Throughout The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd, characters frequently ask each other, “What is the purpose of a map?” Answers range from the obvious (to find things) to the philosophical (to orient ourselves in relation to the world) to the near mystical. This book takes us deep into the world of rare maps and cartography to deliver a mystery that is a lot stranger than anyone could’ve ever expected. I love a story that starts in an archive and ends up somewhere magical.

Nell Young hasn’t worked at her beloved New York Public Library’s map division for seven years, ever since the “Junk Box Incident.” Before the incident, Nell interned there under her father’s direction. She got to work with rare, pre-modern maps along with her boyfriend. Then she finds a box labeled junk in the backlog of uncataloged donations to the library. Along with a handfull of very valuable maps, Nell finds a mass produced map that is so worthless it has to have been put in the box by mistake. Strangely, her father is incensed by the appearance of the worthless map and fires Nell. After seven years of exile, Nell is called back to the NYPL with news that her father has died.

Things start to get very weird after Nell visits the library to visit an old family friend/colleague. (The map world is apparently very small.) Reminiscing at her father’s desk leads to a rediscovery of that old junk map, a map that turns out to be the source of someone’s deadly obsession. The Cartographers turns into a steeple chase at this point: underground map sellers, suspicious black cars, break ins, murders, creepy tech moguls, family secrets. It all culminates in a secret that delighted me, but that I’m definitely not going to tell you about because it would ruin the book.

The Cartographers is a treat for readers who enjoy mystery and whimsy with an academic flavor and some outstanding character development.

A page-turning literary mystery with a dynamite premise and a little bit of magic.
Seven years ago, cartographer Nell Young lost everything—her career, her reputation, her
fiancé, and her family—because of an argument over a cheap gas station map. After her
esteemed cartographer father unexpectedly dies, Nell learns he’d been working on some
sort of secret project connected to the map, which isn’t junk at all but an incredibly rare
and hotly sought-after artifact—and her knowledge of its existence may put her very life
in danger. A sophisticated scavenger hunt ensues, leading Nell to a secretive and powerful
band of mapmakers called The Cartographers, and to closely guarded secrets held by her
own family. A gripping and inventive story of family secrets, found family, second chances,
and cartography, set against the backdrop of the storied New York Public Library.

Dr. Nell Young is a cartographer who is following in her parents footsteps, working at the NYPL with her boyfriend, and her boss/father until the "Junkbox Incident" leaves her and Felix both unemployed, and both with ruined careers.

Seven years after losing her job and Felix, she gets word her father has died in his office at the NYPL. When a seemingly worthless map and more deaths start to occur, Nell begins to investigate her father's death from a supposed heart attack, not only with Felix, but with her parents' friends also. This leads Nell on a path of discovering who her parents really are and how a seemingly worthless map can be magical.

I would consider this more of a slowburn mystery rather than a thriller. I wasn't necessarily glued to the book, although I did enjoy the story. The development of the main characters was excellent and the author did a fantastic job with world building. I also enjoyed the switches in POV that we got every few chapters where we got to see what happened according to each of her parents' friends. I also enjoyed learning a little bit about cartography. I would recommend this to those who like academic mysteries and slow burn mysteries.

My thanks to William Morrow, author Peng Shepherd, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I loved this fast-paced story of hidden rooms, towns, etc. As a librarian getting to read one of the settings as the map rooms of NYPL was a special treat. This was a hard to put down book where I felt for the characters and needed to see how the story played out faster than I could read!

With every page full of mystery and intrigue, THE CARTOGRAPHERS by Peng Shepherd keeps you turning the page from start to finish.

Cartography: As per Britannica, "the art and science of graphically representing a geographical area, usually on a flat surface such as a map or chart. It may involve the superimposition of political, cultural, or other nongeographical divisions onto the representation of a geographical area."
More about this field of study can be found here.

Helen "Nell" Young is a young, upcoming cartographer who hails from two very respected and honored cartographer parents. She fell out of favor from a successful career due to an incident involving a "junk box" from the Uncatalogued Archives that crushed her career and destroyed any relationship with her father.

Felix Kimble is a computer genius working for Haberson Global's mapping division (different from cartography). He is personae non-gratae status in the cartography industry, especially museums, and has a troubled past/history with Nell after the infamous "Junk Box incident."

POV: third person POV, omniscient, multi-character POV

Location: New York City (specifically New York Public Library, "NYPL")

The Carotographers follows Nell searching for answers to the connection between her father's passing, a robbery without anything stolen, an ordinary map hidden away in his most prized portfolio, and a few more stolen/destroyed maps in the mix. She enlists a few "trusted friends" who help her navigate the cartography world, discover clues and shed light on an even bigger conspiracy the world has ever known.

