In his second bibliomystery, bookhound Henry Sullivan has a new girlfriend, a new apartment, and a shelfload of troubles.
A Slepying Hound to Wake (Henry Sullivan)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
“McCaffrey offers a real insider’s view in A Slepyng Hound to Wake—a quote from Chaucer—the sequel to the splendid hit, Hound. I’d call them “biblio-noirs” rather than bibliomysteries: the deeds are dark even though bookhound Henry Sullivan becomes involved in what first seem academic rather than criminal matters. How likely is it that the possible ripping-off (OK, plagiarism) of a bestselling author could lead to murder? Dark, too, is Henry’s outlook on his professional world where centuries of tradition are daily eroded by digital publishing and internet bookselling. This gloom carries over into his relationships, freighting them in a classic noir fashion. Still, Henry is a character cut from Raymond Chandler: a modern knight on a mission to save those, and what, he loves.”
—Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen
“Evocative prose and characterizations will remind many of Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer novels.”
—Publishers Weekly
“There’s a Woody Allen tone to this one, and you’ll enjoy sharing it with bibliophiles or anyone who appreciates quirky characters. The plotting and weaving of story lines hide a clever puzzle, but most readers will forget they’re reading a mystery until all the pieces fall into place at the very end. Lisa Lutz fans could like this.”
—Library Journal
“The strong mystery is woven into a slow-paced, philosophical discussion of the painful demise of those special bookstores whose nooks and crannies once yielded fabulous finds.” —Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Can't get enough details about scouting for rare books? "A Slepyng Hound To Wake" provides an insider look at the dying book business provided by main character Henry Sullivan's savy insight. Way better than Mr. McCafferey's debut, "Hound", I loved this book. Worth buying. Henry's ineptitude with women who find him attractive is hilarious.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Vincent McCaffrey is a former Boston bookstore owner who has undoubtedly create his hero and his supporting cast from people in his previous occupation. His details of the industry are too crisp to be just imagined.
This book is the second featuring Henry Sullivan, a middle aged, self-employed book hound trying to make the best of a going no-where life.
Henry is a part of a dying breed (so to speak), as he moves through his daily routine of looking for, and selling, fine books via the Internet. A one-time book store employee specializing in looking for rarities, he now scourges estates and even trash with his college-educated and best friend turned garbageman Arnold, hoping to find a first edition.
Henry has a heart, and it is that compassion that leads him to buying a book from a fellow book hunter who soon thereafter is murdered. Although that event alone leads to a good mystery, Henry is begged by his former lover and employer to look into a possible case of plagiarism at just that time. Ummm...is there a connection?
The mysteries are interesting, but what really made this book good for me are the characters and their relationship with Henry. Besides Arnold, there's Della, a mid-30s free spirit who reminds you of the neighborhood tomboy who has her eye on Henry so is always hanging around; Mrs. Murry a retired schoolteacher and his landlady who Henry thinks of sometimes as his mother, sometimes as a former teacher, and sometimes as a lecherous "cougar"; Shasa a fellow tenant at Mrs. Murray's who practices her violin and crawls thru Henry's window when she forgets her key; and many others, all of whom are presented realistically and seem familiar as someone you would know.
The setting and the characters are wonderful. It isn't hard to imagine Henry's trove of books as he adds to it after searching abandon houses; seeing him drive his 1950s edition truck and reminiscing of riding with his grandfather; visiting his aging father who repairs vintage radios, and going to Red Sox games and wishing he had better seats.
I really liked the plot of the story and commend the author at keeping it moving. There are few wasted words and the events neatly fit together. But, I enjoyed the interactions, the settings and the development of the characters more. There's no deep psychological agenda here, no terrorist plot, no superhero sleuth. It's just a great book about a middle-aged guy who laments the demise of bookstores, the lost opportunities in his life, and the interesting people who intersect with him. I've read far more books with details and issues that weren't nearly as interesting and as well written. Wake up the hounds! I want more.
This book is the second featuring Henry Sullivan, a middle aged, self-employed book hound trying to make the best of a going no-where life.
Henry is a part of a dying breed (so to speak), as he moves through his daily routine of looking for, and selling, fine books via the Internet. A one-time book store employee specializing in looking for rarities, he now scourges estates and even trash with his college-educated and best friend turned garbageman Arnold, hoping to find a first edition.
Henry has a heart, and it is that compassion that leads him to buying a book from a fellow book hunter who soon thereafter is murdered. Although that event alone leads to a good mystery, Henry is begged by his former lover and employer to look into a possible case of plagiarism at just that time. Ummm...is there a connection?
The mysteries are interesting, but what really made this book good for me are the characters and their relationship with Henry. Besides Arnold, there's Della, a mid-30s free spirit who reminds you of the neighborhood tomboy who has her eye on Henry so is always hanging around; Mrs. Murry a retired schoolteacher and his landlady who Henry thinks of sometimes as his mother, sometimes as a former teacher, and sometimes as a lecherous "cougar"; Shasa a fellow tenant at Mrs. Murray's who practices her violin and crawls thru Henry's window when she forgets her key; and many others, all of whom are presented realistically and seem familiar as someone you would know.
The setting and the characters are wonderful. It isn't hard to imagine Henry's trove of books as he adds to it after searching abandon houses; seeing him drive his 1950s edition truck and reminiscing of riding with his grandfather; visiting his aging father who repairs vintage radios, and going to Red Sox games and wishing he had better seats.
I really liked the plot of the story and commend the author at keeping it moving. There are few wasted words and the events neatly fit together. But, I enjoyed the interactions, the settings and the development of the characters more. There's no deep psychological agenda here, no terrorist plot, no superhero sleuth. It's just a great book about a middle-aged guy who laments the demise of bookstores, the lost opportunities in his life, and the interesting people who intersect with him. I've read far more books with details and issues that weren't nearly as interesting and as well written. Wake up the hounds! I want more.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"A Slepyng Hound to Wake" is a sequel to "Hound," and I enjoyed it more than the first novel in the series (which I nonetheless liked). Like the first novel, "Slepyng Hound" contains two mysteries in it.
Henry Sullivan, the protagonist and used-book seller, develops more personality in this book, and although he's not always likable, the story is well-written and works well over all.
If you like books about books, I whole-heartedly recommend to you "A Slepyng Hound to Wake."
Henry Sullivan, the protagonist and used-book seller, develops more personality in this book, and although he's not always likable, the story is well-written and works well over all.
If you like books about books, I whole-heartedly recommend to you "A Slepyng Hound to Wake."
Inside This Book
(learn more)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
