Die Once: A Dido Hoare Mystery [Hardcover]

Marianne Macdonald (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dido Hoare, 6 | Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Running an antiquarian bookshop in London might seem like a nice, quiet job, but bookseller Dido Hoare has had more than her share of adventures. Die Once is the next entry in Marianne MacDonald’s wonderful mystery series featuring Dido Hoare..

When Timothy Curwen’s check bounces, Dido Hoare is amazed. Curwen had been a good customer, spending freely at her antiquarian bookshop. The morning paper says that Curwen committed suicide, but the police soon suspect murder. When Dido sets out either to retrieve the book or to obtain payment of it, her quest leads her down a twisted trail of cover-up and betrayal surrounding Tim’s death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

London antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare isn't too surprised when a valued customer's check bounces in Marianne MacDonald's baffling Die Once: A Dido Hoare Mystery; she'd seen the newspaper notice saying he'd jumped to his death from the balcony of his flat. Dido sets out to prove her customer was no suicide in a tangled yarn with special appeal to book-collecting fans.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

London antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare's retired professor father, Barnabas, says of her, "Dido is extremely persistent, and rather a loose cannon," which sums up this attractive series nicely. Dido lives above her shop with her boy, Ben, and her cat, Mr. Spock. When a regular customer, Tim Curwen, is declared a suicide, and his latest check bounces, Dido is hired by his solicitors to estimate the worth of his books. But all the ones she's sold him seem to have vanished from his flat, except for the Dickens whose payment bounced. After talking with a reporter friend of Tim's and a police contact of her own, Dido learns more about her customer: Tim was gay, mixed up in the drug trade, and may have a sister. Along with her sleuthing, Dido acquires a new computer, sells some books, grabs the odd takeaway meal, and tries to keep Barnabas off her case. A few loose ends matter little, and the denouement resembles life in its untidiness. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312283601
• ISBN-13: 978-0312283605
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,251,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely written and English. A fun read, August 28, 2003

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Die Once: A Dido Hoare Mystery (Hardcover)

Single mother and antique book dealer Dido Hoare is supprised when one of her best customers bounces a check. Then she finds that he apparently committed suicide. Financial ruin would explain the bounced check and the suicide, but it wouldn't explain the continued interest the police have in her customer, the law firm that's handling his non-existant estate, or the odd story that turns up in the newspaper writing up the dead man's life. Dido is in to the tune of the two hundred pounds the first edition Dickens is worth and she decides to see if she can get her money back somehow. What she finds is a surprise--none of the expensive books she sold the dead man are anywhere in sight.

Author Marianne Macdonald writes an interesting story. Dido and her father, Barnabas, in particular are well developed characters with full lives and curiosity that drives them on even when they know that they are simply getting into trouble. Macdonald's strong writing sustains reader interest even when not much is happening.

Toward the final third of the novel, the story seems to meander a bit, as if Macdonald wasn't sure where to take it. The plot line recovers however, with an exciting chase scene to bring things to closure. Fans of this fine series will definitely enjoy DIE ONCE.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended to those interested in the book trade., March 8, 2005

By 

Verna Suit (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Die Once: A Dido Hoare Mystery (Hardcover)

DIE ONCE was my introduction to Macdonald's Dido Hoare series and made me a fan immediately. The story unfolds at a pace befitting the antiquarian book trade. As Dido tracks down leads to the murder, she goes about the daily business of running a book store and seeing to the care of toddler son Ben. I enjoyed the wonderful relationship between Dido and her father, Barnabas, formerly an Oxford don and now her business partner in the book store. He is by turns attentive grandfather, frequent baby sitter, worrier with a tendency to overprotectiveness, sage advisor, and occasional cohort in the investigation. Macdonald paints a very believable picture of everyday life in rainy London.

DIE ONCE is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the book trade.

4.0 out of 5 stars Suicide and Dickens, October 1, 2007

By 

Nash Black "Troubadour" (Jamestown, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Die Once: A Dido Hoare Mystery (Hardcover)

Paul Grant weaves in and out of Dido Hares life like a bad penny, but who uses whom when the chips are down? The sixth installment of Marianne MacDonald's series has all the quirks and bends that makes this modern cozy fun to read.
A frequent customer bounces a check and plunges to his death. Timothy Curwen, who lives in the apartment house of the deceased sets Dido on a long chase when she arrives to evaluate his estate and discovers only the last purchase, which she takes home with her. Rumors and secrets emerge as Dido discovers she didn't know her customer.
A nice addition to this fine series.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and TRAVELERS.