Death of a Bookseller in Never too Late to Read Classics

Jul 08, 2023 Kate rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century-literature, england, mysteries, british-library-crime-classics, library-book, read-in-2023

"Some dealers and collectors have no conscience whatsoever ...
"Do you know, Sergeant, there are men and even women who
"would cheerfully kill me to get what I have found today?"
When Sergeant Wigan stops to escort a swaying reveler home at the end of his later shift, he is spun a tale of the ups and downs of a life spent collecting and selling rare books. His new companion, Michael Fisk, has been celebrating the acquisition of a signed copy of Keats's Endymion, and a trip to Fisk's library is eno ...more

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Jun 29, 2024 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, mystery-thriller

Rating 3.5. This book had a clever premise: book runners, collectors, and sellers all interact frequently, building relationships and sharing information. But the hunt for the most valuable books is cut throat. So a well known book runner is killed and the surrounding community of book people are suspects. However this book lacked tension and suspense. And the killer was one who had some of the least spotlight so it was difficult to suspect him.
Farmer does an excellent job of setting the scene a Rating 3.5. This book had a clever premise: book runners, collectors, and sellers all interact frequently, building relationships and sharing information. But the hunt for the most valuable books is cut throat. So a well known book runner is killed and the surrounding community of book people are suspects. However this book lacked tension and suspense. And the killer was one who had some of the least spotlight so it was difficult to suspect him.
Farmer does an excellent job of setting the scene and using dialogue to reveal the background and thinking of the various characters. I was surprised that in the beginning, we only focus on the victim, Mike Fisk, and his friend, Police Inspector Wigan. We don't meet the list of suspects until after the murder and during Wigan's investigation. As is typical with mystery, we are led to believe that a character or two has more motive than the others, but find these are only red herrings.
Wigan investigates the book runner Fred Hampton, a nervous type who is desperate for money to pay for his daughters' schooling. He is quickly accused, tried, and sentenced to death based on circumstantial evidence (he was desperate and owned a pair of gloves and a knife, which was the murder weapon).
However, Wigan, who was introduced to the world of collecting books by Fisk, is unsatisfied with the conviction so goes around interviewing various book runners and book sellers. He works with Charlie North, a scavenger and rough character who is yet knowledgeable and resourceful. Later he seeks insight from Searle Connington, a book buyer who has a split personality. We meet other book runners including Ruth Brent, Algernon Askew, and Corky Edwards. A wealthy American collector, Dithan Dand and two booksellers, Joel and Francis, are introduced as well.
We have two odd clues: a neighbor saw a suspect with a beard on the night of the murder and several neighbors saw a strange bat like creature in the street on the same night. At one point, Wigan wonders if the death is linked to exploration of the occult.
Connington agrees to set up a trap by waiting during the night in Fisk's house. After several nights, he catches one pair of suspects, then a few days later a third suspect. At this point, Wigan demands the suspect give his confession and oddly, the fellow does. He admits to blackmail and a second killing as well. (view spoiler).
The story has an interesting cast of characters, but most of the story is just interviews that seem to net few reveals. When the killer admits his crime, it is rather anti-climatic. Charlie's death seems rather an aside than connected to Fisk's death. I was surprised by the conclusion, but it lacked tension. The prose is good and there are some nice details in the story. I just wish it had a different tone. ...more

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