A Crossworder's Holiday

A Crossworder's Holiday by Nero Blanc (pseudonym for co-authors--and husband & wife--Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler) is as light and frothy as a cup of peppermint hot chocolate. It is a perfect book for the end of the year and a quick read between holiday preparations and parties--nothing indepth, no intense crime puzzles and no assembly [of clues] required. If you can do the crosswords--or if that's not your gift, then taking a quick peek at the solutions thoughtfully provided at the back of the book will do--then you've got your answers. 

What the book really consists of are quick snapshots in the life of the protagonists, crossword editor Belle Graham and her husband P.I. Rosco Polycrates. The stories and the characters are charming in this collection of five Christmas-themed tales, each with its own crossword puzzle. Unfortunately, like that cup of hot chocolate, the stories are so light and frothy that they are easily forgotten--enjoyable while they last, but without a lasting impression. ★★★  for a decent cozy read. Read in one sitting--but not one that I would go back to again.