About The Dirty Book Murder: An Antiquarian Book Mystery
- Publisher: Alibi (May 6, 2014)
- Sold by: Random House LLC
In this smart, fast-paced mystery debut, Thomas Shawver introduces a charming, unlikely hero from the rarefied world of antique books.
Book merchant Michael Bevan arrives at the Kansas City auction house hoping to uncover some hidden literary gold. Though the auction ad had mentioned erotica, Michael is amazed to find lovely Japanese Shunga scrolls and a first edition of a novel by French author Colette with an inscription by Ernest Hemingway. This one item alone could fetch a small fortune in the right market.
As Michael and fellow dealer Gareth Hughes are warming up for battle, a stranger comes out of nowhere and outbids them—to the tune of sixty grand. But Gareth is unwilling to leave the auction house empty-handed, so he steals two volumes, including the Colette novel. When Gareth is found dead the next day, Michael quickly becomes the prime suspect: Not only had the pair been tossed out of a bar mid-fistfight the night before, but there is evidence from Michael’s shop at the crime scene.
Now the attorney-turned-bookman must find out who wanted the Colette so badly that they would kill for it—and frame Michael. Desperate to stay out of police custody, Michael follows the murderer’s trail into the wealthiest echelons of the city, where power and influence meet corruption—and mystery and eroticism are perverted by pure evil. Unfortunately for Michael, one dead book dealer is only the opening chapter in a terrifying tale of high culture and lowlifes.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
About Thomas Shawver
Thomas Shawver is a former marine officer, lawyer, and journalist with American City Business Journals. An avid rugby player and international traveler, Shawver owned Bloomsday Books, an antiquarian bookstore in Kansas City.
Thomas Shawver’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, April 29th: 5 Minutes for Books
Wednesday, April 30th: Luxury Reading
Thursday, May 1st: A Buckeye Girl Reads
Monday, May 5th: Reading Reality
Wednesday, May 7th: The Written World
Friday, May 9th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Monday, May 12th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, May 14th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, May 15th: A Chick Who Reads
Monday, May 19th: Crime Book Club
Wednesday, May 21st: The Reader’s Hollow
Thursday, May 22nd: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, May 27th: In Bed with Books
Wednesday, May 28th: Cici’s Theories
Thursday, May 29th: Bibliotica
TBD: Sarah Says Read
TBD: Man of La Book