QUIZ CROSSWORD

Rearrange the letters in the shaded squares to reveal the name of a singer (3,8)

ACROSS

1 The westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic (7)

6 Irvine _, Scots author who wrote the 1993 novel Trainspotting (5)

9 20th-century American poet famed for his light verse,

_ Nash (5)

10 By population, the secondlargest city in the US state of Kentucky (9)

11 The capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa (3,6)

12 _ The Crawdads Sing, 2018 novel by Delia Owens (5)

13 Shakespeare character, or a small, secluded room (4)

15 1996 serial novel by Stephen King, _ _ Mile (3,5)

17 Type of brandy produced in the region of the same name in Gascony, southwest France (8)

18 Victor _, French author who wrote the 1831 novel The Hunchback Of NotreDame (4)

22 _ Rybakina, Kazakhstani tennis player who won the women’s singles title at the 2023 Indian Wells Open (5)

24 The _ Islands, archipelago of volcanic islands on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean (9)

26 Type of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 (6,3)

27 The largest artery in the human body (5)

28 Administrative officer of a town or district in Anglo-Saxon England (5)

29 European country whose capital city is Bucharest (7)

DOWN

1 2000 biographical fiction novel by Joyce Carol Oates about the life of Marilyn Monroe (6)

2 Former footballer who recently returned as the manager of Crystal Palace, Roy _ (7)

3 _ Jerry, British band who had a 1970 hit with In The Summertime (5)

4 British former swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Rebecca _ (9)

5 Line on a graph that runs horizontally through zero (1-4)

6 Captain Frederick _, one of the central characters in Jane Austen’s Persuasion (9)

7 Australian-British author whose novels include 2017’s Best Laid Plans, Kathy _ (5)

8 Sarah _, the recently retired captain of the England women’s rugby union team (6)

14 Mexican avocadobased dip or spread (9)

16 The legendary sword of King Arthur (9)

19 Soviet cosmonaut who was the first man in space, Yuri _ (7)

20 Name given to a soft breeze or light west wind (6)

21 Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa (6)

23 _ Wise, comedian who was one half of the duo Morecambe and Wise (5)

24 Italian fashion designer who founded a famous fashion house in 1921, Guccio _ (5)

25 Sacred song or hymn, especially one taken from the Bible (5)