| 100% | DEATHOFA | 8 | & 16D 1985 novel by M C Beaton that introduced the character Hamish Macbeth |
| 37% | THEDEADLY | 9 | & 18D 2004 novel by M C Beaton |
| 33% | REDDRAGON | 9 | 1981 novel that introduced the character Hannibal Lecter |
| 31% | ANGELS | 6 | "___ and Demons," 2000 novel by Dan Brown that introduces the character Robert Langdon |
| 31% | APASSAGE | 8 | & 14D 1924 novel by E M Forster featuring the character Adela Quested |
| 31% | TWILIGHT | 8 | 2005 Stephenie Meyer novel that introduced the character Bella Swan |
| 30% | SERENADE | 8 | 1937 novel by James M Cain narrated by the character John Howard Sharp |
| 28% | TIMEOF | 6 | "Love in the ___ Cholera," 1985 novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that revolves around the characters, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza: 2 wds. |
| 28% | SPOCKMUSTDIE | 12 | Original novel by 39-Across that was inspired by one of the principal characters of "Star Trek" (3 wds.) |
| 28% | DOUBLEDUTCH | 11 | Sport that's the title of a 2002 novel by Sharon M. Draper |
| 28% | ACHRISTMASCAROL | 15 | Novella that introduced the three film characters |
| 27% | ESCFROMNEWYORK | 14 | 1981 film that introduced the Kurt Russell character Snake Plissken |
| 26% | RAMA | 4 | "Rendezvous with ___," 1973 novel by Arthur C. Clarke that is set in the 2130s |
| 26% | ACCIDENTAL | 10 | The —, 1985 novel by Anne Tyler |
| 25% | FUTILITY | 8 | Novel by Morgan Robertson that seemingly predicted the sinking of the Titanic |
| 25% | TARR | 4 | 1918 novel by Wyndham Lewis featuring the character Otto Kreisler |
| 25% | TARR | 4 | 1918 novel by Wyndham Lewis with the character Otto Kreisler |
| 25% | DOUBLEWHAMMY | 12 | 1987 novel by Carl Hiaasen featuring the character Dickie Lockhart |
| 25% | EFFIBRIEST | 10 | 1896 novel by Theodor Fontane featuring the character Major Crampas |
| 25% | RAISIN | 6 | Agatha —, fictional creation of M C Beaton who first appeared in a 1992 mystery novel |
| 25% | POSTCARDS | 9 | Novel by 29-Across that won the 1992 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction |
| 25% | THEOVERSTORY | 12 | Novel by 30-Across that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2 wds.) |
| 25% | ROOKWOOD | 8 | 1834 novel by William Harrison Ainsworth featuring the character Dick Turpin |