Author: Thomas Shawyer
Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Date of publication:
Book merchant Michael Bevan arrives at the Kansas City
auction house hoping to uncover some hidden literary gold. Though the auction
ad had mentioned erotica, Michael is amazed to find lovely Japanese Shunga
scrolls and a first edition of a novel by French author Colette with an
inscription by Ernest Hemingway. This one item alone could fetch a small
fortune in the right market.
As Michael and fellow dealer Gareth Hughes are warming up
for battle, a stranger comes out of nowhere and outbids them—to the tune of
sixty grand. But Gareth is unwilling to leave the auction house empty-handed,
so he steals two volumes, including the Colette novel. When Gareth is found
dead the next day, Michael quickly becomes the prime suspect: Not only had the
pair been tossed out of a bar mid-fistfight the night before, but there is
evidence from Michael’s shop at the crime scene.
Now the attorney-turned-bookman must find out who wanted the
Colette so badly that they would kill for it—and frame Michael. Desperate to
stay out of police custody, Michael follows the murderer’s trail into the wealthiest
echelons of the city, where power and influence meet corruption—and mystery and
eroticism are perverted by pure evil. Unfortunately for Michael, one dead book
dealer is only the opening chapter in a terrifying tale of high culture and
lowlifes.
I wasn't sure what to expect with The Dirty Book Murder, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a well written and quick read. It isn't exactly the "cozy" mystery I thought I was getting. It has a bit more grit that I would have expected. I really liked Mike, the main character. He is an older man, former lawyer, widower and has flaws all over the place. But he seemed like the type of guy I'd like to know. He owns one of my favorite places to be...a used book store.
When he goes to an auction and tries to bid on a set of erotic books, he ends up entangled in a murder mystery as the number one suspect. Of course, this means he has to do some detective work himself. I liked the mystery. It had a few twists, one that I guessed. But it was well written and planned out with reveals just at the right time. It looks like this will be a series. I was also impressed that it is a debut novel. I see a bright future for Mr. Shawyer in this genre and I look forward to the next book.
When he goes to an auction and tries to bid on a set of erotic books, he ends up entangled in a murder mystery as the number one suspect. Of course, this means he has to do some detective work himself. I liked the mystery. It had a few twists, one that I guessed. But it was well written and planned out with reveals just at the right time. It looks like this will be a series. I was also impressed that it is a debut novel. I see a bright future for Mr. Shawyer in this genre and I look forward to the next book.
About Thomas Shawver
Thomas Shawver is a former marine officer, lawyer, and
journalist with American City Business Journals. An avid rugby player and
international traveler, Shawver owned Bloomsday Books, an antiquarian bookstore
in Kansas City.
Thomas Shawver’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, April 29th: 5
Minutes for Books
Wednesday, April 30th: Luxury Reading
Thursday, May 1st: A
Buckeye Girl Reads
Monday, May 5th: Reading
Reality
Wednesday, May 7th: The
Written World
Friday, May 9th: Patricia’s
Wisdom
Monday, May 12th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, May 14th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, May 15th: A Chick Who Reads
Monday, May 19th: Crime Book Club
Tuesday, May 20th: Man
of La Book
Wednesday, May 21st: The Reader’s Hollow
Thursday, May 22nd: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, May 27th: In Bed with Books
Wednesday, May 28th: Cici’s Theories
Thursday, May 29th: Bibliotica
TBD: Sarah Says
Read
1 comment:
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
Post a Comment