The Bookseller

The buying and selling of antiquarian books can clearly be a more cutthroat world than you might expect. This is a rarefied world of collectors who treasure rare books in the same way fine art collectors cherish their pieces. The passion to obtain a highly desired book can become obsessive and, as depicted in this novel, lead to fraud, theft, and conspiracy.

Semi-retired Bristol bookseller Torquil Squire, of Squire’s Rare Books, arrives home from an auction in London to find his son, Ed, dead in the shop. Although 90-year-old Torquil has turned over management of the business to Ed, he still likes to stay involved in the shop he has built over his lifetime. He has an excellent reputation for fairness and integrity in the book world and is well known for his ability to sniff out priceless first editions and other rarely seen documents.

Bristol detective DS George Cross of the Avon and Somerset Major Crime Unit is called to the crime scene to investigate Ed’s violent murder. In George, Tim Sullivan has created a delightful character—an exemplary detective with a razor-sharp mind who has solved many cases. However, his Asperger’s makes him socially awkward; he speaks his mind without a filter and often appears rude and abrupt. But his logical brain is always working on problems, seeing links and solutions others miss.

Although George’s quirkiness and inability to understand jokes and sarcasm do not endear him to his colleagues, his current partner, Josie Ottey, has helped him recognize social cues and become more self-aware—even recognizing humor in some situations. She’s also helping him cope with the news that his father, to whom he is very close, has cancer and has suffered a stroke. Unfortunately for George, Josie has just been promoted to DI, and he is terrified she will be transferred, leaving him to work with someone new.

When George and Josie arrive at the bookshop, they find a witness to the murder locked in the bathroom—Torquil’s niece, Persephone (aka Percy), who has, strangely, started a small section in the store selling contemporary fiction. Unfortunately, she didn’t see Ed’s killer but heard someone enter the shop, followed by raised voices.

Many red herrings and false leads stand in George’s way before he figures out the truth, including fraud, theft, an angry Russian oligarch, booksellers with their own agendas, and family members hiding secrets from Torquil. It doesn’t help that George’s thinking is sometimes clouded by his father’s illness and his worry over whether he should resign to take care of him. It’s a clever plot that lovers of this series will enjoy, as well as those reading it as a stand-alone. This underworld of booksellers and their customers is a brilliant choice of setting for a murder mystery, providing plenty of suspense and intrigue.

With thanks to the publisher, Aria & Aries, for a copy to read.