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Author/Guide: Jack Batten

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: An antiques book dealer gets more than he bargains for when he turns the pages of his latest mystery…

ISBN: 978-1459736917
Genre: Cosy crime, Mystery

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What you need to know before your trail

Fletcher Marshall is a Toronto antiquarian book dealer

One night, someone blows the safe in his office and makes off with the contents, which include an infamous and possibly forged first edition of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese that is in itself a collector’s item.

Fletcher, who was still in the process of verifying the book doesn’t want to risk the police getting involved so he turns to his pal Crang, the nervy criminal lawyer, hoping he can retrieve the books before their owner gets wind of the crime. The owner happens to be the richest woman in Canada and a tough cookie who could ruin Fletcher’s career.

Locations

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Travel Guide

Toronto

Harbord Village

Annie and Fletcher live in this part of the city in Harbord Village, close to the geographical dead centre of the city. The village borders the Annex to the north which is a very trendy neighbourhood. Fletcher admits that his neighbourhood is not quite as trendy but it’s nice all the same.

College St – Fletcher’s bookshop

The imaginary bookstore is opposite the oldest functioning fire station in the city. There is a bookstore in the very site selling books, comics and it’s also a place to stay.

The world of old books, antique treasures and one of the oldest and most famous stars in the city delivers on the dust in the novels and the sparkles of the diamonds on the star’s jewelry.

Kensington Market

“In the early twentieth century, modest rents of humble dwellings made Kensington Market the first choice in address for ethnic groups newly arrived in Toronto. It was the Jewish quarter first, where immigrants beating it out of Russian and Eastern Europe established their homes, shops, and businesses.

Now,the area had morphed into a shopping area for young people from all over the city.

Streetview Maps

C) Toronto - College Street Fire station

D) Toronto - A bookshop where Fletcher's store is

Booktrailer Review

Susan: @thebooktrailer

A story about old books, a bookshop and the love of books. When the store is invaded and a possibly valuable one goes missing, then the race is on to find what is really at stake.

What’s better than a book about books? Biscuits? Well, there’s a character called Biscuit, who is a renowned safecracker. Without Crang knowing it, Maury and Biscuit break into Marshall’s business and Biscuit breaks into the safe in no time flat.

There’s a lot of old fashioned sleuthing in this book and it was a whole lot of fun. Books which may be forged, ink which needs to be investigated, letters with secrets which have gone missing…oh joy. Then there’s the plot within the plot! Joy of Joys!

And then there’s the setting – great book feel to the entire novel, with snippets of such gems as Kensington Village and the oldest fire station in the city.

I’ve not read the others in the series but if this one is anything to go by, I’m in for a treat!