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katiewhocanread's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
fictionfan's review
5.0
One for bibliophiles…
Sergeant Jack Wigan is on his way home from work one night when he comes across a drunk man swaying about in the middle of the road. He decides not to take him into custody, instead telling him to go home, and then accompanies him to make sure he gets there safely. The drunk man is Mike Fisk, a “runner” in the book trade, who’s been celebrating finding a rare and valuable edition of Keats’ Endymion. The two men hit it off and become friends, and Wigan is inspired by Fisk with an interest in rare books. Then one evening when he goes to call on Fisk, he finds him dead, stabbed and lying in a pool of blood with the book he was reading on the table before him – a rare book on the occult…
Martin Edwards tell us in his foreword that this book has had a kind of cult status for many years, and copies of it are hard to find and very expensive. This is the first time it has been reprinted in decades. The few initial ratings on Goodreads are not inspiring – they suggest the book may have been better left forgotten.
But when did I ever agree with the majority on books? It’s an oddity, certainly – not the greatest prose and the plot is rather loose and rambly, and there’s a weird thread running through it where sensible and rational people all seem to find the idea of raising the devil and demons not just possible, but quite likely. But for all that, I found that once I got used to the rather plain writing style I enjoyed it, and as it progressed towards the end, I got fully caught up in the story and found the tension building nicely.
Sergeant Wigan is a decent man with a strong sense of justice. Because of the knowledge he has gained of the rare books business, he is seconded to work on the investigation into Fisk’s death. The Inspector in charge of the case soon has a suspect in sight, and concentrates all his efforts on getting a conviction. He succeeds, and the man is sentenced to hang. But Wigan is unconvinced of his guilt, and sets out on his own time to find the true culprit before the sentence can be carried out. So it’s a race against time, with the clock ticking louder and louder as the fateful day set for the hanging draws nearer…
Apparently Farmer was himself a collector of rare first editions as well as being a former policeman, and he puts these experiences to good use in the novel. We get an idea of the life of a uniformed sergeant, running his squad, understanding his patch, and using his knowledge of the local criminals to keep the public safe. (It’s the 1950s, when these things were largely true. In fact, if anyone out there is as ancient as me, Wigan reminded me very much of Sergeant Dixon of Dock Green, the first TV police procedural in Britain.)
The rare book business is shown as home to all kinds of skulduggery and disreputable people, some truly loving the books but others simply seeing them as a way to make money from gullible collectors. Farmer shows us all levels, from the man selling books from a barrow, to the large traders selling from shops and catalogues, to the American millionaire, willing to pay any price or break any law so that his library will be better than anyone else’s. Farmer makes a few comments that suggest he may not have been pleased at so many rare British books making their way into American collections, and also hints a little sniffily that some collectors never read the books they display so proudly. It all felt very authentic to me, written by a man who clearly knew what he was talking about. And there’s lots of enjoyable references to specific rare first editions, and an indication of how authors rise and fall in the fashionable stakes of the collectibles market, sometimes on something as simple as a new film or TV adaptation of one of their books.
The plot itself is fine, though with that weird occult thread that is a bit jarring at points. Happily, however, the villain is human, as is the motive. I don’t think it’s fair-play, but the race against time aspect makes it feel like a cross between a mystery and a thriller, so that didn’t bother me. Overall, it’s not of the quality of the best mystery novels in either writing or plotting, but Wigan is an appealing character, the look at the book trade gives it an added interest and its very oddity gives it a kind of unique charm. Well worthy of its place in the BL’s Crime Classics series, and recommended as something a little different from the usual run. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Sergeant Jack Wigan is on his way home from work one night when he comes across a drunk man swaying about in the middle of the road. He decides not to take him into custody, instead telling him to go home, and then accompanies him to make sure he gets there safely. The drunk man is Mike Fisk, a “runner” in the book trade, who’s been celebrating finding a rare and valuable edition of Keats’ Endymion. The two men hit it off and become friends, and Wigan is inspired by Fisk with an interest in rare books. Then one evening when he goes to call on Fisk, he finds him dead, stabbed and lying in a pool of blood with the book he was reading on the table before him – a rare book on the occult…
Martin Edwards tell us in his foreword that this book has had a kind of cult status for many years, and copies of it are hard to find and very expensive. This is the first time it has been reprinted in decades. The few initial ratings on Goodreads are not inspiring – they suggest the book may have been better left forgotten.
But when did I ever agree with the majority on books? It’s an oddity, certainly – not the greatest prose and the plot is rather loose and rambly, and there’s a weird thread running through it where sensible and rational people all seem to find the idea of raising the devil and demons not just possible, but quite likely. But for all that, I found that once I got used to the rather plain writing style I enjoyed it, and as it progressed towards the end, I got fully caught up in the story and found the tension building nicely.
Sergeant Wigan is a decent man with a strong sense of justice. Because of the knowledge he has gained of the rare books business, he is seconded to work on the investigation into Fisk’s death. The Inspector in charge of the case soon has a suspect in sight, and concentrates all his efforts on getting a conviction. He succeeds, and the man is sentenced to hang. But Wigan is unconvinced of his guilt, and sets out on his own time to find the true culprit before the sentence can be carried out. So it’s a race against time, with the clock ticking louder and louder as the fateful day set for the hanging draws nearer…
Apparently Farmer was himself a collector of rare first editions as well as being a former policeman, and he puts these experiences to good use in the novel. We get an idea of the life of a uniformed sergeant, running his squad, understanding his patch, and using his knowledge of the local criminals to keep the public safe. (It’s the 1950s, when these things were largely true. In fact, if anyone out there is as ancient as me, Wigan reminded me very much of Sergeant Dixon of Dock Green, the first TV police procedural in Britain.)
