A Crossworder's Delight — Nero Blanc

This holiday season, crossword editor Belle Graham and her PI partner Rosco Polycrates must restore a historic treasure to the local inn and trace the origins of a very special cookbook... everyone in Newcastle, Massachusetts, gathers 'round to deck the halls of the Paul Revere Inn, noted for its signed copy of Longfellow's poem about the patriot. In the midst of the holiday revelry, Belle finds a handmade book of dessert recipes, written in the form of crosswords dedicated from mother to daughter. The dues date the book to the midst of the Second World War. How did such a treasure come to be abandoned?

While Belle follows the book's trail, foul play is added to the mix as the inn's "revered" icon goes missing and the owners call Rosco to help. Twelve-year-old wordaholic E.T. Whitman is 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 might just measure up to the truth...