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Solution to The Spy Who Read Me

Authors: Aaron Bader and Karen Chu

The puzzle consists of the beginning paragraphs of eleven famous works of literature, which have been Vigenere ciphered in successive steps. The first step uses the title of the work as a key. However, this only manages to decode the first segment of the text. Taking the remaining text and ciphering again using the author's name gets you a little more of the text, but the last section will still be gibberish. The last key is a clue phrase which refers to the book in question and which can be used to extract an answer word. Taking the first letters of the answer words and arranging them alphabetically by book title, gives the answer, CHANTICLEER.

In puzzle order given here are the authors, books, clue phrases, and answers:

AuthorBookClue PhraseClue Answer
JaneAustenPride and PrejudiceYOUNGESTBENNETSISTERLydia
AnthonyBurgessA Clockwork OrangeMRSALEXANDERACTRESSLASTNAMECorri
CharlesDickensA Tale of Two CitiesDRMANETTETHEPRISONERAlexandre
FScottFitzgeraldThe Great GatsbyEGGWHEREDAISYLIVESEast
JamesJoyceA Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManBIRDWITHSAMENAMEASSTEPHENSENEMYHeron
HermanMelvilleMoby DickCAPEWHERESTUBBHAILSFROMCod
VladimirNabokovLolitaWHATVALERIASPARAMOURDROVETaxi
JKRowlingHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's stoneFORGETFULBOYLONGBOTTOMNeville
AntoinedeSaintExuperyThe Little PrinceTHISFLOWERISNOTUNIQUERose
WilliamShakespeareMacbethMACBETHSCASTLEINACTISCENEVInvernesse
JRRTolkienThe HobbitGWAIHIRWASLORDOFTHEMEagles