Originally published in 1956 this book has been published again as part of the British Library Crime Classics series. Fun vintage mystery read perfect for a snowy night read by a fire. I would highly recommend this book to those who find vintage mysteries entertaining.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is another good example of reviving an older (here: 1956) mystery for the series of the British Library Crime Classics. I liked the setting amongst dealers of rare books and the positive example of Sgt. Wigan who can´t so easily be convinced by the guilt of an unpleasant rival of the dead bookseller. Soon not only he but several others from the book trade are involved in finding the real murderer. It was an exciting mystery on the whole.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Originally published in 1956 this book has been issued again as part of the British Library Crime Classics series.

The story revolves around Sergeant Wigan, a policeman by vocation but also a bibliophile who is discovering the joys of tracing and buying first editions. When one of his book selling friends is found murdered with a very costly first edition missing from his shelves, Wigan is temporarily attached to the team investigating the murder.

Eventually someone is accused, tried, and found guilty of the murder, but Wigan is sure they have got the wrong man. Since the penalty for murder was then death by hanging he only has a limited time to find the real murderer. There are many suspects and much intrigue. The world of buying and selling books was apparently fraught with danger as large sums of cash traded hands.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a classic mystery, especially if you are happy to accept that in 1956 people viewed many major issues differently than we do today.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First published in 1956, this book is a lovely example of a classic police procedural case, the kind that includes much legwork, the asking of questions and being downright nosy, combined with the rare ability to talk to people from all walks of life and to get answers. I’m afraid that the modern beat Bobby is cut from a different kind of cloth, being all hooked up to modern electronic gadgets and up to date weapons. They don’t seem to have the same sort of curiosity about events and people today.
Sgt. Jack Wigan escorts a drunken man home one evening to prevent him from getting into trouble, perhaps being robbed or assaulted, they were kinder times then. Michael Fisk is a bookseller, and invites Jack around one evening when he has sobered up, and shows Jack his library of books, some are valuable first editions, and he gives Jack advice on how to build up such a collection. The two men strike up a friendship, and Jack is devastated later on when Michael is murdered, and throughly stunned when he finds out that Michael has left him his complete library and possessions, because ‘he had treated him with kindness’.
Jack determines to find out who the murderer is, and rapidly becomes immersed in the murky world of obsessive and possessive book collectors. They literally would break in and commit robbery to find that one special book, Jack keeps finding liars and many obstacles in his search for the truth, and with a death sentence hanging over an innocent man, according to Jack, there is a tension and determination to find out the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!!
A lovely book that encompasses the so called Golden Age of Crime and Policing. A supernatural element is introduced that adds to the sense of mystery and unease. I enjoyed this trip into the past. My husband is retired Police, and he enjoyed the snippets I read out to him and he was able to reminisce about his early days fluently, it’s the present day he can’t remember.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Poisoned Pen Press for my digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave a review to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

A fascinating glimpse at the world of second hand bookdealers and ruthless book collectors willing to commit murder in order to obtain an out of print title in postwar London.

Cleverly plotted and full of unexpected twists and turns, this original whodunit kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish with its sparkling dialogues and its terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters. A truly delightful fictional journey that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this fabulous discovery!

There's a note from the publisher in the British Library Crime Classic books about how these tales were written in a different time, with different standards and language. "Death of a Bookseller" by Bernard Farmer is less problematic than some, but it was not kind in how it treated most of its few female characters. One is a sometimes violent, besotted mistress of a man who uses her. She knows this, but keeps acquiring the books he wants to prove her worth to him. Another is a woman who was abused as a child, and is mentally unwell and violent as an adult. Both of these women, it should be noted, are single. The only one who comes off well is the virtuous and thrifty wife of the detective.

And yet...I did like Jack Wigan, the detective, and a few of the other characters. The story does get a bit silly in places, with references to dark magic, black masses, and summoning demons, but perhaps those were unavoidable with a story about a stolen occult book. I'm not familiar with book collectors and it's entirely possible the whole lot of them are sacrificing goats every day for first editions of Dickens and Austen. (But I doubt it.)

3 out of 5 stars.

I received an advance copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Bernard J. Farmer’s Death of a Bookseller was first published in 1956. It is a very rare book indeed and I’m delighted that the British Library has enabled a modern reprint with an introduction by the knowledgeable Martin Edwards.

Sergeant Jack Wigan befriends Mike Fisk, a bookseller, and learns about rare books and the people who buy and sell them. It’s fair to say that these are not all nice people – oh, dear, no! Mike doesn’t live beyond Chapter One. Who killed him? And why? Well, probably for a book because Mike didn’t own much apart from books – but which one? And, again, why? What was special about whichever book it was? A suspect is arrested but Sergeant Wigan believes they’re innocent and desperately tries to find evidence that exonerates them as the day of their hanging gets closer.

