Minute Cryptic's How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword Puzzle Book

Every cryptic clue hides a small trick: a scrambled anagram, a word tucked inside a phrase, a definition disguised as something else entirely. From the team behind the online puzzle platform Minute Cryptic, Angas Tiernan's guide takes these tricks one at a time, with each chapter devoted to a different wordplay concept and a set of clues to practise it.

There are more than 160 clues in all, and the skills build as you go, so later puzzles ask you to combine what earlier chapters taught. By the end, the aim is to tackle a full cryptic crossword with confidence rather than bafflement. It is a friendly, methodical companion for anyone who has stared at the crossword page and wondered how the solvers manage it, and for wordplay lovers after a satisfying daily workout.