I am a sucker for books about books. Liesl has been promoted to the position of head librarian at the university's rare books department, as her boss has been hospitalized after a stroke. Her first day brings about the discovery that the library's most recent, and very expensive, acquisition is missing. With minimal support from her coworkers and the university president, pressure from investors to see their prized purchase, Liesl must determine where the manuscript has gone. And when another librarian disappears, the mystery deepens, and Liesl questions who she can trust.

I went into this book with high hopes. A book about books, set in a library, with mystery mixed in, and my book-loving heart blossoms. The premise of this book is strong, but the execution fell flat for me. I wanted Liesl to be so much more. I hoped that she would develop some internal fortitude and strength, and take on the situation with more force. Instead, she felt weak. The pacing of the book was slow, and I felt the flashbacks did not serve a strong purpose in the narrative. Additionally, the writing itself was gloomy and dark, and while this was a good reflection of my perception of a rare books library setting, it did not serve the overall story well I think that if the author had gone for a more fully gothic style, more completely dark and gloomy, the effect may have been stronger.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available now.

In this cozy read Liesl is a hard worker in the rare books collection and tries to take care of any problems come up to make everyone happy. Then her boss as a stroke. Then, in another smaller crisis, she realizes that a very rare manuscript has gone missing. It gets even worse when a librarian goes missing. While you would think the higher ups would be on this case, they want her to keep the benefactors happy, and let it go. But like any good librarian (Librarians unite!), she just cannot do that. And so, the mystery begins, with too many suspects... more than she thought possible.

I have not read a book by this author before, and this will not be my last. I love books about books, so this made me very happy. I also like seeing my fellow librarians being total bad-a's..

Thank you so very much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

👩 Liesl Weiss works in the rare books department of a large university. When her boss has a stroke, and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing. She tries to inform the police but is told to keep quiet and not upset the donors. But then a librarian goes missing as well. Liesl must investigate both disappearances.⁠
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❤️ I liked:⁠
📚 Rare books and special collections. I loved the setting of this book. And I kept thinking, "I wish I was working with Liesl, studying and protecting pages that shaped our history and gave life to the world as we know it". ⁠
🔚 The story, I really wanted to finish the book, to know who the culprit was. It's quite an engaging mystery.⁠
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🤔 I wasn't sure about:⁠
👩 Liesl. I can't say I liked the main character. She never really stood up for herself or for what she believed was right. ⁠
✍️ The style. The pace of this book was so slow! And probably the dual timeline didn't help at all to speed things up.⁠
👨👩The characters. Not only I could not relate to the main character, but I didn't even like any of the others. ⁠
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⭐⭐ 2/5 The premise was interesting, and the mystery was good, but I didn't like the writing at all: too slow and a bit too depressing for my liking. Thanks to #netgalley for the preview.

'The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections' by Eva Jurczyk.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC for my honest review.

I loved that the setting was in a university library. It was interesting to learn about some of the rare books and how they were acquired and protected in the collection. When the Director of the Library suffers a stroke, it's up to Liesl to fill in for him. She discovers that a newly acquired rare book is missing, not just misshelved; and it's a struggle between her wanting to report it to the police and the President of the University wanting to keep it quiet. It's up to her to solve the mystery of what happened to the missing book, and then more books and a Librarian go missing. The solving of the mystery was satisfying and I found the book entertaining.

#NetGalley #TheDepartmentofRareBooksandSpecialCollections

Liesl Weiss has worked for decades in the rare books department of the University of Toronto library. She has been happy working behind the scenes until the director (Christopher) is hospitalized with a stroke. The university administration makes Liesl interim head of the department. Soon after starting her new role, Liesl is shocked to find the library's most prized manuscript is missing. Liesl wants to call in the police but the university president and her librarian colleagues want to keep the theft quiet in order to keep the donors happy. But when a rare book library staff member goes missing, rumours start spreading that she (Miriam) was responsible for the theft and has fled. Liesl is determined to investigate both disappearances but she is not prepared to learn the truth about what some of her long-term colleagues are willing to do to preserve their beloved collections. The sub-plot involving the dynamics between Liesl, her artist husband, and teenaged daughter Hannah nicely helps to develop Liesl's character.

