The Readers's Shelf—Murder by the Book: Biblio-Mysteries

Edited by Nancy Pearl -- Library Journal, 9/1/2004

To be an effective writer, you first must be an avid reader. Some authors have taken this maxim to the extreme, transforming their love of writing and reading into books about readers and writers. Adding intrigue, they allow their bibliophilic characters to put the skills they have honed as readers to the test in solving a number of creatively literate crimes. The following titles are series introductions, so readers can also seek out later tales about their favorite characters.

In Noreen Wald's Ghostwriter (o.p.), New York ghostwriter Jake O'Hara's latest gig, working for aging mystery queen Kate Lloyd Connors, appears to be a windfall…until someone starts killing off Manhattan's other writers for hire. Could Jake be next? And can she use her finely honed ghostwriting skills in tracking down the killer? Not only is this a satisfying whodunit, it is also a fascinating look into the hidden world of ghostwriting, where behind-the-scenes authors toil on books that will never bear their names.

No biblio-mystery collection is complete without a tale of an indefatigable librarian-turned–sleuth. Helma Zukas, reference librarian extraordinaire and the heroine of Jo Dereske's Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (Avon. 1994. ISBN 0-380-77030- X. pap. $5.99), is so unruffled by the discovery of a body in her Bellehaven, WA, library's stacks that her first question on hearing the news is: "Fiction or nonfiction?" Her logical mind, research skills, and ability to remain collected under any circumstances make Helma the perfect person to assist police chief Wayne Gallant in solving the murder. Their growing intimacy provides a comfortable counterpoint to the investigation.

Jeff Abbott's Do Unto Others (Ballantine. 1994. ISBN 0–345-38948-4. pap. $6.50) introduces small-town head librarian (though non-MLS) Jordan Poteet, who leaves a Boston publishing job for his Texas home town to care for his ailing mother. Jordan's run-in with local gadfly and ex–library board member Beta Harcher over removing "smut" from the shelves takes an ugly turn when Harcher is found beaten to death in the library. The weapon, a baseball bat, bears Jordan's fingerprints. Fortunately for Jordan, the victim left a list of other potential suspects—complete with topical Bible verses.

Adding a British flavor to the genre, Julie Kaewert's Unsolicited: A Booklover's Mystery (Bantam. 2000. ISBN 0-553-58209-7. pap. $5.99) features the reserved and unflappable Alex Plumtree, owner of the prestigious Plumtree Press. His plans to publish a blockbuster novel from an anonymous author known only as "Arthur" is stymied when "Arthur" drops out of sight without delivering the final chapters and a prominent critic outs the upcoming title as a factual exposé. Alex now must find the completed manuscript and discover who is behind the critic's murder and attempts on his own life.

Reading groups may now be enjoying a surge of popularity, but few will find themselves involved in the life-or-death situations faced by the Murder by the Yard mystery book group in D.R. Meredith's Murder in Volume (Prime Crime: Berkley. 2000. ISBN 0-425-17309-7. pap. $5.99). Led by diminutive Megan Clark, who works as an assistant reference librarian owing to a shortage of opportunities for paleopathologists in Amarillo, TX, the bookstore reading group must help Megan defend herself from suspicion in the murder of a fellow book group member.

John Dunning's Booked To Die (Scribner. 1992. ISBN 0-684-19383-3. $19.95; pap. Pocket Star. ISBN 0-7434-1065-3. $7.99) is an engrossing but rather nontraditional police procedural starring Denver cop—and avid rare books collector—Cliff Janeway. Dunning himself owns a Denver bookstore, and his expertise is reflected in the authentic details peppering this story of Janeway's search for the murderer of book scout Bobby Westfall. Janeway combines his police skills with his knowledge of the antiquarian book trade to solve the mystery.

Offering a cozier alternative to Dunning's hard-boiled style, Marianne MacDonald's Death's Autograph: An Antiquarian Book Mystery (o.p.) blends the fascinating world of rare books with a solid mystery. London antiquarian book dealer Dido Hoare and her father, Barnabas, have to solve a crime that comes a little too close to home when her best friend and best customer is murdered, and Dido discovers that a string of recent strange events (her shop is trashed, Barnabas receives a threatening letter) may revolve around the possession of a volume containing a poem both handwritten and signed by William Shakespeare.