I love reading books. I especially love reading books about books. THE DEPARTMENT OF RARE BOOKS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS by author EVA JURACZYK is a novel about a university library in Toronto, Canada. Not just any library but one that specializes in rare and special titles along the lines of the British Library in London, England or U.S. Archives in Washington D.C. The collection is so vast that it is housed in its own building on campus.
Christopher Wolfe has been the Director of the Library for four decades but he has suffered an incapacitating stroke. His longtime friend and Assistant Director Liesl Weiss becomes the Acting Interim Director. Liesl is not ready for this because she is planning to retire shortly and is actually on a sabbatical to write a book on books. Not only that, but the Library is about to unveil its latest prize acquisition, the Plantin Polyglot Bible.
The donors who made the acquisition of this $500,000 book package possible want to see it. Unfortunately, when Wolfe’s safe in his office at the Library is finally opened, there is no book inside or anywhere else in the Library (actually, it is several volumes in red leather and several centuries years old). As the story unfolds, other discrepancies in the Library’s collection are discovered. One valuable manuscript, the Peshawar Manuscript (from the 9th Century A.DF.) is proven to be a forgery by use of carbon dating. Another valuable book on human anatomy by Andreas Vesalius is just missing.
Liesl Weiss and her staff are responsible for finding out what, why and how all this, and more, has happened. Among the staffers are Max Hubbard (a defrocked priest and religious book expert) and Francis Churchill (Liesl’s brief affair partner from a years back) and Dan Haberer (one of the Library’s “gofers”). Miriam Vivek, another employee and close friend of Liesl has a secret that she tries to convey to Liesl but goes missing before she can explain her concern. The university’s President is Lawrence Garber is more worried about the University’s reputation and its donors than about the missing people or books.
When Liesl finally calls in the police, Detective Peter Yuan is the investigator. He is a “missing persons” investigator who is going to try find Miriam. Theft is not in his job description. Rhonda Washington is a new professor on the campus and is a mathematician/scientist who does the carbon dating. They are other characters in the story as well who have minor roles but add to the storyline.
For your information, the three manuscripts/books featured in the story do exist. I am not sure if they exist in Toronto.
If it was possible to rate this story more than FIVE STARS I would but that is because I am a book person. The plot is full of twists and turns. There are a number of suspects. Liesl, in addition to her duties as a Librarian, is replete with personal issues. How she handles them all is amazing. It is an enjoyable look at the world of rare books. I came away feeling smarter. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!

Liesl is a great big mess, and the mystery kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed the story. There are portions of the book that feel slow, but overall the story flows well.

Looking forward to sharing it with our library visitors.

Fantastic book for rare book lovers. While the mystery aspect of the story was not especially difficult to solve before the character did, it felt like walking into a classic Agatha Christie novel where it's not so much about the crime as much as the people involved in the crime. A little slow at times, but overall a great read.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I've spent my whole career working in academic libraries, and my first library job was as a grad assistant in the rare books and special collections department at my university. To say this book hit close to home would be quite the understatement. We never dealt with theft or death within the department, but the author's descriptions of the library and her characterization of each player, from the university professors to the wealthy donors were so wildly accurate.

It took until about 30% into the book for me to really feel gripped by the story, maybe because that first bit really touched a nerve. I'm not sure how much someone who hadn't worked in an environment like this would enjoy it, but for me it was wonderful! The author did a great job of tying up every loose end and reminding me what I love so much about working in special collections.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. Here is my honest review.

I love a good book about books, and this one falls neatly into that category. Set in a distinguished university library, a mystery unfolds involving the disappearance of a priceless text. As Liesl undergoes an investigation, different threads of the lives around her unravel, revealing secrets and subtexts beneath.

I was intrigued by the mysterious disappearance from the get-go, but as the story progressed, I thought the culprit was a bit obvious - but apparently only to me. This didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story, however, because there were other things happening to keep me engaged. These side-plots were a bit muddled and messy, but I felt that was a fair reflection of life itself. Things are never tidy in actual life, and it can be frustrating when fiction doesn't represent that. This tendency towards sub-plots and side stories did slow down the pace of the story. I was in the mood for something slower-paced, so I didn't mind. I know this may be a deterrent to other readers. Consider yourself warned if those stories aren't for you.

My favorite part of the book was the main character. Partly because she's an older woman, near retirement. I rarely find a book whose protagonist is female and in that age range. She's not a meddling older woman who solves crime (Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, etc) and she's old enough to be past her mid-life crisis. I love reading stories with older women who aren't falling into the aged spinster trope. Often we view women of that age as having dull lives, and they fade into the background, written off by society. It was good to see someone that age living a full, complicated life, still able to grow past their flaws.

I also enjoyed the moments that felt like an absolute love letter to books. There was an appreciation for all the little things that readers love - the smell, the texture, and the way they can connect you to the past. I liked being able to see how a library of that nature works - the acquisition of new books and how they were bringing science into the mix. (Whether the science aspect was true or not is beyond my knowledge, but I was along for the ride.)

Overall, it was a fun read, but it wasn't anything that I found I had particularly strong feelings about.

In a job where people are already doubting Liesl in her first days, she unfortunately realizes a priceless piece of literature is missing. Her boss had a stroke and she was thrown into running a high stakes department at a library.

I did read the description of this book expecting the mystery of the missing book and librarian, but things started very slowly. I was honestly pretty bored toward the beginning of the story, until the identity of someone crucial to the events seems to be called into question.

As a big fan of Agatha Christie type mysteries, I think the book could have ended way sooner, the chapters after the crime is solved don’t add much to the book. I also thought there were a number of sections that were stocked with filler content just to make the story longer, which just detracted from how good the plot could have been. Overall it was a fine book, but it’s not the best I’ve ever read.

