Two Down

Rating:
Summary: Stilted writing coupled with flat characters
Review: I'm an avid crossword buff. I get the New York Times simply for the daily crossword, so when these books came out that brought together crosswords, with my favorite genre, I was really hoping for a great book with some fun wordplay. I got neither, unfortunately.

The writing was really, really bad. It read like some of the high school short stories I had to wade through when I did my T.A. work senior year. It was packed full of words that caromed off staircases, wrapped around the crystal sconces and hide in the chandeliers. Dialog is one repetitious phrase after another. "Oh! Look at that scandalous frock!" "Isn't this the rage?" "His column is all the rage of local socialites!"

The characters are flat, obnoxious people who I would never want to spend time with, let alone care about. After page after page of women having "a bevy of frothy conversation" about who is wearing what, makeup, how lovely their jewelled bags are, and oh, did you READ what was in the gossip column today, I wanted to go out to the local Target store just to hear real conversation about things that matter in the real world. Yes, I understand that this is fiction, but still, some semblance of reality has to be maintained in order for a book to be believable.

All in all, this book should be avoided unless you're a masochist. I have to admit I did keep reading for a while in morbid fascination just to see how much worse it could get, and let me tell you, it's one long, slow descent into extreme pain.

Rating:
Summary: Sequel Succeeds In Besting the First Book
Review: Nero Blanc's sequel to 'The Crossword Murder', 'Two Down' thoroughly surprised me. I had greatly enjoyed the first book and was pleasantly surprised to find the second even more entertaining than it's predecessor. I'm used to second books not living up the promise of the first, but Nero Blanc fully rose to the challenge. The pages turned themselves, and my only complaint is with me - I finished it too quickly, and who knows when a 3rd book might be on the shelves. I highly recommend both books to mystery fans and crossword people alike. Read them in order though - its more fun to have the characters established!

Rating:
Summary: Sequel Succeeds In Besting the First Book
Review: Nero Blanc's sequel to 'The Crossword Murder', 'Two Down' thoroughly surprised me. I had greatly enjoyed the first book and was pleasantly surprised to find the second even more entertaining than it's predecessor. I'm used to second books not living up the promise of the first, but Nero Blanc fully rose to the challenge. The pages turned themselves, and my only complaint is with me - I finished it too quickly, and who knows when a 3rd book might be on the shelves. I highly recommend both books to mystery fans and crossword people alike. Read them in order though - its more fun to have the characters established!

Rating:
Summary: Sequel Tops Book One
Review: Since I enjoyed Nero Blanc's "The Crossword Murder" so much, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this second book in the series. The plot flows along swiftly, and I particularly enjoyed the inside look into the lives of the wealthy, and some larger than life show business types (one wonders if the writer is speaking from some personal experiences). Once again the puzzles are very cleverly worked into the story, but I have to admit I skipped a few because I was too wrapped up in the plot to slow down for them (I did go back and do them later). And on that note, I felt the puzzles were more fun in this book than the first. All in all, as with Mr. Blanc's first book, it's a good quick read for a lazy weekend.

Rating:
Summary: Two Down
Review: The second book in the Crossword Mystery series featuring P.I. Rosco Polycrates. Rosco & his new paramour & crossword editor Belle Graham try to solve the disappearance of a famed actress & her old friend off the coast of Nantucket Island.

Rating:
Summary: Two Down
Review: The second book in the Crossword Mystery series featuring P.I. Rosco Polycrates. Rosco & his new paramour & crossword editor Belle Graham try to solve the disappearance of a famed actress & her old friend off the coast of Nantucket Island.

Rating:
Summary: Two Down
Review: This is an enjoyable mystery set in the often underappreciated state of Rhode Island. The puzzle-constructing amateur sleuth is an interesting character and the interaction with her private eye love interest provides a means of letting the reader in on things in a natural way. I also very much liked the larger format of the book. My only quibble is that the puzzles (which are fun) are not as integral to the plot as one might wish. It stretches my imagination, at least, to think of them as providing clues.

Rating:
Summary: an enjoyable whodunit
Review: This is an enjoyable mystery set in the often underappreciated state of Rhode Island. The puzzle-constructing amateur sleuth is an interesting character and the interaction with her private eye love interest provides a means of letting the reader in on things in a natural way. I also very much liked the larger format of the book. My only quibble is that the puzzles (which are fun) are not as integral to the plot as one might wish. It stretches my imagination, at least, to think of them as providing clues.

Rating:
Summary: A good cerebral mystery
Review: Tired of the paparazzi that follow her every movement seeking a scandal and the acrimonious actors she toils with, renowned soap opera star Jamaica Nevisson leaves her TV show. Known for her role as Cassandra Lovett on Crescent Heights, Jamacia travels to Newcastle, Massachusetts to stay at the home of her best friend Genie Pepper.

Genie and Jamaica goes sailing, but their boat catches fire. The two women are missing and presumed dead. Genie's husband Tom hires former police officer Roscoe Polycrates to find out what happened to his wife. The private detective immediately locates the beached dinghy, but has evidence that anyone survived the ordeal. Roscoe's girlfriend, brainy puzzle editor Belle Graham surprisingly believes someone is holding the women for ransom because she receives anonymous strange crossword puzzles that hint at a kidnapping. As they have successfully done before Roscoe and Belle team up in search of the two missing women.

Nero Blanc's second crossword puzzle mystery, TWO DOWN, is as entertaining as the series debut tale, THE CROSSWORD MURDER. The novels are originals that provide genre fans with a different type of puzzle that brings the reader more intimately involved in the case than normally occurs. The story line is smooth with crossword puzzles for the audience to solve that add to the overall fun. Readers who enjoy a different type of who-done-it starring two likable characters and six puzzles will fully relish Mr. Blanc's latest across and down novel.

Harriet Klausner