dead. D-E-A-D. The body of the flamboyant puzzle editor was found under very suspicious circumstances – and his grief-stricken mother, a wealthy dowager, has hired private investigator Rosco Polycrates to come up with some answers.

To understand the victim's death, Rosco needs to understand his life. So he consults with the other crossword editor in Newcastle, Massachusetts – beautiful and brainy Annabella Graham, who spends her time creating conundrums for the town's rival paper.

Now this mismatched pair has discovered that five puzzles – written by Briephs before his death – may contain the clues that will help them fill in the blanks in this investigation. And they'll need to look everywhere – including up, down, and across – to stop the killer from striking again . . . (top of page)

Nero Blanc's Crossword Mysteries are available in bookstores everywhere. We recommend supporting your local independent bookseller and specialty mystery bookstores, however the books are available at all large chain bookstores as well as with most on-line booksellers.

Nero's books are now out in Brazil, translated into Portuguese.

http://www.ediouro.com.br/