The Bookman's Tale

The Bookman's Tale

By: Charlie Lovett

Sometimes, the best books are the ones that keep you guessing. Books that slowly unfold the mystery from different angles. Summer reading is one of my favorite times to read a good mystery/suspense novel. And what better subject than the book world?!

The Bookman's Tale delivers all of that- and more. The main mystery is whether or not a copy of Pandosto, which Shakespeare used to base one of his plays, was real or a forgery. However, that is by no means the only mystery you get to solve. This book is crawling with them and each is as intriguing as the others. 

Peter Byerly is an antique bookseller who is still recovering from the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, only 9 months before. He has journeyed to England's Hay-on-Wye, a town of bookstores, as a way to attempt of getting back to his career. All of that changes when he picks up a book and a 100 year old watercolor falls to the floor. The face looking up at Peter looks just like his wife. Right away Peter sets out to find out how his late wife could look like the woman in a century old watercolor. Yet, that mystery leads him to others. 

It's hard to write this review without giving away key plot points. I can tell you Peter sets out to learn who painted the watercolor. He also comes in contact with what he believes is a genuine Pandosto. Among all that, a mystery surrounding forgery grows bigger with every discovery. Barnes and Noble chose The Bookman's Tale for it's current Recommends selection. I'm almost finished with this book and I'm loving every page. This book is an intriguing story you crawl deeper and deeper into. I don't want the book to end, but I want to find out how everything ties together. 

I strongly recommend this book. An engrossing read that you won't want to put down.