While every reader is a book lover, there’s a special subspecies of bibliophile whose passion for rare books goes beyond preordering the latest bestseller. Often, we care as much about the book itself as about the story. The binding, the paper, the illustrations. Books are tangible relics of human history, and showcases of human creativity.
And sometimes it is the story we care about—or rather, the way the story moved us the first time we read it. We crave a connection through time with the author who made us feel so deeply, and one way to achieve that is by owning a signed first edition that the author touched with his or her very own hand. Over time, those first editions become rarer and rarer through natural attrition.
I am a passionate bibliophile myself. I have a small but dear collection of first editions and books that have deep meaning to me. I’ve loved the book as an object since I was a child, and over the years I’ve taken many classes in the book arts. This avocation is what inspired me to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring a bookbinder who solves murders linked to the rare books in her care. So you might legitimately call me a book fanatic. But I’m not as far gone as book collectors who feel obsessed to possess. Those for whom a particular treasure may inspire them to felonious deeds.
A first edition may, indeed, lead to first-degree murder.
Here are some stories that will take you on fun and twisty journeys into the mysterious world of crimes motivated by books.
Deadly Editions by Paige Shelton
Shelton sets up this romp as an irresistible bibliophile treasure hunt, with the prize being a rare first edition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, something that would get any book collector’s heart racing. Delaney Nichols, bookseller at the Cracked Spine Bookshop, is invited to participate in the scavenger hunt by an eccentric socialite with a mischievous reputation. But that prize proves too tempting to resist, for Delaney and for a delightful cast of quirky, well-drawn characters. The latest Scottish Bookshop Mystery is my favorite—and that’s saying a lot because I’ve loved them all.
Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany
Englishwoman Gemma Doyle is a bit of a fish out of water in the quaint Cape Cod village of West London, where she has taken over her great-uncle’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop. Gemma and her best friend Jayne stumble across a dead body when trying to track down the owner of an 1887 magazine containing the first Sherlock Holmes story ever written. While the magazine may or may not be authentic—if it is, it’s practically priceless—the victim is authentically dead. And the police are eying Gemma for the crime. To clear her name, she’ll have to put her Holmesian eye for detail to work to find the bibliophile who craved the rare story enough to kill for it. Sprinkled with fun literary references to the Great Detective, Elementary, She Read is a lighthearted read that will satisfy lovers of classic mysteries.
The Christie Caper by Carolyn Hart
Annie and Max Darling have planned a week of festivities at their Death on Demand Mystery Bookshop to celebrate the centennial of Agatha Christie’s birth. When the party is crashed by Neil Bledsoe, a cigar-smoking book critic who sneers at traditional mysteries, his toxic brand of masculinity ruffles the feathers of the more refined Christie aficionados. Especially when he boasts of his plans to write an unflattering biography of their idol. Perfectly paced and with plenty of suspects to keep even the most astute readers guessing. Carolyn Hart was honored as a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014, and you’ll understand why she’s so beloved as you dive into The Christie Caper. Highly recommended!
The Bookman’s Promise by John Dunning
Author John Dunning is himself a bookman, with an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the world of antiquarian books. In this story, ex-cop Cliff Janeway is approached by a woman who says his recently acquired signed first edition of a Richard Burton memoir (the explorer, not the actor) rightfully belongs to her. This leads him to set off on a quest to track down the rest of her late grandfather’s missing collection, only to find that someone is willing to kill to keep the past buried. With delightful and authentic details about people who are passionate for collecting rare books, The Bookman’s Promise is rich with intriguing historical tidbits that may set you off on a quest of your own to learn more about Richard Burton, the intrepid explorer.
A Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott
As the charming coastal town of Greyborne Harbor is gearing up for their annual Fire and Ice Festival, Addie Greyborne’s friend Gloria suffers a fall that sends her to the hospital. While at Gloria’s house to care for her dog, Addie notices a rare and valuable first edition of The Secret Garden. But on her next visit, the book is missing, which makes her wonder if Gloria’s fall wasn’t an accident at all—and whether it’s linked to the dead body found behind the bakery. The owner of the bakery is charged with the crime, but Addie is convinced that the police have the wrong person in custody. And so of course, as amateur sleuths do, she’ll have to track down the killer herself. What I love best about the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries are the complex and appealing characters. I’d love to join them at the local café for a cup of coffee and a hot dish of gossip.
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
This book knocked my socks off! Stories from 1913 and 1993 weave together to tell an intergenerational mystery set at the New York Public Library. The setting alone was enough to get me to buy, but toss in similar thefts of rare books eighty years apart, and I found it irresistible. I loved learning about the history of this significant building. Is there really a job that comes with an apartment tucked away inside and if so, where can I sign up? Davis deftly creates fully realized characters, and explores the complexity, limitations and frustrations of women in each of these two time periods. As Sadie hunts for the book thief in the 1990s timeline, she also solves mysteries in her own family and comes to know her grandmother almost as a contemporary. Beautiful storytelling.
Murder Is a Must by Marty Wingate
Hayley Burke is settling into her dream job as curator of the First Edition Library in Bath, England, a library that contains (you guessed it) first edition mystery novels. Despite reservations, she hires Oona, her irascible former boss, to help plan an enormous exhibition. The two discover a letter that mentions a priceless book that was signed by several beloved mystery writers—the perfect centerpiece for their exhibit, if only they can find it. But just as it seems that Oona has cracked the clues to track down the rare book’s location, Hayley finds her crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. Dead. And the book may very well have been the motive. I love Wingate’s conversational writing style and humor. The definition of fun.
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