Charles A. Goodrum (1923–2012)

Interesting, but more a mystery written to illustrate a historical event than a meditation on crime and the unmasking of evil doers. A beautiful and angry UVA co-ed shows up at the fictional Werner-Bok Library in DC and announces that she is about to reveal something of Great Historical Import, then mysteriously disappears. Three scholar/sleuths fear for her safety and begin a search for her and what she had discovered- and get more than they bargained for! Sorry, the story isn’t as show more interesting as the facts it discusses, but it’s still a good, quick read and will especially appeal to librarians and people in the DC metro area. show less

For Crighton Jones, PR officer at the (fictional) Werner-Bok library in Washington, D.C., a good deed turns into a nightmare. When a visiting researcher is unable to find lodging, Crighton offers her a place to stay for a few days until something opens up. Crighton becomes concerned when the woman doesn't show up one evening. After she receives a threatening phone call meant for the woman, she becomes even more concerned. The woman had hinted that she was close to an explosive discovery. show more Could her research have put her in danger? The woman's life might depend on Crighton's ability to figure out the details of her research to locate and warn the woman of impending danger. Who better to help her solve the puzzle than her archaeologist friend Steve Carson and her mentor, retired librarian Edward George?

I loved many elements of the mystery, particularly the historical puzzle involving the Library of Congress, the War of 1812, and the Virginia aristocracy. However, the plot has some problems. There were well over 24 hours in one of the days described in the book. The chronology of events just doesn't fit within the time frame specified in the book. The periodic discourses on the state of librarianship in the mid-1980s will be an unnecessary distraction to readers without a strong interest in the library profession. Librarians whose professional experience goes back to the 1980s may enjoy the nostalgic experience. I'll pick up the other books in this series if I run across them, but I won't go to a lot of effort to locate them. show less

Betty Crighton Jones (called Crighton from here on out) is the press officer for the Werner-Bok Library in Washington, D.C. Some recent developments are making her job particularly stressful. Anonymous letters sent to various members of the media claim that several of the Werner-Bok's rare books are, in fact, fakes, and it's starting to put the Library's reputation at risk. Not only that, but Murchison DeVeer, the Head of the Manuscripts Division, claims he knows that something fishy is show more going on in the Rare Books Division.

In a effort to deal with the anonymous note situation as quietly and quickly as possible, the library director, Brooks, invites Dr. George, a respected retired librarian, to look into the situation in the guise of doing research for a book. Brooks assigns Crighton to be George's guide/assistant. Shortly before George arrives, however, DeVeer ends up dead in an apparent accident. Was DeVeer the one responsible for the notes, and is the problem now solved? Or is something more sinister going on?

This was originally published in 1977, and it shows. An actual card catalog, a physical shelflist, male librarians in all the most important positions, casual sexism (which leaves Crighton feeling more resigned than annoyed), and characters who've barely heard of smoke detectors before. The best point of reference I had was the semester I spent at the Newberry Library. Even today, a portion of their collection still can't be searched in the online catalog and must be found using the card catalog. Without the experience I'd had searching for research materials there, as well as the time I spent in some of their staff-only areas, I'm not sure how much sense parts of this book would have made.

I went into this expecting it to be a cozy mystery, but I'm not sure that's quite the right label for it. The first death, in particular, had gorier aspects than I'd normally expect from a cozy. Then there was the, uh, drawer full of blood. Ew. Still, the cutesy title and slight romance subplot fit, I suppose - there's a love triangle involving Crighton, a researcher named Carson, and Welles, the assistant chief of the Rare Books Room.

Although I enjoyed the Werner-Bok's messed up workplace politics, this was a bit of a struggle to get through. None of the characters particularly appealed to me or even made much of an impression. Almost all of them had the same "voice," and I found myself repeatedly having to flip back and forth in the book in an effort to figure out who people were and what their jobs were. It didn't help that nearly everyone was referred to by their last names, several of which began with the same letter. I kept mixing up Carson and Conrad, and the first few times Welles appeared on-page I couldn't even remember which division he worked in.

The romance aspect was painfully weak, and the mystery aspects were mediocre. I correctly guessed the identity of the murderer well before the end of the book - Goodrum made it so obvious I was sure I was going to turn out to be wrong. I will say this, though: the cat-and-mouse scene near the end, in the closed library, was really good, even if it did make me want to shake Crighton for not fully thinking everything through (she brought food but no flashlight!). Also, the title is fabulous, although it would have been more appropriate for a book set in a public library than a research library.

I have no plans to seek out the next book in this series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

I'll read almost anything set in libraries or with librarians. This book was written in 1977, the year I started college and declared my major as "library science", so I was reading it a little more critically than I do some other books.

Goodrum did a good job of painting the pictures of major libraries that have very old books and both manuscript and rare book collections. The descriptions of the closed stacks, the methods for tracking materials and they "how" of the murder all rang very show more true to me.

I did figure out the why of the book fairly early on but the who was a little more convoluted. It made perfect sense and I tumbled to the killer about the same time as the supporting cast but before the author came out and pointed out the killer.

I enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more in the series (too short a series but I'll get them all read). show less