The book is a great depiction of London and British life in the 1950s, with old-fashioned policing and transport. The unwitting history that is presented as part of the story – how people lived, worked and travelled – interests me greatly. I enjoyed the first part of the book and the last, but I felt the middle dragged. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it – and I will happily read it again – but I wish the original publishers had told the author to tighten up the middle.

Books, book sellers, the second hand book trade, the "runners", and the greed
and avarice to procure a rare book at any cost is the basis of this story.

Michael Fisk dealt in books, Sergeant Wigan's hobby was collecting the books he
liked. on the fringe were all the other elements oftge trade. The story of a
murder over a rare Keats, the investigation handled by Wigan and the meticulous
following up of every detail. When the powers that be decided that Hampton was
the murderer because everything pointed to him Wigan was the only one convinced
thatthey had the wrong man. He embarked ona private investigation along with
Charlie and Connington whom he was able to convert to his point of view, and despite
the fact that the accused was a disagreeable character who quarrelled viciously
with all even berating Wigan, the end result was excellent with Hopton escaping
the execution by a whisker.

The story was full of characters - all linked to the trade and it was detailed
and descriptive of how bookselling operated at the time. Anyone interested in
books should read this story as it told the story of a murder as well as the
book trade in equal measure.

I received a complimentary copy of this excellent classic police procedural from Netgalley, the estate of Bernard J. Farmer, and publisher PoisonedPenPress. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Death of a Bookseller of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

This was perhaps my first mystery novel read as a child, probably 10 or 11 years old. My father often recommended books to my sisters and me on our weekly library runs, and this was one I remember quite well. Prior to this novel, we had read For the most part children's books or western novels, but Death of a Bookseller appealed to my parents and they got us hooked on mystery novels by way of Bernard J. Farmer. It has been many years since that first reading, but I was astonished at the amount of detail I remembered. It is just as appealing today (I am 74) as I found it all those years ago.

This crime drama involves that keen hunt for the perfect collectible book, so I should have loved it from the beginning. I did like having a crime drama plotted around the world of book collecting, and I liked the descriptive scenes of bookstores. I even really liked the nice policeman trying to prove someone innocent on his own time. Sergeant Wigan was a nice guy one couldn’t help but like. However, he was a slow and plodding “by the books”, fact collecting policeman. I bet this is 90% of real police work, but it isn’t very interesting to read about.

Here, in Death of a Bookseller, I’m not sure the reason I put the book down so many times before I finished it is that it was uninteresting. It just didn’t seem to flow well. My attention seemed to wane, and I’d put it down for a few days. Then I’d wander back before too long and try some more. I don’t like to read this way.

I gave this book a 4 rating because it has many elements of interest, it just doesn’t read well in my opinion. I’m not sure everyone would feel the same.

Written in 1956 but reissued by British Library Crime Classics, Death of a Bookseller is about Sgt. Jack Wigan who is in the right place at the right time in his life for a new hobby. Rare book collecting was not on his radar but when he kindly returned a drunk man home one night his life changed. Mike Fisk's collection got him hooked. When Fisk was murdered Wigan found himself on a deadly trail into the world of rare book collecting desperation and finding Fisk's killer. Runner Fred Hampton was the obvious suspect but his arrest niggled away at Wigan. One of the most cutthroat people involved in the business was a beautiful but ruthless woman. Wigan chipped away at the case, volunteering to see it through on his own time until he discovered the truth.

My favourite aspects of the book are the book collecting and the harrowing psychological fear caused by being sentenced to death. I like that author Bernard J. Farmer was a police officer before he became a novelist which adds an insightful layer.

Golden Age mystery readers who also enjoy learning more about rare book collecting of several decades ago ought to be drawn to this novel. Those who have not yet had the pleasure of discovering this era of books may wish to start elsewhere as this one is not the most riveting. Still well worth reading, though.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the providing me with a digital copy of this arresting book.

“Death of a Bookseller” by Bernard J. Farmer is another fine entry from the British Library Crime Classics reissues, this one from 1956, a bit late in the golden age of British mysteries. And what better way to celebrate the 100th entry in this series than with a murder mystery set in the world of rare book collecting?

