If you can solve a crossword, you can solve a murder.

Thanks to my guest, Hamish Symington. You can find out more about his work at hamishsymington.com and order a custom cryptic crossword from him at customcrypticcrosswords.com.

There are no major spoilers about clues or endings in this episode. However, there is some mention or discussion of the books listed below.

Sources and further information:

— Forever England: Femininity, Literature and Conservatism Between the Wars by Alison Light

— "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?" by Edmund Wilson, first published in the New Yorker on 20 January 1945

— The Crossword Mysteries by Nero Blanc

— "The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's Will" in Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers

— Crossword Mystery by E.R. Punshon

— Close Quarters by Michael Gilbert

— "The Clue" in Two Bottles of Relish: The Little Tales of Smethers and Other Stories by Lord Dunsany

— A Six Letter Word For Death by Patricia Moyes

— Last Puzzle and Testament by Parnell Hall

—Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures With Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them by Adrienne Raphel

—"Clues: Crosswords and Detective Stories" by John Curran in Crime and Detective Stories 79, December 2018

—Cracking Cryptic Crosswords by Colin Dexter

— Two episodes of The Allusionist podcast about crosswords: #8 Crosswords and #62: In Crypt, Decrypt

NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

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Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/crypticcrimestranscript.

Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.