Michael Bevan has given up his career with the Marines to
sell books in Kansas City. At an auction he hopes to find some surprising big
deal. Besides lovely Japanese Erotica which could sell for some high price, he
discovers a first edition of a book by Colette in which he finds an inscription
by Ernest Hemingway. The auction ends in turmoil: a stranger appears and bids
high, the book is stolen and one of the bidders is found murdered the next day.
Next to the dead body evidence which directly leads to Michael is found so he
himself has to uncover the criminal before the police arrest him.
“The Dirty Book Murder” is a clear page-turner which keeps
you reading on and on and on. The story is cleverly constructed and offers some
twists and turns which are not foreseeable. Besides the murder story, the plot also
offers some personal aspects of the characters which makes them appear
authentic and multifaceted. Connecting both of them leads to a thrilling climax
which also offers a lot of action. The protagonist offers a lot and could
easily reappear in follow-up stories.
What I appreciated most was the background information about
the books mentioned, e.g. the explanation which the stolen Colette book is that
worthy and the role e.g. Sylvia Beach played in 20th century literature. So
this crime story offers much more than just thrill and suspense and thus is a
real jewel for book and crime story lovers.
