This one had me at Bookseller. Love, love a good bibliomystery. Anything to do with books and people who love them, deal with them, deal in them, etc.
The drawback was a number of negative or lukewarm reviews, but turned out, none of that mattered ¬ I found the book to be an utter delight. A classic mystery at its best. A golden oldie that actually deserved its moniker.
It begins with a death of a bookseller. And, his friend, a policeman, who refuses to leave the case alone. Even when a suspect is arrested. See, the policeman is an amateur bookdealer himself, someone who was just taking his first steps into the world of first editions and printed word trade, when his guide, his new friend, was murdered, and now he simply can’t let it go until justice is properly served.
To this end, on his own time and against his supervisor’s advice, he’ll plunge himself into the murky wheelings and dealings of the booksellers. And yeah, it seems mild, but it can be murder.
There’s also a fun supernatural aspect here you don’t usually encounter in this type of fiction, where the murdered bookseller in life speculated and specialized in the occult and may have dabbled in it too. It seems that a lot of readers didn’t care for it, but for me, as a genre fan, it was the cherry on top.
Farmer had actually worked as a cop and was a book collector, so he brings his first-hand experiences to really flesh out and detail the world he’s writing about. As a result, the book is vivid, engaging, and a pleasure to read.
Plus, his characters are…well, they are really a cast of characters, quirky, off-beat, oddball bunch, plus, a genuinely decent protagonist, a good man, a policeman of good values and good steady manner. Just what one might need to sort through this lot.
Nowhere near as dated as some of the older mysteries and lots of fun to play along with. Especially, I’d imagine, for booklovers. well deserving of its crime classic title. Recommended.. Thanks Netgalley.

I had never heard of Bernard Farmer until this book. Sargent Wigan met Michael Fisk in the road one night and escorted him home. they became friends and Wigan learned about rare books from Fisk. However, the rare book dealers in London made up a small circle who were prepared to use desperate means to get the books they wanted - even murder. Fisk had recently acquired a personal copy of Keats' Endymion and someone wanted it very badly. Badly enough to kill for it and then to frame Fred Henderson, a poor dealer, for the murder. Wigan investigated the murder and became convinced that Henderson was innocent despite his superior's confidence that the jury verdict of guilty was good. He continued to investigate on his own time and through a couple of dealers he co-opted to assist him.
Farmer builds the suspense throughout the book to the night before the hanging of Henderson. The number of suspects increased as the days passed but I didn't pick out the actual perpetrator. Wigan remained convinced of Henderson's innocence but he also retained his integrity as a police officer to the end. A good story well told.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The opinions stated are mine for which I was not compensated.

Books and more books…mystery and intrigue…an innovative protagonist looking for answers. Friends…red herrings…secrets…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks also to the publisher and the author. Mystery and mayhem…secrets…this author has written a cannot put down whodunit. Curl up in a cozy chair with a cup of steaming hot tea…become lost for a quick read…