Because it was written before 'genre' fiction really was invented, this book is hard to define. It is mostly a mystery, a little romance, and alot of literary criticism. The main character, Roger Mifflin, is the owner of a secondhand book store in Brooklyn. The story takes place right after WWI ended, and as it was written then, they did not know there would be another one. It is a wonderful slice of 20th century life, a charming little mystery that gets more engrossing as the book goes on, but modern readers might not enjoy it as it ocassionaly detours into literary criticism. This, however, is one of the things that sets it apart for me, and regardless of how versed you are in turn of the century books, the authors passion for them shines through.


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