| 100% | EAPOE | 5 | "The Facts in the Case of ___" (Andrew Sinclair novel that pays homage to a mystery writer) |
| 46% | LODGE | 5 | The Black ___, former restaurant in Vancouver that paid homage to the mystery series "Twin Peaks" |
| 43% | DINE | 4 | All Men Must ___, pop-up restaurant in London that paid homage to the drama series "Game of Thrones" |
| 38% | NEONOIR | 7 | Genre that pays homage to dark crime films of the '40s and '50s |
| 38% | EYRE | 4 | "The ___ Affair" (murder mystery set in the universe of a Brontë novel) |
| 38% | YEAN | 4 | Give birth to, in the case of a sheep or a goat (archaic term) |
| 37% | FOUND | 5 | ___ to be missing, oxymoron that describes the case of a missing Christmas pie |
| 37% | IMSTEELSTANDING | 15 | Variation on Elton John's '83 song that pays homage to the alloy workers of the world? |
| 36% | EDITHWHARTON | 12 | 13-Across and 25-Across writer who was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in Literature, for her 1920 novel "The Age of Innocence" (2 wds.) |
| 36% | ROLEMODEL | 9 | A person that is often looked at as someone to follow in the footsteps of : 2 wds. |
| 36% | AMAZON | 6 | ___ River, waterbody in South America that is central to a rainforest of the same name |
| 35% | YOUREMISSINGOUT | 15 | "That's a lost opportunity," and what can be said to the writer of four clues in this puzzle |
| 35% | TEA | 3 | Item that Kenya exported to the tune of over a billion pounds in 2019 |
| 35% | MARGARETATWOOD | 14 | "The Handmaid's Tale" writer who had a cameo as an Aunt in the Hulu adaptation of her novel (2 wds.) |
| 34% | CAP | 3 | Surgical ___, headwear worn in the operating room to maintain sterilization that could be a part of your "Doctor" Halloween costume |
| 34% | EARTH | 5 | "Journey to the Center of the ___," Jules Verne novel that features our planet in its title |
| 34% | CLUEDO | 6 | British mystery game show based on a board game where celebrity guests had to solve the case of a reenacted murder |
| 34% | ASHRAM | 6 | In the Mahabharata, it's stated that a youthful Krishna was sent to see Sand?pan? Muni at one of these |
| 34% | TALE | 4 | "The Handmaid's ___," Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel that follows the journey of a woman in a totalitarian state |
| 34% | SATE | 4 | Word that can fill in the blanks in _ _ T I A _ _ to form a synonym of itself |
| 34% | XXXXX | 5 | Largish combo (and a hint to the number of letters in each country that you'll need) |
| 34% | TAHOE | 5 | California freshwater lake with a name that translates to "edge of the lake" in Washoe |
| 34% | LIST | 4 | "The Guest ___," 2020 novel by Lucy Foley that is a murder mystery set against the backdrop of a wedding |
| 34% | TIME | 4 | "Love in the ___ of Cholera," Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 1985 novel that was translated to English in 1988 |
| 34% | SMOG | 4 | Fog that has combined with excessive smoke in the air, often leading to a lot of lung diseases |
| 34% | FURNITUREASSEMBLY | 17 | Ikea task, and a task that can be applied to the sets of circled letters in this puzzle |
| 34% | AMIDST | 6 | In the thick of, to a bard |
| 34% | ALA | 3 | In the style of, to a chef |
| 33% | UDOLPHO | 7 | "The Mysteries of ___," Ann Radcliffe novel that features a sprawling and foreboding house |