Review: Stealing books
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2013
"The Book Thing" is one in a series of stand-alone mystery stories from MysteriousPress.com in which books, bookstores, libraries, or manuscripts play a central role. The Bibliomysteries are short stories, not full length novels.Expensive illustrated books are disappearing from the children's bookstore in Tess Monaghan's North Baltimore neighborhood. Since Tess wants the store to survive so her daughter will have a place to shop for books, she agrees to investigate despite the owner's inability to pay her. It doesn't take Tess long to discover how the thefts are being committed.While Tess tries her hand at social work and matchmaking before the story is done, the tale's best moments belong to the thief rather than the private investigator. He is drawn with uncommon understanding and compassion. The thief prompts Tess to think about the lives that books live, they ways they die, and the purposes they serve.Given the uncertain future of brick-and-mortar bookstores, the story is notable for its condemnation of tacky readers who get free advice from bookstore owners and then download the recommended books into their eReaders from online retailers. The story also has a telling message about parents who burden their kids with their own childhood favorites (potentially killing the child's desire to read) rather than letting their children discover their own treasures. In short, this bibliomystery isn't much of a mystery, but it's a fine examination of the role books play in our lives.