Mr. Dixon Disappears

Sansom, Ian. Mr. Dixon Disappears. A Mobile Library Mystery. NY: Harper, 2006.

Submitted by R. Stuhr

This is the second in the Mobile Library Mystery series. I posted a review of the first novel, The Case of the Missing Books in March of this year. You can hearken back to that review for my general feelings about mysteries. And yet, I dived into volume two and Sansom still pleases because of his take on libraries and librarianship, for his cast of quirky characters falling into no particular stereotypes, and this time for his representation of churches, pastors, and congregations.

The plot in this novel surrounds the disappearance of the head of a local department store. Israel, the mobile librarian, is implicated because, while he is setting up a display he has created to tell the  history of the department store, he is called in to be of service at the scene of the crime by a panic stricken caretaker. Naturally, being a librarian, he responds to the call, and as he is trying to read the clues--leaves his fingerprints all over the place. It is a ridiculous plot, gets going slowly, and then takes several twists and turns to a satisfying ending. My main objection with Sansom's writing is his dialogue--people rarely finish sentences, and Israel is unnecessarily thick with his inability to follow people's intentions. 

Still! Read up and Enjoy!