Loved the insider look at how libraries handle their specialized collections: the intrigue, the machinations, the characters but also the love of books. Definitely worth reading!

librarian, library, university, rare-books, Toronto, women's fiction*****

Subplots and timewarps and lies. Liesl is a strong and complex character but too many of the others, not so much. The story is complex and I was somewhat daunted at the beginning by the delineations like "forty years earlier", "nine years earlier", and many more. But it all made sense once I got into the story. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and spoilers are just insulting, so I'll just say that I really enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley, Thank you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery set in a Toronto university library of rare and unusual books. I found the protagonist, Liesel, to be engaging and relatable and was especially pleased that she wasn't a typical protagonist in that she was not young, beautiful, and looking for a perfect man. Liesel is a mature woman and a librarian who has been tapped to serve as acting director of the library.

As director, Liesel discovers a series of missing books in the library. Liesel really just wants to retire in peace so she can work on her own projects, but with donors nervously phoning and the university president unwilling to contact the police, Liesel takes matters into her own hands.

I loved Liesel, I loved the library setting, and I look forward to more work by this new author! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for a great read.

Cute story about the librarians who work in a library of rare books. After the head librarian has a stroke his temporary replacement realizes that a new acquisition is missing. The mystery continues as other books are found to be missing/fakes. It was a fairly quick read and very enjoyable.

I tend to like books about books, reading, libraries and book shops--this one I loved. This book has a tight array of characters, but several plot lines running, although they all tend to tie together. At different times, the reader thinks that he/she has figures out who the thief is, and honestly by process of elimination, I think everyone will determine the culprit on his/her own, the ending is still satisfying. My one complaint (and it is a small one) is that the beginning of the book has so much explanation and takes so long that the ending just zips by and all of a sudden the reader is left with no more pages. I also really enjoyed an inside look at an academic library which is a type of library I have never worked in, so it was instructive as well as enjoyable.

I only made it as far at the far shaming and calling one of the characters “ugly”. There’s ways to portray a villain without playing in to outdated phobic tropes. Pass.

When a rare book goes missing from the university library, Liesel, the temporary director, is told to keep quiet about it or the donors will not be happy. So now she has a mystery to solve.

If you're nerdy about special collections, archives, rare books libraries, academia, ancient manuscripts and librarians... boy do I have a book for you! I loved every aspect of this book's setting and the description regarding all things bookish was absolutely spot on! Although the story itself was rather dry, I was intrigued enough by the setting and the lead protagonist to keep reading, even when it felt like nothing was happening. Overall, it was enjoyable and would make for an excellent book discussion read

When I saw the cover of this book, I knew it was one that I probably wanted to read. I've been fooled by cute covers before, though, so I did some digging before I committed to reading it. The synopsis sounded intriguing and the early reviews were good so I dove right in.

Overall, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is an interesting and compelling mystery, but what goes unmentioned is how much is underlying the face of the story. Liesl’s relationships are complicated and, like every great protagonist, she is balancing some secrets from her past while trying to do her best in the present day. There are also some really touching and, frankly, sad, situations that arise throughout the book and Jurczyk does not take the easy way out in any part of her storytelling. It is informed and it is powerful.

Perhaps I just find Liesl particularly relatable, but I thought that her experiences in the workplace and the world – as a woman being overlooked and undermined – were so true that I couldn’t stop taking notes.

Things I loved about this book: Eva Jurczyk is Canadian and her book is set in Toronto. She is a writer and a librarian, as is Liesl. She created a strong female character and she really stuck with her straight through to the end of the book.

I picked The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections up and I rarely put it down before I was finished. It was more than just a fix for my temporary reading slump. It was a really thoughtful book and it was fun to catch a glimpse into the mystery world behind the library scenes. I give this one five stars and a wholehearted recommendation.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
In The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections Liesl Weiss is called back from her sabbatical to run the rare book department at an academic library. The newest acquisition has gone missing and under pressure from the university president and coworkers, she holds off on reporting the lost volume to the police. The story gets more complicated as other important works are discovered missing and then one of the staff members goes missing.

The story is well written and includes interesting subplots within the main plot. The book includes descriptions of manuscripts and the preservation process which are interesting for anyone unfamiliar with managing rare books. The interactions between the Liesl and the donors paints them as arrogant blowhards. The author explores the gender imbalances in rare book collections and reveals the “good old boy’s club” culture.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading mystery books about book mysteries. It’s probably most appropriate for public libraries.

