The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom

Reviewed by Jeanne

Israel Armstrong is a half-Jewish, half Irish vegetarian London librarian-- except that he can’t find a job as a librarian.  He works part time at a bookstore while filling out applications and hoping for his big break.  All he needs is some real library experience and then he’ll be able to land a prestigious job, maybe even at the The British Library.

When he does finally land a job, it’s a bit outside of London.  Outside of England, actually, in the Northern Ireland village of Tumdrum.  He’s to be the town librarian.

Except that when he arrives, the library is closed.  Permanently.

Not to worry, he’s told cheerfully, he’ll be the Mobile Librarian. . . as soon as they resurrect the bookmobile. 

Israel soon discovers that having an Irish father was no preparation for actually living in an Irish village. For one thing, he can’t find a decent cup of coffee, his boarding room is in a chicken coop, and his requests for vegetarian fare yield only puzzlement.

All that is nothing compared to the other problem: how to run a Mobile Library when all the books have gone missing. Fortunately, Israel has read a lot of detective fiction, so he’s quite prepared to investigate.

I came across this series while shelving and was hooked by the first few pages.  Israel is an urban yuppie type, well-meaning, but woefully ignorant when it comes to rural living in general and Irish rural living in particular. If his father were still living he’d be tempted to have words with him on the topic. Israel stumbles through the days in a state of perpetual bewilderment. He’s also one of those people who never found a bad situation that couldn’t be made worse by an injudicious word or action. “Hapless” could have been his middle name, or even his first name.

It’s been quite a while since I laughed so much at a book. Besides Israel, the village is full of fascinating and entertaining characters who alternately help and hinder him in his investigations.  I found the book discussions particularly delightful.

Sansom apparently lived in Northern Ireland for a time and taught at university.  In reading interviews, he appears much like some of his characters: very amusing and very good at avoiding straight answers. No matter.  The books will stand by themselves, as they should.