The Death of an Ardent Bibliophile

The Death of an Ardent Bibliophile, which takes place in Ireland, is definitely for fans of Jonathan Swift since if refers both to his life and his works. Brian Herricks, dean of the famous Marsh's Library is found dead in his estate by his assistant. As it turns out there is a video tape of his death, pointing to poisoning.

Detective Superintentant Peter McGarr is called to solve the case. the author, Bartholomew Gill has created an interesting main character in McGarr and well as a fun group of ancillary characters including his police team and his wife. The plot moved along nicely, however, I found this to be a slower read than most mysteries. Not being a Swift scholar, however, I found the references to him and his works sometimes show more confusing.

I'd definitely try another mystery by Gill. show less

Features a librarian as victim. The library is an important repository of old books in Ireland. The victim (among other things) is also an admirer and imitator of Jonathan Swift.