Michael Bevan is just barely scraping by with his used bookstore. He wants to live in the world of rare books but has yet to find anything that allows him to attain the status. He is at the point where he is ready to close his business and sell his stock when he happens across an old journal. Mike's excitement grows as he reads the journal and investigates his findings.

He goes to a convention to validate what he believes the journal to be. While there he meets two other rare book sellers who not only validate his findings but own one of the other journals by the same man.

The sailor who wrote the journal traveled on each of Captain Cook's three voyages. Intimate details are given despite the fact that the sailor could have been killed for what he revealed.

When both journals are stolen, the three booksellers set off on a journey that will hopefully lead them to the third journal. Mike, Adrian Hart, and Penelope Wilkes will form an uneasy and distrusting alliance in their desire to find the journals again.

I picked up the first Thomas Shawver book since the protagonist owned a used and rare bookstore. My love for books coincides with Mike's. While I enjoyed it, it didn't leave me anxiously waiting for more. The second book started off well but the machinations of the rare book world and the lengths to which the three owners go to achieve their goals left me greatful that I don't have to deal with the underhanded manueverings that Mike faced.

I really would like to give LEFT TURN AT PARADISE an outstanding rating. It started off with such exciting events but the ending fell flat for me. If you like your detectives fatally flawed, this might be the series for you.