Death's Autograph (Antiquarian Book Mysteries) [Paperback]

Marianne Macdonald (Author)

Book Description

Series: Antiquarian Book Mysteries | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Murder's Bold Inscription

"Whoever had broken into the shop might just have gone upstairs afterwards, might just be there still...My first reaction was anger: I wanted to roar up the stairs, only I could hear Barnabas saying, the way he used to when I was little: "Temper, Dido! Count to twenty-nine..."

Selling rare books has its moments, but few are anything close to thrilling--except when Dido Hoare's scoundrel of an ex-husband suddenly reappears and puts a pulse of excitement in the air.But events go from interesting to intense when someone ends up murdered and the culprit seems to think Dido has something worth killing for, too.

With the help of her father, Barnabas, a retired academic with a penchant for mysteries, Dido may be able to divert the killer long enough to figure out who wants her dead and why. Recovering from a heart attack, the irrepressible Barnabas is taking chances that are likely to give Dido a coronary of her own, and give the police a bad case of indigestion. But as Dido and Barnabas are about to learn, every crime has its victims and its payoffs--it's just a matter of being on the right side of the bookshelf before everything comes tumbling down.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A scary road-way incident, a vague threat delivered to her retired-professor father, her ex-husband suddenly turning up, and the "tossing" of her bookstore all leave antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare feeling queasy and paranoid. When her ex-husband then dies in a car-bombing, Dido tries to figure out what on earth she has that "they" want. With help from her dad, reference to a collection of old manuscripts, and support from attractive Det. Inspector Paul Grant, Dido solves the puzzle. A solid, satisfying mix of amateur and police investigation, set staunchly in the best British tradition. A highly recommended first novel.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Dido Hoare is an antiquarian book dealer in London, following the footsteps of her ailing, semi-retiring father Barnabas. Her apartment is over her store, while Barnabas lives nearby. Driving home from Banbury one night, Dido is followed, threateningly, almost all the way. Soon after, she's approached by ex-husband Davey Winner, a promiscuous painter/wheeler-dealer who'd left her for vapid Ilona and who now, amid signs of temporary prosperity, wants back into Dido's life. It becomes apparent that something strange is afoot when Dido's shop is trashed--and then Davey is killed by a bomb placed in the new car he never could have afforded. Detective Inspector Paul Grant enters the picture, making security arrangements for Dido and her father and becoming a romantic distraction for Dido. The murder of visiting Professor Warren, buyer for a New England library and Barnabas's friend and best customer, brings into focus the motive for all the violence: possession of an ancient volume containing a poem written in Shakespeare's own hand and signed by him. Past this point the skillfully built tension begins to evaporate in a tangle of secret meetings, shady characters, talk of drug-dealing, the mafia, Russian ex-agents, and the pros and cons of the volume's authenticity. Newcomer Macdonald's lucid, irony-edged, unfussy narration makes antique-book lore interesting even to the uninitiated, and her charmingly off-beat heroine is a character most readers will want to hear from again. Next time, if we're lucky, she'll be engaged in shenanigans less confusing than these. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006109742X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061097423
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid debut . . ., November 22, 2000

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death's Autograph (Antiquarian Book Mysteries) (Paperback)

Have you made the acquaintance of Dido Hoare? If not, I highly recommend you do so straightaway. You won't regret it. Dido is a modern young woman, newly divorced, daughter of a former academic at Oxford (who seems to have had other assorted former careers, as well) who now owns an antiquarian bookshop in London's Islington area.

Coming home late at night after having purchased a privately-owned library some eighty miles from her home, she is menaced by a white car. Eventually, however, the other driver loses interest, and Dido arrives home, nerve-wracked but otherwise unharmed.

The next day, her father, Barnabas, recovering from serious heart surgery, receives an anonymous letter, and from then on, the pace never lets up. We meet several of London's other antiquarian book dealers, plus Dido's former husband Davey. Briefly, that is, for in just a few days time, Davey and the white car fall victim to a bomb.

The police officer assigned to the bombing, Paul Grant, bids fair to becoming an important part of Dido's life, if only she can figure out why Davey had to die. What does she have that she doesn't realize she has? Neither Davey's new friend, Ilona, nor his mother, Sally, are much help either.

One clue is a book about a possible forger. Or has the forger been forged? This is a wonderfully well-written book that works on several levels. I cannot recommend it highly enough to those who enjoy truly intelligent books. How can you not love a book that includes this line "She continued to watch her drink as closely as though she were waiting for it to change colour and play the National Anthem." You won't regret the acquaintance, I promise.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death's Autograph, October 31, 2000

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death's Autograph (Antiquarian Book Mysteries) (Paperback)

This first Dido Hoare mystery is the most complex of the four so far; but just as interesting and intriguing.

This novel starts when a mysterious white car follows Dido on her way back home from a book buying trip, late at night through the deserted M40 highway. Soon after Barnabas, her father, receives a mysterious postcard alluding to the incident. Next, Dido's ne'er-do-well ex-husband, Davy, turns up and tries to persuade her that she needs his help to maintain the bookstore. Then her store is burglarised. Barnabas is sure that Davy is somehow responsible for all these events but Dido refuses to consider that possibility. And then Davy's car is blown up with him in it. The police seemed stumped and cannot quite see the connection between all these events. However Dido comes to the reluctant conclusion that Davy was involved in some way. But how? And what can all this possibly mean?

This book is intriguing and complex and I think that if you have the patience to follow all twists and turns of the plot you will be more than amply rewarded. An amazing first installment of an equally amazing series.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery!, January 30, 2000

By 

Maria Y. Lima "Chickwriter" (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death's Autograph (Antiquarian Book Mysteries) (Paperback)

A truly enjoyable peek into the world of antiquarian bookselling with the added extra of murder. Dido & her dad are great characters and I look forward to reading the entire series!