Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be here. You know, have you ever felt like the
most placid surfaces, the really calm ones, they
often hide the most turbulent depths underneath?
Oh, absolutely. Makes you wonder what's really
going on. Exactly. And that's precisely the unsettling
feeling you get reading Tim Sullivan's The Bookseller.
It starts off seeming like this, well, quiet
tale, but it pulls you pretty quickly into a
world full of hidden agendas and, frankly, deadly
secrets. It really does it begins, you know Simply
enough, the motor of a bookseller in Bristol.
But then it just unfurls, doesn't it, into this
really fascinating detective story. It does.
And it makes you second guess everything, like
every innocent chap, every old book. So, yeah,
the bookseller is crime fiction, a detective
story, really. And the core of it is this investigation
into the death of Edward Squire. He's a man deep
in the rare book trade. And leading the charge,
so to speak, is to take a Sergeant George Cross.
Ah, D .S. Cross. Definitely a character you won't
forget easily. He's one of the best parts, I
think. The character Sullivan created are just
so engaging. Cross, especially. Yeah. What about
him? Well, his whole way of navigating the world
is quite unique. You mentioned those escape routes
he plans in meetings. Uh -huh. Yeah. That was
something else. Right. And his relationship,
his dynamic with Audie, his partner, it just
makes the whole investigation feel, I don't know,
fresh. Unpredictable, maybe. I totally agree.
And it's not just Cross, is it? The whole subculture
around rare book collecting is drawn so vividly.
Oh, definitely. You get this culpable sense of
the rivalries bubbling away. And the financial
pressures, too. It's not all dusty books and
quiet corners. Not at all. And the pull of these
valuable artifacts, these pieces of history.
Sullivan really captures that. Think about the
descriptions of Sotheby's or Squire's Own Shop.
Yeah, it really brings that world to life. It
feels almost like another character in the book.
That's a great way to put it. And it's interesting
how Sullivan uses that specific setting. You
know, this world built on value, authenticity,
hidden histories. It mirrors the investigation
itself, right? Exactly. The layers of deception,
the secrets Cross is trying to dig up. It all
fits perfectly. Now we should talk about the
plot. We were pretty gripped by the twists and
turns, and there are quite a few. Oh, yeah. Keeps
you guessing. Yeah. About the killer, the motive,
all of it. Definitely. But we also felt maybe
the start of the book, it takes its time. That's
fair. It's a bit of a slow burn initially, wouldn't
you say? Yeah, a slow burn. It needs a bit of
patience while it sets the scene, introduces
all the players. There are quite a few characters
to keep track of. True. But I think that deliberate
pacing pays off later. It lets Sullivan build
this really rich atmosphere, this detailed world.
OK, yeah, I can see that. It makes the later
reveals hit harder. But if you're someone who
wants action right away. I need to settle in
for a bit. Yeah. Another thing we noticed, or
at least I felt this way sometimes, some of the
characters motivations, they weren't always crystal
clear right off the bat. Hmm. Interesting point.
Like you're piecing them together as you go.
Exactly. Which, you know, can be part of the
fun of a mystery, figuring people out. But early
on, it maybe leaves you with a few questions.
I think that's maybe intentional, how Sullivan
chooses to reveal character. He sort of peels
back the layers slowly. Adds to the mystery,
you mean. Yeah. It means your understanding of
who these people are, it kind of evolves as you
read. It's not all laid out for you up front.
Okay, that makes sense. So thinking about it
overall, the bookseller is... Well, it's clever.
It's atmospheric. It really pulled us into its
world. Kept us guessing, too. Right to the end.
Yeah, absolutely. So for the intriguing characters,
especially DS Cross, and that fascinating look
into the rare book trade, I think we'd give the
bookseller a solid four out of five stars. What
do you think? I'd agree with that. Four stars
sounds right. It's definitely a book that sticks
with you after you finish it. Yeah. It makes
you think about the stories behind objects, the
secrets hidden under maybe quite refined surfaces.
That's a really good point. So if this deep dive
has piqued your interest in the bookseller, we
definitely recommend checking it out. Absolutely.
It's a worthwhile read. And to make it easy,
we've put an Amazon link right there in the description
below. Convenient. And hey, if you enjoyed this
discussion, maybe take a second to like this
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really helps us keep doing these explorations,
finding more fascinating stories and worlds to
talk about. We'd also love to hear from you.
What stood out most from our chat about the bookseller?
Was there a favorite moment or maybe something
that surprised you? Drop your thoughts in the
comments below. Let's get the conversation going.
Yeah, please do. And feel free to share this
with anyone else you think might enjoy digging
into this kind of intriguing book with us. Thanks
so much for joining us today. Yes, thank you.
Until our next deep dive, happy reading.