Financial Times 15,899 by FALCON

We found this puzzle more challenging than the Monday FT’s of late.

There seems to be a literary theme going on, with RIDD, GRUB STREET, WARNE, JANE EYRE, THE GOLDEN BOWL, EDGAR ALLAN POE, PENNY-A-LINER, DANIEL DEFOE.

A good, interesting and fun start to the week. Thank you Falcon!

Across

1 Short Biblical book to appraise (5)
JUDGE
JUDGE[s] (short Biblical book)

4 Physician with House in TV series? (6,3)
DOCTOR WHO
DOCTOR (physician) + W (with) + HO (house)

9 Completely perplex last of men on bonus (7)
NONPLUS
[me]N + ON + PLUS (bonus)

10 Study foremost of protocols in cricket, perhaps (7)
INSPECT
P[rotocols] (foremost) in INSECT (cricket perhaps)

11 Everyone inside read page on artful writer of short stories (5,5,3)
EDGAR ALLAN POE
ALL (everyone) inside (READ PAGE ON)* (*artful)

14 Narrator’s identity concealed by Blackmore, initially? (4)
RIDD

ID (identity) concealed by RD (Blackmore, the novelist)

John Ridd was the narrator in Lorna Doone, a novel by Blackmore

15 Canon, note, breaking bad habit – bitter hostility results (9)
VIRULENCE
RULE (canon) + N (note) breaking VICE (bad habit)

18 Favours live US sitcom (9)
BEFRIENDS
BE (live) + FRIENDS (US sitcom)

19 Intensive publicity could get one over-excited, briefly (4)
HYPE
HYPE[r] (over-excited briefly)

21 Who let loose about successful book (novel)? (3,6,4)
THE GOLDEN BOWL
(WHO LET)* (*loose) about GOLDEN (successful) + B (book)

24 Conforming to accepted standards, I teach New Latin? (7)
ETHICAL
(I TEACH)* (*new) + L (Latin)

26 Artist shows opener for Northants in game (7)
HOCKNEY
N[orthants] (opener) in HOCKEY (game)

27 Time to study factory’s exercise machine (9)
TREADMILL
T (time) + READ (to study) MILL (factory)

28 Publisher, new in Hertfordshire town (5)
WARNE
N (new) in WARE (Hertfordshire town)

Down

1, 23 Jack, an A.A. Milne character, dropping round for book (4,4)
JANE EYRE
J[ack] + AN + EEY[o]RE (A A Milne character, dropping round)

2 Awkward deadline concerning upcoming English novelist (6,5)
DANIEL DEFOE
(DEADLINE)* (*awkward) + OF< (concerning, upcoming) + E (English)

3 Last in tabernacle, you say, about to record parting words? (6)
EULOGY
[tabernacl]E + [yo]U + [sa]Y (last) about LOG (to record)

4 Suspect provides name shown to be false (9)
DISPROVEN
(PROVIDES)* (*suspect) + N (name)

5 Chapter on pike leaves one cold (5)
CHILL
C (chapter) + HILL (pike)

6 Old British ruined castle, a stumbling block (8)
OBSTACLE
O (old) + B (British) + (CASTLE)* (*ruined)

7 Misery caused by wife, heartless one (3)
WOE
W (wife) + O[n]E (heartless)

8 Fair article supporting knight entering exam (2,3,5)
ON THE LEVEL
THE (article) supporting N (knight) entering O LEVEL (exam)

12 Hack writer nearly going crazy stopping at home (5-1-5)
PENNY-A-LINER
PEN (writer) + (NEARLY)* (*going crazy) stopping IN (at home)

13 Place for shabby writers to eat on the way? (4,6)
GRUB STREET
GRUB (to eat) on STREET (the way)

16 Dramatist ran hostel in resort (9)
ROSENTHAL
(RAN HOSTEL)* (*in resort)

17 No longer married, man with church housed by theologian? (8)
DIVORCED
IVOR (man) with CE (church) housed by DD (theologian)

20 Capital city’s lighter beneath moon? Not half! (6)
MOSCOW
SCOW (lighter, boat) beneath MO[on] (not half)

22 Hot inside food shop in Indian city (5)
DELHI
H (hot) inside DELI (food shop)

23 See 1 down

25 Methuen’s view (3)
HUE
[Met]HUE[n’s]