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15A: Book American may pick up as weapon (6)
?I?S?L
The answer is obviously 'missal' = book (def)
and presumably from the clue Americans are supposed to pronounce "missile" (weapon) as "missal"?

Do they?!

Have the setters run out of Londonisms, Elle?
Heaven forfend!

............and I don't know what "forfend" means either, Rusty!
Presumably "forbid"?

This crossword was used in the Times Crossword Championships.
This particular clue is not a great one, I don't think.
Many, many, different American accents.

Well, I'm struggling today ........
Another one I cannot parse is
22A: Ancient rising state that swept across Europe (6,7)
O?I?N? / E?P?E?S
I'm guessing that it is "Orient Express" but cannot parse it.
Express - state?
Where does the rest of it come from, please?

Express is state.
Orient is riising.

Oops!
Rising, I meant.

Oh, because the sun rises in the east?
I couldn't see that.
Thank you, Rusty.
And presumably the definition is "swept across Europe"
All finished now.

Could be to do with the sun rising, but orient means rising.
I don't see why "swept" is used?

Murder on the Orient Express is described as Agatha Christie's classic story acted out as the title train sweeps through Europe.