The Book Stops Here

May 19, 2008
Despite the minimal crime element, Sansom's third Mobile Library mystery (after 2007's Mr. Dixon Disappears
) still succeeds as a light farce. Mobile librarian Israel Armstrong puts his plans to resign on hold when his superiors in Northern Ireland offer him and his irritable companion, Ted Carson, a free trip to London to represent the district at an annual mobile library convention. Armstrong even manages to overcome Carson's initial reluctance by appealing to his pride, betting Carson that their own ratty, aged and broken-down vehicle won't win a prize at the gathering. Soon after arrival in London, the van disappears, and the duo, aided by Armstrong's irrepressible mother, set off on a comic quest to recover it in time for the competition. The book's high point is the acerbic portrayal of the personalities making up the Mobile Library Steering Committee, but most every page will elicit a grin, if not a chuckle.

May 1, 2008
After more than six months as the mobile librarian of Tumdrum, Northern Ireland, Israel Armstrong yearns to return to London and civilization. Hell resign to get there, toountil an all-expenses-paid business trip, to a conference of mobile librarians, saves him the trouble. Accompanied by colleague and comic foil Ted Carson, Israelgoes homeand finds that everything haschangedor maybe he hasexcept, perhaps, his mother. We criticized Sansoms last outing (Mr. Dixon Disappears, 2007) for its lack of plotting chops; in retrospect, the problem may have been that he tried to make too much of a mystery out of it. Here, crime takes a backseat to the characters, and the problem is solved. The sleuthingin search of Teds beloved, disappeared vandoesnt start until halfway through the book, leaving plenty of room for hilarious scenes where nothing much happens. And watching the aggressively mild-mannered Israel try to find himself between the stifling rurality of Tumdrum and the soulless horror of London sprawl is entertainment enough.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)