Good story as I've dealt with rare books, too.... My issues are: the variation in descriptions - sometimes detailed, sometimes less so, making the flow a little jumpy.; and, it's sometimes hard to follow what day it is in the plot. Would make a good book club title.

It seems like cozy mysteries set in museums and libraries are a bit of a trend right now, and I'm not complaining! This very sweet and wholesome book is perfect for readers of women's fiction and those who enjoy a bit of a puzzle.

I am always excited to read a book about books and enjoyed a behind the scenes look at a University’s library. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I thought the main and supporting characters were very unlikable and the pacing too slow. Although, I did really like the small side character of John (Liesl’s husband).

Thank you Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #TheDepartmentofRareBooksandSpecialCollections

A mystery set in the present time with flash backs to earlier years. Liesl is a Librarian working as Assistant Director for Christopher Wolfe at a University. Liesl is getting ready to retire and takes time off to work on a book she is writing. She is called back to work and take control of Special Collections and Rare Books when Christopher Wolfe has a stroke and is unable to work.

Everything in the Department is in a mess, only the Director knows the password for the safe and he is unable to provide the password. A rare book is missing. It was due to be displayed at a meeting of very important people who regularly donated money to the University Library to purchase rare books.

Liesl is expected to run the Department and locate the rare book. While doing her investigations she discovers more missing books.

I loved this book. It was full of descriptions about rare books and manuscripts and the workings of a Special Collections Library. I loved the descriptions of the people working in the library and their backgrounds.

While it is not the most quick-paced books I have ever read, I did really enjoy the peek behind the scenes in the world of academic libraries and the management of their collections. The book was well written and researched. I was surprised in a way when the culprit was named, I expected it to be someone else. This is a great book for anyone interested in the inner workings of a library or the world of book collecting.

An enjoyable book about books that is fun to read and well crafted. The mystery plot is lacking but overall a fun book to read,

Love this book! As a Librarian, a lot really hit home for me, but any reader of this book will appreciate the characters, the nuances of the storyline and the mystery of the story.

Unfortunately this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. Bad relationships all around plus a mystery I just wasn't that into made this very difficult for me to become invested. Maybe just the wrong book at the time, but there was no draw to make me attempt it again.

Interesting insight into the world of academia and the competition for funds. Good mystery. There were some details in the setting that made it seem more American than British.

I'm pretty sure all booklovers love books about books!

What a journey this book was! A beautiful mix of mystery, drama, laughter, and tears. This book follows Liesl, a woman who has worked for many years, quietly in the background at the University's rare books library. But when her boss suffers a stroke, Liesl is appointed in his place to acting director for the library. But just when she is put into power, she discovers that a recent and prized possession of the library has gone missing. Lisel is stuck - does she notify the authorities regarding the missing piece and risk the reputation of herself and the library, or does she take matters into her own hands in order to keep up the facade of a perfect, prestigious library full of priceless collections.

On the surface, this is a mystery novel. But underneath are layers of power, belonging, trust, forgiveness, and suffering. Liesl has worked in this library, with these people, for years. It's all she knows. But when she begins to uncover the mystery of the missing manuscript , she learns more about her fellow booklover co-workers and the layers of each of their lives that are unraveled throughout the process.

A few things I did enjoy:
- Learning about how old & rare books are brought in and taken care of in a library
- Seeing the politics involved in this job (give the donors everything and anything they want)
- The dynamic of how people respond to a woman filling a man's shoes in a position of power

This book is a bit long & it took me a long time to get through. However, I did read it as an e-ARC, and I struggle with reading e-books immensely. I can't pay attention the same way as I do with a hard copy. With that being said, I can't wait to pick up a hard copy of this book when it comes out (January 25th, 2022)!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

This definitely a book for book lovers, bibliophiles, and anyone who's found the library to be a sanctuary. The mystery is well-written, and while it does take a while to feel for the protagonist, this is still something any bookworm will be able to enjoy and relate to. The mystery at the heart of the novel is just icing on the cake.

First impressions can be deceiving. When we first meet Liesl, she is a temporary, awkward head librarian replacing a beloved administrator who had a stroke. Her specialty is rare books, and she has so many people to keep happy: donors, a hyper college president, a difficult staff, and demanding faculty. Then some rare, expensive books go missing, and the only other woman in her department is missing, too. The college president does not want the police involved, but everything inside Liesl tells her it is time to call them in. Anxiously, Liesl juggles the recent challenges and drinks to calm her nerves. Will they find the missing books, which are increasing in number, before the donors find out? Were they stolen by one of her strange colleagues? And what happened to the missing Miriam, a depressive who is being blamed for taking the books? This is a mystery that gets better with time. While I didn't particularly like Liesl at first, she grows into a fine companion and a crackerjack detective. This book is highly recommended for librarians, book lovers, and mystery aficionados who will enjoy walking in Liesl's shoes.

This was such an interesting novel; with a mystery, rare books and library drama. As a library and book lover, I was eager to read this. While I liked the book, I never felt too invested in the story line. The mystery is a bit anti-climactic and at times the story moves quite slowly. For me, characters are what make a great novel and I most enjoy feeling a connection and empathy for literary characters. This novel, while solid, doesn't have well-rounded and believable characters. It's this shortcoming (which may not bother other readers), that made me less than eager to keep reading the book and this is also the reason that I felt little when reading about some sad situations. Novel writing is such an art - creating scene, character and plot - Jurczyk does a great job with her writing; I just wish her characters were a little more developed.

I thought I would enjoy this book, but it seemed so historically-based and set rather than as a fictional novel. The plot of the missing manuscript didn't draw me in. It came to a point where I did not connect or feel attached to the story or characters.