The book business is very slow so when contacted by Hammond Kasprowicz, a super wealthy collector, and asked to collect all the known copies of all the works of Edward Kass he quickly put mind and body to the task. Kasprowicz makes an offer of $50 per volume plus delivery fees to his home in the wealthy area of Sydney.

On Joe’s first delivery he meets Annabelle, the middle age daughter of the collector, as well as her father. Annabelle he really likes, the collector he really does not like, but at the price offered per volume Joe chooses to ignore his feelings. The mystery of why someone would pay such outrageous prices for such poor poetry from an obscure poet is quickly solved.

The daughter of the poet, Celia Mitten, arrives at Joe’s doorstep with a letter her father had received from Joe’s new employer. Kasprowicz assures the poet that he is purchasing all the copies of his work with the intent to burn them all so he will leave nothing of himself or his talent for posterity. Discovering that the two men are brothers merely serves to deepen the mystery.

Annabelle had married a Dr. Durst and they have a teenage daughter. Their marital status is unclear…divorced or being divorced. Dr. Durst’s status is very clear however, having lost his license to practice medicine. Joe becomes the focal point of the two warring families while in the process of collecting books. His discovery of an affair between Celia and Durst is at the scene of a murder.

The plot is well constructed and imaginative, and certainly different from the usual, weaving from one unexpected surprise to the next. The reader knows the setting is Sydney but very little effort is made to utilize this setting to any advantage.

. The character Joe is the most problematic part of the novel, and the ultimate success of the series will depend upon whether or not the reader can like him. He is cocky and sarcastic and known to be one who gets in trouble for his smart mouth. A little of this would have gone a long way, but it never stops throughout the story. The other characters are developed in a shallow way, which unfortunately highlights Joe.

--Thea Davis