The pleasure in this one was fitting the thematic element into a more-or-less standard grid, while preserving the hidden message in clue order. Splitting the hidden message into pairs of letters and finding that I’d need a word ending -DR was a bit of a facer, but Chambers came up trumps nonetheless!
Seven answers had their last pair of letters reversed, this being A TWIST IN THE TAIL. These reversed pairs, in clue order, spelled out THE BUTLER DID IT.
ACROSS
1 CREDIT CARD; credit + card
7 HARP; (s)harp
9 HOME-BREW; OM in Hebrew
10 ROMANY; r,o many
11 BRIGTH/BRIGHT; b right
12 STIPENDS; tip in sends
13 INTRIGUING; 2 mngs.
15 TUEB/TUBE; tub e
17 FEAR; hidden
19 RATION-BOOK; rat I on book
21 CULPABLE; anag.
23 INSIUT/IN SITU; in sit U
24 MISSAL; lass I’m (all rev.)
25 ANIMALIC; an I’m Alic(e)
26 RELE/REEL; re(v)el
27 DELIGHTING; d,e lighting
DOWN
2 RIO GRANDE; anag.
3 DREDGER; d r edger
4 TORCH; tor (rev.) Ch
6 DERRING-DO; der Ring do
7 HAMMETT; m met in hat
8 RANRD/R AND R; ran Dr.
14 GARIBALID/GARIBALDI; g a ribald I & lit.
16 ELOCUTION; anag. + ion
18 RIPOSTE; I post in re(d)
20 BASMAIT/BASMATI; mat in basi(c)
22 UNITE; hidden rev.
23 ICING; ici ng
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