THE _____ THICKENS . . . P.I. Rosco Polycrates and crossword editor Belle Graham take their puzzle-sleuthing skills to a sleepy New England town that’s waking up to some nasty surprises...

Folks in Taneysville, Massachusetts are in an uproar. A builder wants to develop fifteen acres of land - and they’re sure it will be the ruin of the quaint and quiet lifestyle they hold dear. Then the determined developer is stopped cold in his tracks... not by a demonstration, but by a grisly discovery. The skeletal remains of a young woman have been unearthed by the construction crew. Belle and Rosco are fast on the case. It’s not long before anonymous crosswords start pouring in - but even with a plethora of clues, Belle and Rosco are finding that in this old-fashioned hamlet, not everything is black and white...