Book Review: The Librarian of Crooked Lane: A Fantasy Mystery Novel (The Glass Library #1) by C.J. Archer (3.5 stars)
“Sir, I need to understand where I come from.”
Historical fiction with magic. Set in post-Great War, post-pandemic London focusing on how those who survived adjusted. Or didn’t. Beyond the main characters, the cast lapses into stereotypes.
Willie exploded with a string of expletives until Cyclops ordered her to pipe down. She fell into a stroppy silence.
Quibbles: protagonist is smart and clueless simultaneously. The risk she puts rare books into is as appalling as those to which she subjects herself. “Ain’t” doesn’t make an American accent. Willie was the most unconvincing character.
Daisy had warned me that men who had everything handed to them in life didn’t understand the realities of the world for the rest of us. In this instance, she might be right.
Plenty of hooks into the next story, but a satisfactory conclusion to this book. Mysteries aren’t my cup of tea, but Archer threw in enough confusion and misdirection to keep the detectives (and readers) confused.
… should have kept alert as I walked alone through a quiet lane.
As a Matter of Fancy 