I wasn't expecting a cloak and dagger type mystery! Loved all of the quotes about books.

Well, this wasn't nearly as much fun as "Parnassus on Wheels" but still a romp. A lot of material dealing with the aftermath of WWI. The usual fun comments on books, bookselling and bookmania. I wish I could "reform" Roger off his constand smoking, though. Smoking was such a part of this story sometimes it almost seemed to me I could SMELL the pipes, cigars and cigarettes. Yuck! Fun little story though.

What a quaint charming book. I would never have found it had it not been suggested to read in my book club. The only part that was difficult was the vocabulary, my gosh there were some sentences I had no idea what was said. It was a fun read and I am very grateful for the experience.

A little disappointing based on the title I had hopes for the supernatural. It was kind of a spy/mystery with the author able to promote books in the telling. It's kind of slow – takes a while to get to the intrigue but interesting after it gets going.

What a disappointment, after the delight of Parnassus on Wheels.

So much racism and sexism, makes this hard to read. Sure, some allowance must be made for its 100+ years age, but ew, those domineering men and ugh, that creepy stalker hero.

This sequel lacks the charm of Helen’s voice (narrator of the first volume) but I guess Morley no longer finds her interesting. Being a married woman, she is a resolved plot point, busy doing for a husband instead of a brother. Doing cooking, baking, cleaning, washing, ironing, and mending, and of course doing half the work of their bookshop as well. Where is the life as partners on the road, that they envisioned in Book 1?

And where’s that sense that Helen might, amazingly, be at least the intellectual equal of both her brother and her husband—though she herself would be far too humble (raised too female) to think so?

With all the racial slurs and jingoism it's difficult to hear the message of world peace and brotherhood no matter how long-windedly it's preached, but for that message, for that one shining dream, that the war to end all wars would do just that, I award a sadly tarnished two stars. Sigh.

A bookshop, a book, a German chemist and a mystery. A good read for fun...nothing to heavy and a little romance thrown in. I enjoyed this nice break from my usual heavy readying.