Unbound (Booklover's Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: Unquestionably a best-seller, hard to put down!
Review: I am an avid reader of mysteries and have nothing but praise for Kaewert's second book. "Unbound" is written on a much higher level than most mysteries. There is plenty in "Unbound" that is educational as well as recreational. The reader learns about book publishing and book collecting, while at the same time enjoying a classic page-turner mystery. Additionally, "Unbound" has received nothing but great reviews from numerous friends of mine. Several enjoyed it so much that they were determined to track down Kaewert's first book "Unsolicited" in order to enjoy this series from the beginning. "Unbound" is a great read; I hope Alex and Plumtree Press are around for a long time to come. Both "Unbound" and its predecessor "Unsolicited" are Unforgettable and it would be most Unfortunate if you miss them.

Rating:
Summary: Unquestionably a best-seller, hard to put down!
Review: I am an avid reader of mysteries and have nothing but praise for Kaewert's second book. "Unbound" is written on a much higher level than most mysteries. There is plenty in "Unbound" that is educational as well as recreational. The reader learns about book publishing and book collecting, while at the same time enjoying a classic page-turner mystery. Additionally, "Unbound" has received nothing but great reviews from numerous friends of mine. Several enjoyed it so much that they were determined to track down Kaewert's first book "Unsolicited" in order to enjoy this series from the beginning. "Unbound" is a great read; I hope Alex and Plumtree Press are around for a long time to come. Both "Unbound" and its predecessor "Unsolicited" are Unforgettable and it would be most Unfortunate if you miss them.

Rating:
Summary: "Unbound" should have stayed unwritten
Review: I am an avid reader of mysteries, especially those set in England. I usually love them all, the cosies, the police procedurals, the hard-boiled -- but I found nothing in 'Unbound' to recommend it to another mystery lover.

The plot seems compelling: the imminent publication of an author's first novel, revealing hidden messages in the works of a now-deceased famous author, is being hampered by person(s) unknown through threatening letters, sabotage, and finally, physical violence. The story, however, quickly falls into a pattern of predictability with far too many cliched 'twists'. So many things befall the author and publisher that the reader is soon muttering "Right!" at the turn of every page.

I also find it disturbing when an author, in an attempt to hold the reader's interest, hints at what is to come in the next chapter, and Kaewert's use of banal "If I'd only known then what I know now" paragraphs to end chapters is annoying, to say the least.

What might have been an interesting foray into present day publishing and book collecting in England is nothing more than a collection of eveything that could happen, did happen chapters. And the toss-away rescue of certain British Royals was trite, even if written prior to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

If you love English mysteries, do not read 'Unbound": it will undo you.

Rating:
Summary: Hmmmmmmmmmmm
Review: I did not read this book quickly. This is unusual for me. This was a slow starter and then I just slowly moved through the book until about 1/3 of the way through. Maybe it is because I am not a frequent reader of the "English" mystery -- although I do really enjoy contemporary mysteries. I also like mysteries that "teach" me something. This book got me into antique and collectible books and kept my interest in discussions about the Masons, revisionism, forgeries, book clubs (Folio B), publishers and revisionism. I enjoyed this book after all of my adjusting to the "English-ness" of it all.

Rating:
Summary: Alex Plumtree is a bit of a wimp
Review: If you are a fan of bibliomysteries as I am - then read this fabulous mystery - even if you simply enjoy a good read you will enjoy Julie Kaewert's series featuring Alex Plumtree.

While some of his expolits are admittedly over the top -they are still fun and well written. This books plot is fabulous - weaving history (real and fictional), legend and laughter together for an unforgetable ride!

Enjoy all of the twists and turns in this and her other Alex Plumtree books - Unprintable and Untitled (Unsolicited is going to be reissued). Also, if you are a fan of

Rating:
Summary: Mystery in the world of rare books
Review: Of all the sleuths I've read in cozies, Alex Plumtree definitely has to be the one who has the cunniest appeal to get himself involved in the most dangerous publishing intrigues. "Unbound", is the second installment in the "Booklover's Series" of mysteries. Unlike the first one ("Unsolicited") I enjoyed it very much. Here is, at last, a true booklover's mystery; where we are not only introduced into the world of rare books, but we are also taught about restoration techniques, antique volumes, a conference at an antique book fair, and general booklore.

