Israel Armstrong is about to turn 30. As if that wasn't bad
enough, he has recently broken up with his girlfriend; he's
a Londoner stuck in a tiny town in northern Ireland --
living in a converted chicken house -- and he works a dead-
end job as a librarian in a mobile library. When a young
teen, the daughter of a prominent local politician,
disappears, authorities discover Israel was one of the last
people to see her. In addition, he lent her one of
the "Unshelved" books forbidden to younger readers. Now,
with the police and his boss watching his every move,
Israel decides it's up to him to find the girl and clear
his name. If he can cast off his ennui and take action,
maybe life will improve. Then again...he does live in
a chicken coop.
Mystery takes a backseat to the eccentric locals and quirky
charms of Tumdrum, Ireland, in this story. Israel, a rather
dour protagonist, is the perfect foil for the colorful
residents of the town. I wasn't sure what to expect from
this series, as this was my first book, but I was
pleasantly surprised and soon quite entertained by Israel's
adventures; the droll narrative had me chuckling out loud
more than once. If you like your mystery with a healthy
dose of humor, you'll be delighted with this book. With
apologies to Israel, I hope that he's stuck in Tumdrum for
a long time to come.
Author Ian Sansom “clearly loves a good laugh” (Washington
Post), as his delightful mystery series featuring rumpled,
fish-out-of-water, Jewish vegetarian librarian Israel
Armstrong indisputably proves. The Bad Book Affair is
Israel’s fourth hilarious adventure as he tools around
Ireland in a rattletrap bookmobile trying to solve the
mystery of a missing teenage girl while trying to keep his
mess of a personal life in order. Sansom’s Mobile Library
Mystery series has made a big splash with critics on both
sides of “the Pond.” The New York Times Book Review loves
their “formidable reserves of insight and humor,” while the
London Times calls Israel “one of the most original and
exciting amateur sleuths around.”
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