The writing and tone are befitting of a suspenseful theme. The world-building of New York City, especially the NYPL, is as detailed as if I was there listening to a guide showcasing the library's splendor and history. Even with all the world-building exploration, the author did an excellent job focusing on the mystery of her father's demise with a peculiar map. However, readers will still get tidbits of Nell's childhood, family, and the Cartographer's backstories (hint hint).

I want to highlight the ingenious plot twists!
When I thought I had it all solved, just when one clue is "solved," another one pops up and shatters the theory and instead brings more questions and uncertainty into the situation. This book made me stop and ponder the whys and hows instead of speeding through to find out more about the Cartographers. I like books that make me feel "bothered" and puzzled.
The characters' internal conflicts, distrust, deceit, and lies due to proximity and secrecy echo a "Lord of the Flies" feel. I enjoyed how the author unraveled layer-on-layer secrets from each of these "members" that heightened the story's tension and later ties it all together in one central purpose.

Nell's character development was exceptional. Her personal development was realistic, raw, and explored in detail without giving too much until the end. Even if the book is from a third party, the author disclosed enough of Nell's thoughts and feelings to provide enough "hook" to keep readers glued and addicted enough to keep turning the pages. I was amazed at how persistent and determined Nell was. Even if she's been out of the cartography industry, she found the clues and "hidden meanings" to help solve the past and present mysteries. After that, the truth could not stop itself from seeping out to be pieced together for an epic ending.

Overall, I cannot stop raving about The Cartographers! It will make you think, stop, ponder, reread, rethink, and assume, BUT you will NOT be able to "piece anything" until the end.
It is an engaging and captivating read. It will grip you in with the mystery and suspense from start to finish. The world-building is captivating and infused with the history of New York, the science of drafting, and the intricacies of cartography. This book is a class of its own by infusing mystery and suspense with magic/fantasy—a real treat for avid readers who want something unique, different, and refreshing.

I recommend The Cartographers to readers who
- want a challenging, fascinating mystery,
- want an addicting, page-turner book,
- wants to know all about the evolution of cartography, map making (classic and digital),
- enjoy a lot of world-building, especially of the NYPL, and
- love plot twists AND a shocking ending!

Tropes: magic and mystery, field study interest reads, family loyalty/relationship building, scavenger-hunt/adventure

I love, no adore, movies like National Treasure, The Mummy, & The Librarians and grew up reading The Chronicles of Narnia. So when this book came up as an option for the March 2022 Book of the Month - it was a no brainer. And my god I was NOT disappointed.

I’ve spent the last 4 days deeply invested in this book! The pacing was slow, but in the most wonderful way. I could not put this book down, and will be anxiously awaiting the film, because there’s no way some company won’t pick this up as an option for a movie.

The Cartographers was an okay story but it really wasn’t my type of story although I did enjoy the mystery of the who-done-it. However, it didn’t really sit well with me the way that Nell’s father treated her and the consequences of that.

I liked that we get some things cleared up as the story goes on but the ending was a bit wth for me. I actually don’t really understand it.

Good overall story but it just wasn’t for me.

I received an early copy of The Cartographers from Net Galley, thank you Net Galley! And I really wanted to like this book. I am always drawn to books about libraries, and this one had a great premise - Nell Young was on the fast track to follow in her parents footsteps and become a well-known cartographer, but there was a falling-out over a mass-produced gas station map. She lost her job at the NYPL, and didn’t talk to her father for years. The book starts when Nell learns her father had been mysteriously killed in the library, with the killer vanishing from a locked room. The author uses a concept of phantom settlements as a primary plot line in this magical realist story, but rather than creating a magical fascinating story, this one somehow is rather dry. I never take longer than a few days to read a book, but this one took me weeks to finish. There are many characters and a story going back over thirty years, but I couldn’t find anything to care about. The main character Nell had a broken relationship that seemed drier than dust, there just wasn’t any passion in this book. To make it worse, the characters made illogical and nonsensical decisions, so by the end, I didn’t understand or care what happened. Great promise at the start, but great disappointment by the end.

A lot of the twists were pretty predictable, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story at all. What a fun concept

Nell Young, a dedicated cartographer, once had it all—a dream job in the New York Public Library, a stylish boyfriend, Felix, who understood her obsession with maps, and a good salary as a researcher. Then she and her father, Dr. Young, the top scholar at NYPL had a fight about the importance of find she discovered in the basement, and her dreams came crashing down. She lost Felix when her father fired him, along with her.

