The Book Stops Here: A Mobile Library Mystery
By Ian Sansom
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Disgruntled, disheveled, fish-out-of-water mobile librarian Israel Armstrong is finally going home to London, rattling along with his irascible companion Ted Carson in their rust bucket book van en route to the Mobile Meet. The annual library convention gives Israel the opportunity to catch up with his family, eat paprika chicken and baklava, and drink good coffee. But they've barely found parking when the unimaginable occurs: their library-on-wheels is stolen!
Who on earth would want to take a thirty-year-old traveling disaster with the words "The Book Stops Here" painted across the back? Israel and Ted are determined to find out. But their search is leading them on a very twisty trail through the countryside in pursuit of a suspicious convoy of New Age travelers. And the hunt is raising numerous troubling questions—such as where exactly is Israel's high-flying girlfriend, Gloria? And is Ted really making a move on Israel's widowed mother?
Ian Sansom
Ian Sansom is the author of the Mobile Library and County Guides series of novels. He writes for the Guardian, the TLS, and the Spectator and is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. He lives in County Down.
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Reviews for The Book Stops Here
7 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sadly Israel Armstrong is becoming the caricature of a born loser and that makes for difficult reading and leaches much of the comedy from the story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mobile Library series of "mysteries" by Ian Sansom takes place in a surreal world where a vegetarian Jew named Israel Armstrong is lured to Northern ireland to be town librarian, only to learn upon arriving that the town library is a mobile books on wheels van. Israel's pseudo intellectual outlook and mock erudite body of knowledge put him at constant odds with the simple people of the town, who are more likely to know the color of a book than the author or title. Each of the books revolves around one central plot and a million little snapshots of Israel being a square peg in a round village. In this book, Israel is offered the opportunity to return to England for a Mobile Librarian's conference, but quickly stumbles into another mystery that he must solve to save his reputation and freedom. But honestly, the plot is incidental to Sansom's very funny characters and gift for dialogue. Having read Sansom's book reviews and articles on British websites for years, I am surprised that he writes books like these. As a book reviewer Sansom is quite tough, but these mysteries reveal an appreciation for the kaleidoscope of people that populate the world. Obviously being a tough reviewer doesn't mean he is a cold person.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This is the third in a series featuring a Jewish vegetarian librarian called Israel who works on a Northern Irish mobile library. I don't know if it's because I didn't read the first two or what, but I just did not get on with this book or its characters - I found them boring caricatures. The story meandered around a bit then abruptly stopped. Rather like a mobile library.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5While still providing a generous helping of odd-ball characters and situations, Sansom seems to also be interested in a more serious side to Israel Armstrong and his adventures. Still somewhat thin on actual mystery (like the first book), but now a bit more cautious about pushing a general stereotypes and going for a more quirky edge.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An extremely funny addition to the series that made me laugh out loud.