Books On Board
series Reading Order

Crossword Mystery Books in Order

12 Books
1999 – 2006 Published
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Reading order

The Recommended Reading Order

To fully enjoy the Crossword Mystery series, the best path is to read the books in publication order. Because the relationship between crossword editor Belle Graham and private investigator Rosco Polycrates develops continuously throughout the series (leading to marriage), reading them in order ensures you track their personal timeline correctly and avoid spoilers.

Crossword Mystery Books in Publication Order

Here is the complete order of the books published under the pseudonym Nero Blanc (co-authors Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler):

  1. The Crossword Murder (1999) - The novel that introduces Rosco and Belle.
  2. Two Down (2000) - Novel.
  3. The Crossword Connection (2001) - Novel.
  4. A Crossworder's Holiday (2002) - A collection of five holiday-themed short stories and puzzles.
  5. A Crossword to Die For (2002) - Novel.
  6. Corpus de Crossword (2003) - Novel.
  7. A Crossworder's Gift (2003) - A collection of five holiday-themed short stories and puzzles.
  8. Anatomy of a Crossword (2004) - Novel.
  9. Wrapped Up in Crosswords (2004) - A holiday-themed novel.
  10. Another Word for Murder (2005) - Novel.
  11. A Crossworder's Delight (2005) - A holiday-themed novel.
  12. Death on the Diagonal (2006) - The final novel in the series.

Chronological Caveats and the Holiday Collections

While the overall narrative of Belle and Rosco's romance flows in publication order, there is a distinct subset of books that focus on holiday mysteries. If you want a quick, festive read, you can dip into the holiday books separately, though we still recommend reading them in their publication slots to keep the couple's relationship timeline straight.

These holiday books are split into two formats:

  • Short Story Anthologies: A Crossworder's Holiday and A Crossworder's Gift are collections of five short mysteries, each featuring actual crossword puzzles you can solve.
  • Holiday Novels: Wrapped Up in Crosswords and A Crossworder's Delight are full-length novels set during the festive season.

All four of these festive titles are also available together in the omnibus edition, The Crossword Mysteries Holiday Collection.

Hallmark Movie Adaptations

For fans of the books looking to transition to the screen, Hallmark produced a series of five movies under the title Crossword Mysteries starring Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott. Note that the movies change the main characters' names to Tess Harper and Logan O'Connor, and feature new, original storylines rather than direct page-to-screen adaptations. They should be watched in this order:

  1. Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019)
  2. Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder (2019)
  3. Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver (2020)
  4. Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent (2021)
  5. Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead (2021)

Frequently Asked

QWho is Nero Blanc?

Nero Blanc is the joint pseudonym of husband-and-wife writing team Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler. They chose the name to represent the black (Nero) and white (Blanc) squares of a crossword puzzle grid.

QWhere should I start reading the Crossword Mystery series?

We recommend starting with the very first book, The Crossword Murder (1999). This introduces the main characters, Belle and Rosco, and establishes their collaborative detective dynamic and budding romance.

QAre the crossword puzzles in the books solvable?

Yes! Each book contains actual crossword puzzles that are woven into the plot. Readers can fill out the grids as they read, and the solutions are provided at the back of the books.

QHow many books are in the Crossword Mystery series?

The series consists of 12 books in total, consisting of 10 full-length novels and 2 short story anthologies (both of which are holiday-themed).

QHow are the Hallmark Crossword Mysteries movies related to the books?

The Hallmark movies are inspired by the books' concept but feature original storylines and different character names. In the movies, Lacey Chabert plays crossword creator Tess Harper and Brennan Elliott plays detective Logan O'Connor, whereas the books feature Belle Graham and Rosco Polycrates.

QIs there a chronological order that differs from the publication order?

No, the chronological storyline matches the publication order. The relationship between Rosco and Belle develops linearly across the 12 books, so reading them in the order they were published is the best approach.