The rare book business is shown as home to all kinds of skulduggery and disreputable people, some truly loving the books but others simply seeing them as a way to make money from gullible collectors. Farmer shows us all levels, from the man selling books from a barrow, to the large traders selling from shops and catalogues, to the American millionaire, willing to pay any price or break any law so that his library will be better than anyone else’s. Farmer makes a few comments that suggest he may not have been pleased at so many rare British books making their way into American collections, and also hints a little sniffily that some collectors never read the books they display so proudly. It all felt very authentic to me, written by a man who clearly knew what he was talking about. And there’s lots of enjoyable references to specific rare first editions, and an indication of how authors rise and fall in the fashionable stakes of the collectibles market, sometimes on something as simple as a new film or TV adaptation of one of their books.
The plot itself is fine, though with that weird occult thread that is a bit jarring at points. Happily, however, the villain is human, as is the motive. I don’t think it’s fair-play, but the race against time aspect makes it feel like a cross between a mystery and a thriller, so that didn’t bother me. Overall, it’s not of the quality of the best mystery novels in either writing or plotting, but Wigan is an appealing character, the look at the book trade gives it an added interest and its very oddity gives it a kind of unique charm. Well worthy of its place in the BL’s Crime Classics series, and recommended as something a little different from the usual run. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
spellbound_raven's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stw07's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Being a little generous with this rating because I thought this book was so fitting as the 100th book in the British Library Crime Classics—a series that has focused on making many hard-to-find classics accessible again. This story delves into the realm of rare book sellers and collectors, and the lengths to which many will go to get their hands on rare finds.
Aside from the general setting, this just had everything I love in a classic murder mystery—lovable and complex characters, plot twists and red herrings, real suspense, and criminals dressing up in actual costumes. Wigan was a great lead, a down-to-earth policeman with a truly good heart. I also really liked the character of Fred. He was easy to root for because his temper was shown to be a direct result of his poorly-managed anxiety. Charlie was another likable character, and even Ruth and her rich American fellow were kind of charmingly evil.
My only complaint is this ran a bit longer than I thought was necessary. There was some filler toward the end that was frustrating when I really just wanted to find out the answer to the mystery. But overall, a really enjoyable read and one of my favorites so far from the series.
Aside from the general setting, this just had everything I love in a classic murder mystery—lovable and complex characters, plot twists and red herrings, real suspense, and criminals dressing up in actual costumes. Wigan was a great lead, a down-to-earth policeman with a truly good heart. I also really liked the character of Fred. He was easy to root for because his temper was shown to be a direct result of his poorly-managed anxiety. Charlie was another likable character, and even Ruth and her rich American fellow were kind of charmingly evil.
My only complaint is this ran a bit longer than I thought was necessary. There was some filler toward the end that was frustrating when I really just wanted to find out the answer to the mystery. But overall, a really enjoyable read and one of my favorites so far from the series.
nichola's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was charming if slightly more stressful than I expected. Also Wigan is nice but nothing on Connington. I would LOVE to read a series based on him.
Also this book is a stark reminder that collecting books and reading books are two entirely different hobbies.
Also this book is a stark reminder that collecting books and reading books are two entirely different hobbies.
traceymlee's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
bookaneer808's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Set in the seemingly genteel
but often shady world of rare book collectors, the plot begins when Sergeant Wigan escorts a tipsy book dealer, Michael Fisk, home one night and becomes fascinated by the world of rare book collecting. The two men become friends and Fisk teaches Wigan about books - and then Fisk is found stabbed to death in his own library. A rare book is missing...but who committed the murder?
An obvious suspect turns up very quickly, but Sergeant Wigan, a conscientious policeman and a humane man, is convinced they have the wrong man - even when the jury disagrees & the judge puts on the black cap.
I really enjoyed the details of bookselling, collecting & dealing, and all the characters in that world. It was interesting to read a book published in 1956 that was so strongly against the death penalty; even the prison warders are troubled by the terror evoked in the condemned man and look for him to be put into a drugged sleep so they don't have to hear his screams as the execution date looms.
The prose is workmanlike and tells the story plainly, although there are several startling, not to say grotesque, flourishes towards the denouement.
but often shady world of rare book collectors, the plot begins when Sergeant Wigan escorts a tipsy book dealer, Michael Fisk, home one night and becomes fascinated by the world of rare book collecting. The two men become friends and Fisk teaches Wigan about books - and then Fisk is found stabbed to death in his own library. A rare book is missing...but who committed the murder?
An obvious suspect turns up very quickly, but Sergeant Wigan, a conscientious policeman and a humane man, is convinced they have the wrong man - even when the jury disagrees & the judge puts on the black cap.
I really enjoyed the details of bookselling, collecting & dealing, and all the characters in that world. It was interesting to read a book published in 1956 that was so strongly against the death penalty; even the prison warders are troubled by the terror evoked in the condemned man and look for him to be put into a drugged sleep so they don't have to hear his screams as the execution date looms.
The prose is workmanlike and tells the story plainly, although there are several startling, not to say grotesque, flourishes towards the denouement.
vesper1931's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
1954 One evening in Sun, Middlesex, Sergeant Jack Wigan looks after a drunk whereupon they become friends. When bookseller Michael Fisk is killed Wigan is seconded to the detective division to aid in the case because of his knowledge of the book trade learnt from Fisk.
An interesting mystery which took its time to become an enjoyable one.
An interesting mystery which took its time to become an enjoyable one.
youraveragebookwhore's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lachesisreads's review
Some of these old mysteries are gems I'm so happy have been rediscovered, but some have been forgotten for a reason. This is one of them.