We start with Sergeant Jack Wigan running into a drunk man who he kindly helps home one night. Intrigued by the collection of books, Sergeant Wigan befriends the drunk, Mike Fisk, and so begins his introduction to rare book selling. Fisk is a runner, someone who sorts through the rubbish of most used books to find the occasionally gem, a rare first edition that can be sold to agents who represent the richest collectors, or auctions, or other booksellers. Wigan is soon making steps into the world of secondhand books, the buying and selling and competition of runners trying to make enough to eat. Just as Wigan is getting interested and educated, he finds Fisk murdered in his home with a rare first edition missing.

Since Wigan has some knowledge of the industry, he is seconded to assist DI Saggs in his investigation. The police quickly close in on their main suspect, a fellow runner named Fred Hampton, quick to anger and desperate for money, who doesn’t help his case by continuously lying to the cops. He is soon arrested, convicted, and sentenced to hang. Case closed.

But Wigan isn’t convinced. He believes that Hampton is many things, but not a murderer. Wigan sets off to find the real killer in the cutthroat industry that is bookselling. We meet other runners with their own quirks and secrets, agents for rich Americans, bookstore owners with their own ruthless ambition, and even a brother who will do anything to keep his sister out of the asylum. At first the CID lets Wigam run his investigation, but eventually their patience runs out and he is on his own. Will Wigam find the true killer before Hampton meets his fate with the hangman?

In his storied life, Mr. Farmer was both a policeman and a book collector before becoming an author, so he provides a great behind the scenes look at both worlds in the 1950s. A great blend of police procedural and detective story, with the ever-ticking clock in the background.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Was happy to include this reissued 1956 book in my latest “Thrills and Chills” round-up for Zoomer magazine, highlighting winter’s best suspense and mystery reads. (see mini-review at link)

If you're looking to add more classic literature to your reading repertoire - look no further than Death Of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer!

As one of the OG 'bookish books' (AKA books about books that will make any bibliophile's heart happy!), follow Sergeant Wigan on his quest to find his gentle book-collecting friend's murderer! You'll deep dive into the cutthroat (*literally*) world of rare books, book collectors, and 1st editions galore.

Considered a British Library Crime Classic, I love seeing how mysteries and twisted psychological tales have evolved over the years. In going back to read a book first published in 1956, we can see the evolution of a genre that has exploded into a massively popular genre for contemporary readers.

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press & NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a book lost to us through the ravages of time. **I received this book as an advanced reader copy, but all thoughts are my own. - SLR

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Taking us into the rather ruthless world of book collectors, runners, sellers and prized first editions, Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer, first published in 1956 is being republished as a British Library Crime Classic, after decades of being out of print. The author Bernard J. Farmer (1902-1964), as Martin Edwards points out in his introduction, was a most fascinating person, who held a succession of interesting jobs from designing machinery to mining and even selling insurance. But what’s relevant for this book is two other jobs/interests—his work as a policeman for seven years and his interest in book collecting on which he also published a volume in 1950. His writing career, from the glimpses of it one gets in Edwards’ introduction was almost as versatile including short stories, novels, detective fiction and books for young adults.

In Death of a Bookseller, we meet Sergeant Jack Wigan, a good hearted and conscientious policeman, who supervises men on the section. One day on the way back home, he runs into a drunk man and escorts him back home. The man is Mike Fisk who makes his living buying and selling rare books, and he’s been celebrating the finding of a first edition Keats (which Keats had had printed for himself), hence his condition. Fisk and Wigan soon become friends calling on each other from time to time, and Mike manages to pass on his love for (and some knowledge) of rare books on to Wigan. Then one day, Fisk is found dead, stabbed with a knife and Wigan is the one to find him. The CID is to investigate of course, and DI Saggs is given charge of the case but books and collectors being a world they are ignorant about, Wigan is deputed to assist them in the investigation. All the evidence points to a runner (one who looks for and acquires rare books and then sells them to shops or collectors) called Fred Hampton, a man who has a rather bad (and short) temper and has managed to pick a fight with almost everyone he’s met. A case is made out and Fred is arrested and tried.

But Wigan has his doubts and believes Hampton to be innocent. But who else could have done it? Wigan decides to look into the matter on his own—the CID interestingly doesn’t prevent him from doing so though they aren’t in favour of it while his own department isn’t as cooperative. Still with whatever time he gets, he begins to look into the world of runners, sellers and collectors, helped by a runner called Charlie North. Their efforts though keep running into dead ends while time continues to run out for Fred. Does Wigan find the murderer in time?

