For the millions of people who do crosswords, the person behind the puzzle is always something of a mystery. What puzzler wouldn't want to know how a constructor thinks when putting together a puzzle? Or the secret rules that guide the selections of clues and answers? Or how to outsmart the constructor by understanding his mindset? A few tips about how to improve solving skills wouldn't hurt, either. Putting it all together in an accessible

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Hall delivers another stellar, puzzle-packed entry in this entertaining series featuring the irrepressible Cora Felton. Includes six crossword puzzles and two sudoku puzzles.

Murder never takes a holiday-as husband-and-wife sleuths Belle Graham and Rosco Polycrates discover when they tackle five crimes hidden in crossword puzzles In "The Proof of the Pudding," Belle and Rosco interrupt their Vermont holiday to solve a crossword that's a recipe for murder. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is the setting for "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" as Rosco helps a college buddy crack a case of foul play concealed in a puzzle. "Mum's the...

"Investigator Carrie Kintz has been on the job with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Anchorage for only a couple of months. But she's already jumped into the deep end: there's a serial killer on the loose. Not only is he claiming he's already killed eight people, he's also sworn eight more lives will be eliminated if demands aren't met. The only clues to help law enforcement stop him are the ones he sends in crossword puzzles across the country-always...

A look into the world of New York Times crossword puzzle aficionados, who number in the millions. Focuses on New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz and participants in the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut.