“The Bookseller” by Mark Pryor (Seventh Street)

The first in hopefully an ongoing thriller series

Who is killing the celebrated bouquinistes of Paris?

Max, an elderly Paris bookstall owner, is abducted at gunpoint in front of his friend, Hugo Marston, head of security at the US embassy. Marston launches a search for Max, enlisting the help of semiretired CIA agent Tom Green when he is confronted with multiple barriers. Together, they investigate not only Max’s past, but also the life and world of Paris bouquinistes. Is Max’s disappearance related to his work or his past? And will Hugo’s investigation threaten his life, too?

This is a pretty good opening salvo from Seventh Street Books. Pryor offers a new, fresh voice in thrillers, while working very much within the genre’s boundaries. It’ll be interesting to see what else the author can come up with, and is certainly now on my to-watch list.

Publishing Industry Needs Longer School Holidays…?

According to the title of a Bookseller article:

“Printed books fall £2.8m as kids go back to school.”

Sales dropped 11%, apparently with children returning to school and adults getting back to work after the spring break (we get spring breaks?). Sadly, I can’t read any more of the article than that, because I’m not a Bookseller subscriber, but I would like to think this is a good sign – if people are reading more during their holidays, this must be a good thing for the publishing industry, with the Easter and Summer holidays coming up.