Sailing in a Sea of Words

Book: The Paris Librarian

Author: Mark Pryor

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Summary: Hugo Marston's friend Paul Rogers dies unexpectedly in a locked room at the American Library in Paris. The police conclude that Rogers died of natural causes, but Hugo is certain mischief is afoot. As he pokes around the library, Hugo discovers that rumors are swirling around some recently donated letters from American actress Isabelle Severin. The reason: they may indicate that the actress had aided the Resistance in frequent trips to France toward the end of World War II. Even more dramatic is the legend that the Severin collection also contains a dagger, one she used to kill an SS officer in 1944. Hugo delves deeper into the stacks at the American Library and finally realizes that the history of this case isn't what anyone suspected. But to prove he's right, Hugo must return to the scene of a decades-old crime. -Seventh Street Books, 2016.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I read this, but I hoped it would be a good story. Luckily, it delivered on all that it promised.

Hugo Marston finds his friend Paul, a librarian in Paris, dead without any marks of violence on him. Though it seems like the death is natural, something about it nags at Hugo and he decides to investigate.

The book is part of an ongoing series. However, you don't need to be familiar with the previous entries in order to enjoy the story. The characters are fleshed out thoroughly so they live within the confines of the novel without the baggage of the previous ones. If necessary, Pryor will explain something that happened in previous books, but it doesn't dominate the story.

The mystery was well-written. While I got one or two things right, the final solution was a toss-up and I was pleasantly surprised with the final result. I also enjoyed how detailed the settings were. I'm sure if you went to Paris, you'd be able to retrace Hugo's steps and the locations of key points of the story.

The characters are also very entertaining. I enjoyed their interactions and I could see them clearly while I was reading.

I'll definitely be exploring the other books in this series.

I give The Paris Librarian an A.

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