What I absolutely loved about this book was the setting in the world of book collectors and rare books which this book recreates so wonderfully. This isn’t a tame or innocuous world by any measure, in fact quite the opposite (which also seems the case in real life as Edwards points out an eerily parallel real-life case many decades after the book was published, or as I found reading The Book Hunters of Katpadi, another volume about collecting and rare books [with theft though, not murder], but as ruthless and full of double-dealing, crime and deception). We get a look into how the rare book trade plays out with the runners doing much of the hard work, scouring through stacks and finding gems, often (at the time it was written) walking many miles every day to do so; and of course, how prices increase with each person that becomes involved. Each level (except perhaps some ‘rich’ collectors) are as skillful at identifying gems, but many times the person who buys isn’t one who necessarily appreciates it beyond its dollar/pound value. There were plenty of books as well of course, among them prominently those of G. A. Henty, a few of whose titles I have enjoyed and so enjoyed the references to (Farmer has written a book about him, too).

The mystery itself on the other hand is quite different from the usual in that while Wigan and Charlie North seem to put in a lot of effort into the matter going to places and speaking to people, they don’t make much headway at all, really, through almost the whole of the book. While this element disappoints, the sense of urgency is done well, with time running out for Hampton, and not a single ray of hope emerging. The answer to the the mystery wasn’t one I saw coming but also interestingly, the way it comes about was also different to my expectation. There is also a supernatural-ish element woven in as Fisk not only dealt in works on the occult, he dabbled in it as well.

Another aspect that stood out was the thread of realism that comes in when Fred Hampton is dealing with the consequences of his trial which ends in a conviction. At the time of course, the sentence was inevitably death, and we get a sense of the absolute terror (far too mild to describe it really) that he experiences having to face this fate. This was unsettling and terrifying and had me wondering how people (even if ‘criminal’) continue to be put through this in so-called (civilized) modern-day society.

Overall a book I really enjoyed for its setting amidst the world of books, even though the detective elements weren’t as successful.

Police Sergeant Wigan befriends a bookseller who is subsequently murdered. The knowledge gained in that friendship helps Sergeant Wigan investigate his friend’s murder within the sometimes sordid world of book collectors. This was a fun, classic murder mystery, first published in 1956, and I would definitely recommend it!

I am a great fan of classic mysteries and this was a gem of a book and a nail-biter of a story.

The world of book-selling came alive through this novel and, along with the diligent police inspector, I loved learning the trade secrets and darker dealings of some booksellers.

It is wonderful to see classic genre books re-issued and I enjoyed this adventure.

Bernard Farmer had worked as a policeman and was a dedicated book collector, and it is his inside knowledge of policing and the book trade that make his book, first published in 1956, so interesting. Sergeant Wigan guides a drunken bookseller, Michael Fisk, home safely, and they become friends. When Fisk is murdered, Wigan is seconded to the investigation. Wigan's superior arrests the quarrelsome bookrunner, Fred Hampton, but Wigan doesn't believe that Hampton is guilty, even when he's convicted and sentenced to hang. Wigan carries out his own investigation with the help of two bookrunners who doubt Hampton's guilt. Bookrunning is a cutthroat trade so there are plenty of other suspects, but can Wigan find the real culprit before Hampton's sentence is carried out?

The middle of the book gets bogged down with too many bookrunners, a surprising proportion of whom are potentially murderous psychopaths. Some people will stop at nothing for a rare first edition.

I enjoyed the book for the authentic book trade details and the realistic depiction of policing. The prose style was pedestrian and there were too many suspects, but overall this was an entertaining crime novel.

Fans of British crime books will be most pleased by this re-release of Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J Farmer. There is much to love about this book- the era, the multitude of complex characters, the unique job of bookrunners. The setting is dated and the dialogue appropriately British, and readers will either be pleasantly satisfied or utterly bored.
Truth be told, the book drags at times. We readers get caught up in wanting answers but the author slows the action, almost frustrating us. I caution you to not give up though, because we do reach the end with a few surprises and some threads nicely wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC of Death of a Bookseller.

Rare books! Murder calls!

Somewhat dated, quaint even, but a strapping yarn that gave insights into book collectors, the lure of the hunt and the complete lack of integrity for many who are obsessed by collecting those first and rare editions. Death of a Bookseller was first published in 1956. None of it’s allure has been lost.
This was a complex tale. A man, a bookseller, well book runner really, has been sentenced to death but Sergeant Jack Wigan feels he’s innocent. So working in his own time Wigan persists with the investigation. Only to be stumped time and time again.
There’s the foray into Grimoires. Dark indeed!
There’s some fabulous side alleys to get lost down, and it’s the last minute before all becomes clear.
Once again Martin Edward’s Introduction highlights Farmer’s writing style and the crime genre development. Illuminating!
I loved this British Crime Classic title, with the gently determined Wigan, and the fascinating journey into Bibliomysteries!

A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.