This book wasn't in the calendar, the third one in the series was. But let's be honest, anyone who knows me, knows there is no way I'm jumping into the middle of a series. So I had to start with number one and it has it's moments.
Israel Armstrong is an English, Jewish, vegetarian librarian who has been hired to run the Tundrum and District library in Northern Ireland. When he gets there the library has been closed and they want him to run the mobile library. He reluctantly agrees, because he's broke with no other options, not even enough money to get back home. Thus begins this poor sod's fish out water experiences. Then as he prepares to start this new career he discovers that the library books are missing, all 15,000 of them.
You do feel for him even if he isn't a particularly likable main character. He doesn't understand the lingo (neither do you as the reader sometimes.), he's living in a converted chicken coop and his girlfriend doesn't seem to miss him much. The locals aren't much help. They don't understand why he wants a map. They all know where they live and are more than willing to give him directions that tend to take him thru "Ballygullable" until he catches on. Get it Bally - "gullable".The cast of supporting characters are much more fun than Israel. Especially Ted local cab owner and former mobile library bus driver. Plus his boss Linda Wei, who is never with some sort of food and won't take no for an answer. The search for the missing books is slow to get going but does get more enjoyable as Israel tries out different literary detective styles (in his mind, if no where else). I enjoyed the resolution and it left me smiling. The running bit about the map had me laughing and I liked it enough to try the next in the series.
(Originally posted 01/10/2012)
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