The plot starts rolling when Alex and his author Angela Mayfield are within days of publishing a breakthrough novel about a famous old author - now long deceased - by the name of Marcus Stonecypher. Apparently, "The Stonecypher Saga" will be based on the premise that Stonecypher used to include secret codes within his novels, which were indicative of a secret political agenda that threatened to destroy world governments. Well, well... Anonymous, deadly auspicious messages start arriving at Alex's and Angela's door until she is involved in a horrible accident that leaves her comatose. Alex, in the meantime, vows to find out who could have done this to her friend when he is now the victim of almost sure death.

To reveal more would be too much. Let's just say that this is a novel with numerous twits and turns, were many plots seem to be on development at the same time. The settings are extremely cozy and one wishes to have the possibility of sharing them with the protagonists every single time: the cocktails, the conference at the chateaux in France, the bicycle ride in the French countryside; all truly, very much inviting. Towards the end of the book there's an episode where the late Princess of Wales takes centerstage, accompanied by her two sons. Although they are not mentioned by their actual names, the reader will immediately notice the reference to Diana and her sons, the princes William and Harry, at the book event. I can only imagine the novel was published before her unfortunate death, and because of that I'd like to think of this as a small tribute on behalf of the author.

In the end, "all's well that ends well" and both Alex and his elder brother Max find true love. Hopefully we won't have to deal with Alex's feelings for Sarah anymore in further novels. That would be a relief, especially because one cannot bear to imagine Alex with all his contained sexual tension (!). That aside, "Unbound", is what it claims to be: an intrigue amongst the world's best rare book collectors and restorers, and one that is a pleasure to read.

Rating:
Summary: More than a mystery
Review: Unbound is the second in Julie Kaewert�s �Un� series of mysteries in a British publishing and rare book collecting milieu. I�ve read 4 of the 5 now (albeit out of order), and have finally come to realize that this series needs to be critiqued almost more as one of drama and adventure, not just mystery (not to mention a fairly strong romantic element involving the main character, which could be nicely omitted without being missed). Neither are these simply �who-dun-it� mysteries.

As a drama or adventure story, Unbound gets pretty high marks, but the mystery element gets less attention than I would prefer. The story begins with protagonist Alex Plumtree being invited onto the board of the Folio B society, a society for the preservation of publically-owned rare British books, but from the beginning there�s something remiss about being given this honor. A secret society, the Bibliati, which turns out to be mostly a subgroup of Folio B, consists of an unscrupulous lot who will stop at nothing to steal and/or fabricate rare books, then sell them for ill-gotten gain. The Bibliati also has a political agenda which revolves around doing away with the monarchy, and to this end they promote revisionist history to make royalty look bad.

Another main aspect of the plot involves a new author about to be published by Plumtree Press for her first novel, a fictional but fact-based account of the life of Marcus Stonecypher, a British writer of great fame. She has discovered that four of Stonecypher�s early 19th century books contain purposeful misprints, which when strung together spell out a radical political philosophy. Someone doesn�t want her book published. An attempt is made on her life, and soon thereafter Alex�s life is almost ended more than once as well. The really ironic thing is that Unbound itself has at least a dozen obvious misprints of its own! This book was poorly proof-read before it went to press. And, no, I don�t think they would form a sentence if these misprints were strung together! (This is all the more ironic since this is the only book in the �Un� series that contains numerous misprints.)

In this book, more than the others in the series, the reader is taught a lot about the world of rare books. Kaewert has obviously done considerable research in this area, and in the historical context for this story. In spite of the misprints, some extraneous non-mystery elements, and a somewhat protracted story line, I still find this story (and the others in the �Un� series) to be worth the read. British mystery fans and bibliophile types should enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! A fulfilling mystery!
Review: UNBOUND is too long for a mystery, but who cares? After the first half, it turned into a real thriller that was impossible to put down. Imagine a mystery with its own history and mythology! Incredible! It has a little of everything: adventure, romance, love, death threats, information (about the publishing industry), a chase, ghosts. Cool! Thoroughly enjoyable. It's a complex, clever, easy to read page-turner. Be warned: There are a LOT of characters. This is proving to be a fantastically good series. If you haven't already, go back and read the first, UNSOLICITED.