Seven years later, Nell is frumpy and depressed, working well below her aptitude, when news arrives of her father’s unexpected death at the Library. While in his office, she comes across his secret hiding place for treasured items and is amazed to find one of the maps included in the box that provoked the fight. It’s not one of the rare expensive maps, but rather a cheap common map from the thirties. It’s not until she enters her find into the database that she realizes she may have the only surviving map of this edition. The others have all mysteriously disappeared. Soon she begins to wonder if her father might have been murdered over this cheap map?

Much as Nell would like to solve this all by herself, she’s forced to reach out for help. Could her parent’s former friends and her estranged boyfriend, Felix, help her solve the mystery? Or will her questions draw the killer nearer and put her new comrades in danger?

The Cartographers was an intriguing novel. I was immediately drawn into the story and Nell's obsession with maps. I enjoyed the premise and the mystery of determining who was behind her father's untimely demise. The writing was engaging and kept me invested. My only complaint is that I wanted more magic! Recommend to those who enjoy a mystery and fiction with only a dash of magic. Overall enjoyed the book.

Today’s my stop on The Cartographers tour from @turnthepagtours. The Cartographers is a mystery/thriller novel that came out on 3/15 from William Morrow books and it was so good! Definitely a 4.5 star read from me! I really enjoyed all of the mystery and intrigue surrounding the maps and the Cartographers in general. I really liked Nell and Felix. Overall, this’ll definitely be one that I recommend a lot! Also, look at that cover- it's gorgeous!

Great premise and characters. Loved the NYPL setting too! But as a matter of personal taste I lost interest when things took a magical/supernatural turn. Thank you Net Galley

Quick, light read. Loved the story in the acknowledgement about how the author came to the story and she did a great job of taking that little story and turning it into something magical. Although there were a lot of characters and some not really well developed, I did enjoy meeting them all. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and just enjoyed exploring the concept of creating something by creating a map of it! Plus who doesn't love a good novel with a library in it!

Everyone in this book is a little too good at cutting off contact with anyone formerly important to them and it's a little worrying, not gonna lie!!

This book is for people who love mysteries, fantasy, and weird old things. Reading this while working in a library (albeit a library without maps, but still a library) gave me a little sense of pride. Librarians are awesome.

The story follows Nell Young, former employee of the map's division of the NYPL, as she tries to uncover a mystery that all began with the death of her father, a renowned cartographer and also the reason why her career ended just as soon as it began.

It really is magical in every sense of the world. A completely original and fun mystery that will keep you entertained the whole way through. Did the magic system (if you could call it that) make sense? Not always, but that's the only area I have to complain about this book. It's a fun ride that I will be recommending to patrons.

What is the purpose of a map? To bring people together. Nell Young once had a promising future in the cartography world, that is until her father fired her from the NY public library and destroyed her reputation. After not speaking for a while, her father is found dead in his office. Maybe it was natural causes. Maybe there is something more nefarious at play. Secretly in his possession is the same gas station map that caused their falling out. Why had he kept it all this time if it was as worthless as he told her it was? She sets out to uncover the map's mystery and gets more than she bargained for along the way.

While the blurb uses the word "thriller," to me this one read more as a slow burn mystery so bear that in mind if you're picking this one up. That being said, I was still invested in the story and wanted to see how it all came together. I liked the fantastical elements and the treasure hunty vibe to the story. I also enjoyed the past and present story lines playing off one another and helping to create more depth/understanding as to what was going on and the character's motivations. I am excited to see what Peng Shepherd writes next.

Overall, I'm giving this 4 stars "I really liked it." It's not like anything I've read recently and that counts for something with me!

Such an interesting and unique book. I loved getting a look into the world of rare maps and thought the magical realism incorporated in the book was done wonderfully. There was a little bit of everything in this book - drama, suspense, family issues, etc... I enjoyed reading this book and will definitely recommend it to others!

I didn’t know much about the field of cartography but I am finding it fascinating. The story is a bit whimsical and mysterious. There’s a complex family history going on with secrets waiting to be uncovered. Enjoyed this book so much.

Who doesn’t love maps? Sure, they can be confusing, puzzling, and downright impossible to fold, but the adventures they hold are amazing. When I saw the latest release by Peng Shephard, THE CARTOGRAPHERS, I had to check it out. It’s a little bit adventure, a little bit mystery, and a whole lot of intrigue and fun. The Cartographers mixes adventure, magic, and mystery - it’s full of classic childhood fantasies. When someone reads the title, THE CARTOGRAPHERS, they may as well be reading THE BOOK CLUB - I swear I’ve met Ms. Shepherd's characters at my local library! Peng is definitely a writer you want to keep on your list of go-to of authors, so of course I had to invite her to sit down with us at the Cozy Corner and find out how her heroine, Nell Young, came to life. If you'd like to see more of the interview, visit FreshFiction.com at the link.