The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
CBC Books | | Posted: February 14, 2022 9:09 PM | Last Updated: February 14, 2022
Eva Jurczyk
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.
Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book, but is told repeatedly to keep quiet, to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian unexpectedly stops showing up to work. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues' pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long — and about the people who care for and revere them — shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life. (From Poisoned Pen Press)
Eva Jurczyk is a writer and librarian from Toronto. The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is her first book.
From the book
From the spin of the lock, she knew she wouldn't be able to open the safe. What does a librarian know about safecracking? Standing in the office of the venerable Christopher Wolfe, in front of that safe, the combination to which was only stored inside Christopher's broken brain, she began to stammer excuses. The university president himself stood over her as she spun the dial again and tried her old combination again and failed to open the safe again.
Before Christopher's brain had set itself on fire, he had lacked a talent for details and had been reliant on Liesl to keep him to schedules and plans. Which was why, despite the fact that she was on sabbatical and had no official responsibiliites at the library for a full year, she had called Christopher three weeks ago to remind him that the combination to the safe was scheduled to be changed. He was supposed to call her back once it was done and tell her the new code because it was prudent to make sure it was stored in more than one place. But Christopher and details being what they were, the call had never come.
From The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk ©2022. Published Poisoned Pen Press.