Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Enjoyed this and impressed with the grid construction to end up with all real words. But finished it having only identified 2 of the names (12 and 16), which seems a bit odd. Struggling to spot the link between several other extra words and characters from the work, but maybe I’m just being slow.

Back to last weeks now, still trying to figure out that damn playfair....

How does 1a parse please?
Old bear is pure on the inside

Xwordfan, 1a is the inside letters of CHASTE.

smellyharry - thought this one was enjoyable. Re names, I completed and had worked out all names of protagonists, but took some time to match them all up as googling generally just gives half of them by their titles - not christian names.
Playfair not my favourite format, but thought last week was pretty clever - so worth perservering.

Thanks Dryden, knew it had to be HAST but couldn't see why!

Part of my problem was my first half dozen google results only gave me four or five first names, at which point I gave up. Anyone have a good source for establishing the first names of all the characters?

Difficult to give a link without giving the whole game away. I Googled the author, the main character and all the names I had and it took me straight to a very good specialist site.
I thought this one of the best puzzles of the year. My only slight quibble is that a couple of clues seem to have unnecessary words that do not lead to thematic names and extra letters. Tired in 9 for instance.

Smithsax - I chuckled at "tired", when I thought of our colonial cousins. It is a good descriptor

I take that back. Just realised there is an alternative spelling of tyred.

I didn't find a full list - but ended up with googling the location (as mentioned in preamble) followed by weebly. Lists all but one so then able to google remaining name for clarification.