on page 153 is a grid which according to the text, hides a deeply hidden message starting in the third square of two down. the third letter of two down is I. all that i can see is ITS NO, after which...
5d) Make faulty minute object (4) M?I? 12a) One of 30 here occasionally featuring culture (4) ?L?E 19a) Woman comes back to claim royal state (6) A?S?R? 23d) Cryptically one of the 2 top men on board...
21a) third attempt to catch irate criminal (8)
14d) belittlement is really blame concealed by desires (4,6)
20a) horrid smell from tail of this fish (6)...
12d...Ultimately Oscar Wilde wasn't wicked, bent maybe. W?N?L?S?R?W I can only make WINDLESTRAW, which is some kind of withered stalk but not sure of the parsing ? There's an anagram in there...
9 across (7) R_T_E_N Rough, loosely-woven dress fabric. 15 across (8) _O_I_I_T Person who gives plain explanatory sermons. 13 down (10) _R_C_O_A_E Management by an official in some English...