#NetGalley #rarebooksfiction

Leisl Weiss was writing a book for the last year while on sabbatical from her position as assistant director or the university's Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. This came to a sudden halt after the director, Christopher Wolfe, suffers a devastating stroke which leaves him in a coma, Now the the temporary director of the department, Leisl has the university president looming over her shoulder as she desperately tries to guess the combination to the safe which holds the last acquisition Christopher made, the Plantin Polyglot Bible.
Donors are waiting to see the rare book which has yet to be catalogued and insured, But once the safe is open, the book is not found within. The university wants to keep this quiet, although Liesl wants to call in the police, she complies. As she investigates the missing treasure, she also has to dodge the other department heads' daggers and unravel the mysteries of her coworkers, In doing so, Liesl finds that she knew less of what was going on in the sanctuary of her beloved library than she did of the rare and mysterious books it contained.
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is an entertaining story that keeps you reading on. You will never think of the people behind the stacks as just bookworms again! My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy "books about books", and this title, "The Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections" was certainly no exception. Having spent time in both libraries and the academic world, I really appreciated all the research that went into this novel of "rare books" going rogue! I found the characters engaging, especially Liesl, so reluctant initially to take charge of things, but finding her backbone along this journey, to fight for these missing, precious acquisitions against the admins who want to keep it on the down-low. I also found the details about the care of such manuscripts and rare books very interesting, but I can see how others might not feel the same. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot, and do recommend it. My thanks to the author, publisher & Net Galley for the ARC.

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections started off strong-- a rare book goes missing from a university library and it’s up to Liesl, the library’s interim Director, to find the culprit and keep the library’s stellar reputation intact. I loved the premise of the book, but the process of solving the mystery is far too drawn out, and the character’s lives outside the mystery aren’t interesting enough to sustain the narrative.There seemed to be a lot of retreading on the same ground. I also wanted Liesl to be a stronger character, but she comes off as indecisive and to some degree, incompetent. By the time the mystery was ( predictably) solved, I had lost interest

This book felt like it was written for me. It was meticulously plotted with a likable protagonist and a fast-paced, compelling mystery. It skewers academia perfectly and I often found myself laughing aloud at little lines of prose. The passion of the protagonist is contagious and I felt like I learned a lot. I will be recommending this book to many people.

A fun and exciting read about a mystery unfolding within the library setting. While not all mystery lovers will love this one, the characters are well thought out and given complex narratives.

This was an extremely quick and satisfying read for me. Set in a library with an older female main character is my wheelhouse! If you enjoy a mystery where a quiet librarian is the sleuth you’ll love this book. The storytelling excels and the plot moves along at a pace that kept me reading. Although the ending wasn’t really a surprise for me, I kept reading because I identified with Liesl. The writing is excellent; the description of the world of library acquisitions and book storage was intriguing.
I enjoy seeing a character grow, and I do think Liesl does. She’s ready for retirement when she’s suddenly thrown into a leadership role for the first time in her professional life. Her mixed feelings about this development are emotions I can relate to as a working mother. She’s torn but takes on the responsibility that requires her to navigate the white male dominated world of academia and wealth. The descriptions of the men in question were not completely one dimensional but there were just a few this reader liked. It’s a nice change to have a lead character who is older than the traditional main actor in fiction today. Her personal relationships with the men in her life, her motherhood, and her tendency to drink to numb herself render her vulnerable and extremely likeable. We want her to succeed especially when she doesn’t seem to have the confidence in herself.
The responsibility of preservation of cultural property is considered in a few scenarios; the power Liesl is aware of when she’s at the book fair and when she allows a colleague to date a manuscript even though it might damage it. I learned a lot about the handling and dating of rare manuscripts. Several characters, including our main one, deal with mental health issues and it’s nice to see it normalized across a few different lives.
It’s obvious that this author loves books and libraries and I’m amazed at the quality of this debut. I will be adding Eva Jurczyk to my list of authors to read again. I loved it.
Thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press. A five star book for this reader.

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is nothing like what I have read recently (but in the best way possible!). It's a mystery, but not in the way you'd expect. Liesl, the main character, is suddenly promoted when disaster strikes the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. I admire her resolve and ability to continue on in her role while trying her hardest to solve a mystery that's plaguing the library. Jurczyk makes reading about the business side of library acquisitions seem fascinating, which I imagine it is in a place like Special Collections!

As a librarian, I have a passion for libraries, books, and mysteries. THE DEPARTMENT OF RARE BOOKS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS checked all of those boxes. While reading, I could easily picture the university location in my mind as a university I would often visit. I was intrigued by the treasures the library held in their vast collection, as well as the money needed to purchase these rare editions,

I do have to say I figured out the mystery in the book, but thoroughly enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes aspect of fundraising, auction house bidding, and the handling of books in these types of collections. This is not something of which I have first hand knowledge.

I enjoyed reading this book and will recommend it to others, especially to those who like me love libraries and books.

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is an old fashioned ‘who done it’. However, I did find the ending predictable and lead up uneventful. This wasn’t a book that had me up late at night dying to turn the page and figure out the answers

I really enjoyed the fact that this story was set in an academic library setting, and I liked trying to figure out who was behind the book disappearances. At times I felt exasperated by the main character, but I would definitely recommend the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.