Left Turn at Paradise by Thomas Shawver + a Giveaway

Hi, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Thomas Shawver's latest Michael Bevan mystery, Left Turn at Paradise. There is a tour wide giveaway here so be sure to read through to the bottom to enter.

While preparing for a trip to the California International Book Festival, Michael Bevan stumbles upon a rare and surprising find. Hidden away in his attic, in a box that dates back to his military days, Bevan discovers an eighteenth-century journal penned by a sailor on the HMS Endeavor. The volume is relatively unknown but the sailor who wrote it accompanied Captain Cook on all three of his voyages. What makes the book in question even more of a find is the fact that it would be a first look at a side of Cook's story that is both uncensored and could reveal more about the famed explorer than ever before. 

Bevan makes a connection at the show who also has a journal in hand by the same sailor. Together their set could collect quite a bit of attention and money, but they both suspect a third journal may be hiding somewhere. They agree to consider their options overnight but wake the following morning to find that both journals have been stolen. A bereft Bevan is close to throwing in his book selling towel when he's offered up one last shot to find the book. But of course tracking down the stolen and rare tome won't be easy!

Readers may recall that when we left the ex lawyer/ex marine antiquarian bookseller in The Dirty Book Murder, he'd just barely escaped his last adventure with his life. It's ok if you don't remember, though, there is a small recap worked into the beginning of this follow up. We also begin with the promise of wild dog attacks, cannibalism, a ritual with a fertility god, and the immortal Captain Cook, which for another Michael Bevan adventure is pretty promising.

I love that this series is based in the book world. Books about books are almost irresistible for a reader like me! I also enjoy the fact that a first glance might leave a reader under the impression that this is a cozy series. Further delving into Shawver's books reveals this is very much not the case. The books are actually kind of violent and twisted. And the plots themselves are pretty clever.

Shawver does have a tendency to get a bit wordy. To me wordy is fine as long as I don't notice it, so when I saw Shawver is wordy I mean there are extraneous bits of information I find don't really move the story ahead. (The same could be said for my reviews sometimes, though, so it's totally subjective!) In spite of that, this is a series that I am rather enjoying, flaws and all.

Rating: 3/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For more on Thomas Shawver you can like him over on Facebook.

And now for the giveaway. Again this is tour wide, to enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Dirty Book Murder by Thomas Shawver + a giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Thomas Shawver's The Dirty Book Murder. There's a tour wide giveaway here so be sure to read through to the bottom to enter.

Michael Bevan is a bookman. A former lawyer and Marine, Bevan lost his license after he turned to drugs and alcohol in the wake of his wife's tragic death. He managed to pick up the pieces of his life and, with the help of a friend, opened Riverrun Books, a popular used bookstore. But Bevan hopes his used bookstore will soon be able to boast a good collection of rare and collectible titles as well. It is this hope that prompts him to attend an auction advertising "lots of erotic books (includes Shakee Hen)," which he believes may be a collection of rare Japanese art. Sure enough, the collection on auction does indeed contain the piece he'd hoped for - along with a number of other quite valuable titles. Sadly, Bevan and his fellow antiquarian dealers are outbid. One fellow colleague is not to be deterred, however, and Bevan witnesses the man steal a volume from the lot before its new owner claims them. When the same man turns up murdered soon after, with Bevan the most likely suspect, he has no choice but to find out the truth. 

I was a bit surprised at this one. Shawver's debut has a bit of a goofball side to it: Bevan and some of his friends are all a bit humorous and lighthearted, especially at the beginning. The crime itself, though, is much darker than that would have led me to believe. I'm sure some will feel the style and the plot are a bit at odds with one another but I actually found it quite appealing.

The Dirty Book Murder is to be the first in a new series featuring Bevan. I like the idea of the antiquarian book dealer as an unofficial investigator, and found that it wasn't as unlikely as it would seem. Shawver does a good job of building Bevan up as a character whose various capabilities are quite convincing: ex lawyer, ex Marine, and the grandson of the town's former chief of police as well.

All in all, while The Dirty Book Murder did have some minor flaws I associate with first outings (just some general issues with fluidity), it was a great start to a new series - one that I definitely intend to read more of down the line!

Rating: 3.5/5

And now for the giveaway. As I mentioned this is a tour wide giveaway. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.