Untitled: A Booklover's Mystery

by Julie Kaewert and Brando Skyhorse

Book Overview

The perfume of old books and the smell of danger... Publisher Alex Plumtree is in for the most astounding week of his life. First he comes into possession of a rare, centuries-old book, rumored destroyed on orders of King Edward IV. Then he receives an undreamed-of honor: an invitation to join a select society of book collectors...who are also some of the most powerful men and women in England. But Alex's triumph quickly turns sour. The book vanishes...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553577174
• ISBN13: 9780553577174
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Twists & turns galore.....

As a fan of "books about books", I was excited to discover the existence of Kaewert's series. "Untitled" is jam-packed with literary allusions and plot twists, making it eminently readable. Be forewarned that it crams a slightly excessive number of plot twists into its pages--it may be difficult to figure out the motivations behind all the characters' actions. A helpful hint: Buy the sequel once you start getting near the end of this one. I sincerely hope that it resolves the cliff-hanger ending of this title!

Much improved over the first in the series

I read Kaewert's first in this Booklover's Mystery series and hoped that subsequent stories would show improvement. (Incidentally, the first one is Unsolicited, originally published in 1994, then reprinted by Bantam in 2000. Bantam would have you believe this is a new addition to the series when in fact it's a reprint of the first.) Untitled, the fourth in the series, is indeed much improved over the first. It is not slow in getting rolling and it has quite a complicated plot with twists and turns that leave you guessing. Just when you think you have things figured out, something is revealed which changes the picture again. The setting, with most characters and scenes revolving around the annual weekend gathering of an exclusive, high society British antique book collectors club at Castle Trefoyle, is definitely reminiscent of an Agatha Christie setting.There is still too little in the way of British expressions and terminology used by her characters for them to be totally realistic, and one of the main characters, the protagonist's brother Max Plumtree, has an unbelievable character overhaul from book one. Also, a minor writing problem appears later in the story when the plot is disjointed in a couple of places. The ending doesn't explain or resolve everything, but this is obviously intentional and gives one the impression of being at least a partial lead-in to the next book in the series (Unsigned, which came out in January of 2001). The most unlikely, but still interesting, aspect of this story's plot is the tenuous nature of the relationship between the West, particularly England, and Iraq over the content of an antique book.All in all, this is a good read, pretty much leaving you guessing to the end. Kaewert's series is better for this one and I will read more. I recommend it to British mystery fans, although it helps to have been introduced to the characters in a previous book of the series.

Gothic Lovers' Must

Kaewert's protagonist Alex Plumtree negiotiates between two worlds--the aristocracy and the modern day world of book publishing. Alex and his brother discover a rare old book in their private library, which leads them into an exciting adventure of thieves, would-be murders and an exclusive elitist bookclub. Kaewert writes a mystery that cannot be put down. The author's knowledge of book publishing and rare books provides an educational as well as believable text. Reading this book left me desperate to read her next book.

My first "Un-book", but definitely not my last!

All right, I admit that I bought this book for the "Booklover" premise, being a true bibliophile myself. However, I read over 75 novels each year, many of them mysteries and so I have learned never to judge a book by its cover (or the printed endorsements on the back). So it was with some trepidation that I began reading.In short, I was astounded! I found the main character to be quite entertaining, bringing a common man's attitudes to an unusual life situation. Not only does he know the Prime Minister by his first name, and is able to carry on an overseas romance successfully, we find out even more interesting aspects of his ancestors in this volume. The other characters are all intersting as well.I always admire authors who can mix genres together and come up with a great novel. This book is a perfect example. Not only are all of the classic mystery elements here, but she also mixes in a fair amount of thriller action ala James Bond or Dirk Pitt. Our hero is even reported to be a mirror image of Pierce Brosnan. I admit that some of the action sequences are a little far fetched, but somehow, that just adds to the enjoyment of the roller coaster ride. Contrary to another review below, I did not see any strings left untied, except for the cliffhanger ending, which is sort of like the Lady or the Tiger variety.All in all, mystery readers, thriller readers, book lovers, and just about everybody else will enjoy this installment of the "Un-books"

Another wonderful book lovers mystery!

I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Kaewert's fourth book "Untitled." I too couldn't wait to finish the book - because I wanted to see how it turned out! I thought she did an excellent job weaving all the twists and turns of the book into an easy to follow and exciting story.What constantly amazes me about Ms. Kaewert's stories is her ability to educate and entertain at the same time. You learn more about the "book world" and are entranced by a great mystery. How many book lovers wouldn't love to be in Alex's place and have a great old library full of unfound treasures? Okay, so getting thrown out of a yacht and out of a helicopter could have its draw backs... But the excitement of finding not only a special book, but also unknown history of your family is wonderful.My only complaint of the whole book is ... NOW I WANT THE NEXT ONE! While I like outdoor activities, CLIFF HANGING is NOT one of them! Julie, if you read this. Please, please, please, drink some expresso and get writing! While, I'm waiting, I'll just have to have another look around this old house of mine. Hello, what's this behind my bookcase? Is it? Could it be? Drat! Just another book of the month . . . "It takes a village ..." I think we'll just leave this one hidden, the worlds got enough problems.Buy it, read it, enjoy!