Customer Reviews

The Mobile Library - The Delegates' Choice

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The Mobile Library series of "mysteries" by Ian Sansom takes place in a surreal world where a vegetarian Jew named Israel Armstrong is lured to Northern ireland to be town librarian, only to learn upon arriving that the town library is a mobile books on wheels van. Israel's pseudo intellectual outlook and mock erudite body of knowledge put him at constant odds with the simple people of the town, who are more likely to know the color of a book than the author or title.

Each of the books revolves around one central plot and a million little snapshots of Israel being a square peg in a round village.

In this book, Israel is offered the opportunity to return to England for a Mobile Librarian's conference, but quickly stumbles into another mystery that he must solve to save his reputation and freedom. But honestly, the plot is incidental to Sansom's very funny characters and gift for dialogue.

Having read Sansom on British websites for years, I am surprised that he writes books like these. As a book reviewer Sansom is quite tough, but these mysteries reveal an appreciation for the kaleidoscope of people that populate the world. Obviously being a tough reviewer doesn't mean he is a cold person.