This was a good debut mystery which provided a fascinating view of the behind-the-scenes machinations and politics that affects decisions and actions in a university bureaucracy.

I received this digital arc from Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

This was an interesting book. I like that it takes place in the rare books and special collections library on a university campus. The book was a little slow to start but overall it was a good mystery. I like that the suspicion was thrown on many people and each with convincing reason. I was able to guess who the person of interest was before the reveal but only by a chapter.

I would read another book by Eva Jurczyk in the future.

“What holds more secrets in the library: the ancient books shelved in the stacks or the people who preserve them?”

I’ve always been drawn to books about books. In fact, I’d even venture to say there aren’t enough of them. So when The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections came across my path, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Unfortunately, what I envisioned the book to be and what it actually was weren’t matching in my mind. I found the first few chapters to be dry and verbose, despite the intriguing premise. Perhaps if I had pushed through I’d feel otherwise, but not every book is for everybody.

A mystery: who took the old, very expensive, book the library just purchased? It was supposed to be in the safe! The library director had a stroke, remained in the hospital in a coma and Liesl Weiss is now acting director. She’s having a hard time with colleagues undermining her authority and the university president strongly claiming police must not be called. Liesl has her hands full already, but now Miriam has turned up missing. Could the missing book be related?

The story has all the elements to be a great read, but it missed the mark for me. There are brief moments of “fifteen years ago” (or something similar) as an awkward way to bring in backstory. I was frustrated with Liesl’s way of dealing with the situation and it hardly got better for me with the main character. Turned out to be a mediocre read for me, despite loving the setting.

This is a great story for lovers of libraries and mystery. Female protagonist Liesl, works hard in this special library and doesn’t get the recognition she deserves, always overshadowed by male counterparts. When one falls ill, and some books go missing, will Liesl be able to solve the mystery in time to find her way to the top? Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was creative and I was really looking forward to it! Ultimately, I could not get into the book. It could have been a reading slump, it could have been a bit of a slower beginning. I am looking forward to giving it another try at a later date.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is going to be short, and not so sweet. My excitement grew with each phase of my exposure to this book. First, about a year ago, the cover and title caught my eye. I read the summary and instantly added it to my list of review requests. When I began reading it, I learned that the main character is a middle age woman and thought "this is going to be so great."

If only.

There is so much focus on the other characters' backstories but NOTHING HAPPENS. Maybe it's a slow burn of a book with great final scenes. I'll never know. I was bored and I gave up. I read almost 40% and just could not make myself finish.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

I'm not entirely sure what I expected going into this story, but it certainly wasn't what I wound up with! I was expecting fairly typical women's lit, but found myself in the middle of something different!

The premise of Liesl not being the typical young woman trying to find herself, but instead being a middle aged woman who knows who she is was nice, but it fell flat for me. Liesl was hard to like, and I found myself questioning her motives many times. She felt one-note and muddy and hard to connect to.

Overall, while I wasn't a fan of the book it does have potential. Just because it didn't tick all of my boxes doesn't mean it wont tick someone else's.

I love a book about books, and The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is no exception. The mystery element was fun and I found a lot of ways to connect to Liesl. Like many books about books, this is a love letter to libraries and I found a lot to enjoy!

An interesting premise with a uniquely stylized voice. Our main character seemed so reluctant to get involved, which made reading this difficult. Overall, an interesting, if not slower pace mystery read.

This mystery novel starts with a bit of confusion. Someone on leave has come back, the department's director has suffered a stroke, and several employees are going through issues of their own. However, when the latest purchased rare book is missing, as in no where to be found, and a previous purchase has been replaced, something of a mystery is afoot. Liesel, an older librarian is working with several others to determine where the 6-volume rare book may be hidden becomes a detective in finding answers as more mysteries arise. With little help from University administration, Liesel becomes a bit of detective herself. A great read for anyone who loves a library mystery or anything about rare books and archives.
I found myself lost in a work where I hadn't been in quite a while.
It is hard to believe, with all the twists and turns this mystery takes that it is Eva Jurczyk's first novel!

