Read because: It was the next in the Mobile Library Mystery series, and I had enjoyed the first.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento library
Rating: 6 out of 10
Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly): In Sansom’s wry second mystery to feature Northern Ireland mobile librarian Israel Armstrong (after The Case of the Missing Books), Israel is suspected of robbing and kidnapping a local department store magnate, the titular Mr. Dixon, who dabbled in the magical arts. To clear his name, Israel must penetrate the bizarre world of Ulster magic. Dixon’s wife seems curiously unmoved by her husband’s absence, but perhaps all the alcohol she swills is masking her true emotions. If this isn’t enough to ruin Israel’s week, Linda, his boss at the mobile library, learns that Israel’s been digging into the petty cash to pay his friend (and love interest), Rosie, to work for a few hours each week. Linda suspends him, and Rosie, who had thought her job was on the up and up, gets steamed about Israel’s patronizing deception.
My Review: This one wasn’t as good as the first. Still a fun little mystery…but there really wasn’t all that much of a mystery now that I think about it. Once again, I did enjoy the dialogue and the hapless adventures of Israel and his friends. Overall, I wish the book had been fleshed out a little more. It just fell a little flat. Mr. Dixon was only a minor character, and there was a long bit about Easter that I felt was too long and not needed. Still, it was the perfect kind of book to take on a vacation — light, fluffy, and easy to read. (Finished 4/3/09)
