Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive and exciting, November 30, 1999
This review is from: Unprintable (Mass Market Paperback)
Pick this or any of Julie Kaewert'sPlumtree books up and you will be hooked. Julie has a wonderful knack for writing even if some of her stories are a bit fantastical - but isn't that why we read these books anyway? To take a break from real life for a few minutes? Alex Plumtree is a bibliophile's dream come true as is Julie's series. These books not only keep you on the edge of your seat but teach you a bit about the history behind printing and rare books (as well as about different types of fonts). This book is highly enjoyable - I promise!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What a disappointment!, February 17, 2001
This review is from: Unprintable (Mass Market Paperback)
I had never planned to write a review of this book, but feel duty bound to do so because it is a sterling example of what can go wrong in a series. I loved "Unsolicited," the first book in this series about a book publisher in London. Being a bookaholic, I enjoyed learning about the printing and collecting of fine books. Although a bit stiff, I liked Alex Plumtree, the protagonist, and found the mystery interesting and fast moving. The book also met another criteria I have for reading a series - an interesting ongoing story line. I was a bit disappointed in "Unbound," the second book in the series because I thought it was a bit too long. Along comes "Unprintable," the third installment in this series. All I can say about this book is that if you read either the first or second book, don't bother buying the third. It appears that Ms. Kaewert found a formula she feels comfortable with and insists on repeating it in her subsequent books. In addition, the Alex we met in the first book has not changed one iota in the subsequent books. It would appear that neither he nor any of the other characters have any layers to strip away. I am finding both the pattern of the mysteries and the stagnation of the characters and story line rather tedious. Ms. Kaewert would be well advised to take a lesson from the great Elizabeth George who knows how to keep a series fresh and the reader begging for more.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Staying alive in the British publishing industry, September 16, 2001
This review is from: Unprintable (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the middle book in the "Un" series of 5 Booklover's Mysteries thus far. Having now read all 5, it's clear that the author's style involves a plot that twists and turns right up to the end. Plumtree Press, the protagonist's family business, takes on something uncharacteristic of them by publishing a novel of a political nature, and a highly controversial one at that. It is proposed that this piece of fiction could affect the outcome of the national election called by the Prime Minister, if the limited, special edition of it hits the streets on time. Those of a certain political persuasion do everything they can, bar none, to stop this from happening. Alex Plumtree and his special edition printer, Amanda of Amanda's Print Shop, are in constant danger as they are threatened by union activists and someone with a special interest in insuring the UK's involvement in the Economic and Monetary Union of Europe. Instead of rare books and book collecting, Unprintable's book-related specialty is the art of hand set type and manual platen press printing. It was rather nostalgic for me as one who learned that art many years ago. It is apparently not a lost art, as I had supposed, since we are taught here that special editions are sometimes printed in this painstaking fashion. Kaewert's "Un" series makes a fun read overall, especially for those interested in books and the combination of books and British mystery. In each volume though, her story line is quite protracted and includes a lot of non-mystery elements that may not interest some, as well as some highly unrealistic elements (but that's often the stuff of fiction). I would give a minimum rating of 7 on a scale of 10 to each book of this series if Amazon's scale allowed for odd numbered ratings. If I were to read just one in the series, the best choice by far would be Untitled (the fourth in the series), the most like an Agatha Christie story and the most masterful of all 5 books in throwing in a major twist on several occasions just when you think you have things figured out. I look forward to book number 6, Uncatalogued, due out in the spring of 2002.
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