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Published Jan 2006
336 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Introducing Israel Armstrong, one of literature's most unlikely detectives in the first of a series of novels from the author of the critically acclaimed Ring Road. Israel is an intelligent, shy, passionate, sensitive sort of soul: he's Jewish; he's a vegetarian; he could maybe do with losing a little weight. And he's just arrived in Ireland to take up his first post as a librarian. But the library's been shut down and Israel ends up stranded on the North Antrim coast driving an old mobile library. There's nice scenery, but 15,000 fewer books than there should be. Who on earth steals that many books? How? When would they have time to read them all? And is there anywhere in this godforsaken place where he can get a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Israel wants answers!
"Israel's fish-out-of-water dilemmas and encounters with kooky locals will resonate with Alexander McCall Smith fans." - Publishers Weekly
"A buoyant series kickoff. Veteran Sansom (The Impartial Recorder 2004, etc.) writes with refreshing deftness and sharp wit." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. In a field crowded with unlikely sleuths, Israel Armstrong--chubby, nervous, clumsy, headache prone, underachieving stands out." - Booklist
This information about The Mobile Library was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ian Sansom is a regular contributor to The Guardian and The London Review of Books. He lives in Northern Ireland. In addition to the Mobile Library series he is the author of The Truth About Babies: From A-Z (2002), Ring Road (2004), The Case of the Missing Books (2006), Mr Dixon Disappears (2006), The Delegates' Choice (2007) (US Title - The Book Stops Here), Paper: An Elegy (2012) and The Norfolk Mystery (2013).
He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge where he was a fellow of Emmanuel College. He is a professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick and teaches in its Writing Program.
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