When the director of a library containing rare books dies the interim director is a library staffer who is totally unexpected. She is less educated and seems to be less assertive than other staff who expected themselves to be made the director. But, her tenacity and her intelligence have been underrated. She tackles the jealousies and the attempted coverups that ensue and puts her mark on the rare book world.
I could hardly put the book down. It was refreshing to read how an amazing middle aged woman could be portrayed in a positive and exciting way.

Liesl is temporarily in charge of the rare books and special collections department of the university as her boss has had a stroke. First, she discovers that a priceless book is missing, then a librarian. Are the disappearances connected? What is happening in her department, and how can she fix it? Mystery, intrigue, and rare books abound in this library. Interesting story, setting, and academic politics.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

I was not prepared for this story. I thought it would be a typical women's fiction story based in a library. I love that it was not that type of story. The other surprise, at least to me, was that the main character was not your typical "young woman looking for purpose ." Liesel Weiss is middle-aged and knows her purpose. Or at least she thought she did.

While I love that Liesel was not your typical character, I was not a fan. I did not like her decisions, especially when it came to her family. I felt she mistreated her husband and was more smothering her daughter than a parent. I think you are meant not to like her. Because I wasn't a fan of Liesel's, I found that I didn't care about her or any changes she may have gone through.

I feel the same for the rest of the characters featured. They all felt very one-note. I pushed through the story because I would hope that something would spark and make me like it, but sadly I didn't care very much about the result of the main problem in the story. I so wanted to cheer for the team. I wanted them to come together to find a solution. Still, all they achieved was being a bunch of self-centered career people who could care less if their team succeeded or failed.

The setting was fun. I have not read many books where the location is Canada. I found it interesting to read about a place I have yet to visit as an adult (I went to Toronto once when I was 7, and I barely remember it). However, any setting in a library makes me smile. The story gave insight into how university libraries are run and the specialness of curating rare books. I related to the scenes at the bookseller conventions, as I have a museum background, and I've been to a few shows in NYC where there were rare book vendors. They are unique places.

Overall, while I'm not a fan of this book, I think the writing was decent. The plot has potential. I may not have liked it, but that's the great thing about books; just because you don't like a book doesn't mean the next reader will feel the same.

Don’t judge this book by the cover. Looking at the cover I thought this would be a “fluff” book, it was a wonderful surprise. Lies Weiss is an assistant librarian in a large university. The Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections is filled with extremely costly rare books and Liesl has been the person doing purchasing and record keeping. She does her job well and is almost ready for retirement when the Director of the Library has a massive stroke and unconscious. Liesl is tapped to take on his role until he returns. A spectacular book has recently been purchased and is to be viewed by major donors to the university. When Liesl opens the safe, it is missing. Here starts the mystery. Where did the book go, did someone steal it, who? Gender politics, hierarchy in the university setting, book binding and book selling, mental illness, family, all are explored in this book. I learned a great deal about rare and ancient books and had a marvelous time reading this one. One of the best surprises in quite awhile. The hunt for the thief was exciting.

How could a retired librarian choose not to read a mystery called "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections"?

FIRST SENTENCE: "From the first spin of the lock, she knew she wouldn't be able to open the safe."

THE STORY: When the revered head of the university library suffered a stroke, Liesel Weiss, barely days into her sabbatical year, was called back to be Interim Director. Uncomfortable in this new role, her first shock is that a set of extremely valuable books has disappeared. Are they misplaced or stolen?

Dealing with higher ups, colleagues, detectives, her family, and solving mysteries, Liesel pursues doing what she thinks is right and ultimately learns who she is and what she wants and who dunnit.

WHAT I THOUGHT: A very literate mystery, the engaging writing style drew me into this slower paced story. There's more depth to it though touching on a myriad of issues including mental illness, feminism,and alcoholism. The author has created clever, interesting characters for Liesel to deal with and I loved the fact that the rare books mentioned actually exist!

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Especially for librarians. Others might not be as enthralled.

DISCLAIMER: Thank you to NetGalley / Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.