Uncatalogued (Booklover's Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: Missed the Jubilee
Review: Alex Plumtree, owner of Plumtree Publishing in England, is on his way to America to marry his one and only love Sarah Richardson in Nantucket. After a brief honeymoon, the couple plans to visit to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to participate in the 1986 reunion.

The honeymoon is perfect but what comes next has them fighting for their lives. Alex is a bibliophile who is an expert on Samuel Pepyss the diarist. He isn't a hero with super power but in the past his love of literature has gotten him into adventures that could have gotten him killed. Both Sarah and Alex think this is one such adventure because Alex had a hint that there were more papers from the Pepyss diary hidden in Dartmouth. His friend Mattie, also an alumni of the class of '86, calls him in England to tell him that she has knowledge of the Pepyss paper. When they are in the area where the papers are supposed to be, Alex is beaten and tied up and is on the run from people who speak with British accents.

UNCATOLOGUED is a fantastic book lovers' mystery because the actions of the characters ring true. The teamwork of the honeymooners seems precise and hooks the audience while serving as an indication that Sarah might have a bigger role in future works. Julie Kaewert is a fabulous writer who appeals to both the American and British amateur sleuth audience.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: Julie Kaewert's Booklover's Mystery series (the "Un" series) is fun reading on the whole, especially for those who are into British bibliophile mysteries and plots which are adventurous though quite unlike real life. Uncatalogued, number six and the latest in the series, is somewhat of a disappointment, definitely not the best yet. For one thing, the setting is almost entirely in the United States instead of England, which is fine in itself but is not in keeping with the charm and uniqueness of the series. For another, the plot unfolds very slowly. Also, the author's pattern of making modern day events in the protagonist's life mirror the contents of a rare book involved in the mystery is overdone this time as every chapter has multiple unlikely comparisons between the ancient writing and current happenings. And finally, the explanation of the mystery as it unravels seems to be very labored, some aspects of the explanation being repeated (unless I missed some subtleties along the way).

The diary of the 17th century Samuel Pepys, whose writings Alex Plumtree did post-graduate work on, is rumored to have a missing section which may contain a story scandalizing the British monarchy. While Alex and Sarah are at Dartmouth College for their college reunion, they end up locating what could be this very document in some uncatalogued materials recently donated to the college library. They do what they have to in order to secure these papers for safekeeping since someone (with a British accent) has been willing to murder to obtain them. Back in England the queen has an accident and seems on the verge of death, some feel Prince Charles should not be her successor, and there are terrorist bombs and fires all over London, just like in the days of Pepys as recorded in his diary. Alex's life is endangered multiple times, once even being left for dead on an impossibly narrow ledge on the side of a mountain. Somehow, he and Sarah must find a way for the newly discovered Pepys diary pages to be saved for posterity without harming the reputation of the monarchy?

I would not recommend reading this one as an introduction to the series. The main characters have been developed in earlier mysteries which means you miss a lot if you start with this one. I still find Untitled to be the most intriguing and fast paced of the series, and if a person were to read only one Untitled should be it. Uncatalogued, however, like the others, has both entertaining and educational elements, the latter due to the research and knowledge of the author in the realms of publishing and rare books.

Rating:
Summary: Missed the Jubilee
Review: Kaewert is usually convincing in making the reader believe she is a British writer writing from Britain, but this time she blew her cover. She sets the story in the summer of 2002, with the Royal family, and especially the Queen essential to the plot. Unfortunately, the hijinks she assigns to the Windsors would/could never take place at that time, it is the Queen's Golden Jubilee, with a myriad of celebrations and festivities promoting her Majesty and her family. It's too bad Kaewert doesn't pay closer attention to her supposed site. The Jubilee would have been a perfect vehicle for moving her plot, much more believable than the one she concocts. If this author intends to set her tales in a specific time, I hope in the future she'll check and see what's going on that might impact her plot, or that her chracters would reasonably be expected to know about and comment upon. That said, its a fair tale, but the weakest of the "Un" mysteries so far. Plumtree was more endearing as a bumbling loner than he is married to a spy.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome addition to the Plumtree series
Review: Once again Julie Kaewert brings us back to the world of Bibliomysteries and to the world of publisher Alex Plumtree. Readers of the series who have followed Alex's rise in the world of publishing as well as his blossoming love affair with Sarah will be delighted to see both his career and his personal life on the rise.

Uncatalogued begins with Alex and Sarah deciding to elope and get married in America right before their college reunion at Dartmouth. To make things more interesting, Alex's college sweetheart calls to ask him for some advice on some historical papers she may have found in the newly acquired archives. For Alex, the invitation to look for lost and possibly found papers written by Samuel Pepys, 17th-century diarist and friend of the royal family, is too good to pass up as he is one of a select few Pepys scholars. He is also asked by the publishing society he belongs to in England to get these possibly incriminating papers back as they are rumored to contain some not-so-nice royal gossip that could do serious harm to England if it came to light.

Fans of this series will not be surprised to read all of the twists and turns that this book contains - Alex and Sarah's near death experiences as well as the fun, historical references - even if the action is somewhat over the top - readers will find it all in good fun.

If you pick this or any of Julie Kaewert's "Plumtree" books up and you won't be disappointed, more likely you will be hooked. Alex Plumtree is a bibliophile's dream come true. This is the sixth book in her series and I certainly hope there are many more to come.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome addition to the Plumtree series
Review: Once again Julie Kaewert brings us back to the world of Bibliomysteries and to the world of publisher Alex Plumtree. Readers of the series who have followed Alex's rise in the world of publishing as well as his blossoming love affair with Sarah will be delighted to see both his career and his personal life on the rise.

Uncatalogued begins with Alex and Sarah deciding to elope and get married in America right before their college reunion at Dartmouth. To make things more interesting, Alex's college sweetheart calls to ask him for some advice on some historical papers she may have found in the newly acquired archives. For Alex, the invitation to look for lost and possibly found papers written by Samuel Pepys, 17th-century diarist and friend of the royal family, is too good to pass up as he is one of a select few Pepys scholars. He is also asked by the publishing society he belongs to in England to get these possibly incriminating papers back as they are rumored to contain some not-so-nice royal gossip that could do serious harm to England if it came to light.

Fans of this series will not be surprised to read all of the twists and turns that this book contains - Alex and Sarah's near death experiences as well as the fun, historical references - even if the action is somewhat over the top - readers will find it all in good fun.

If you pick this or any of Julie Kaewert's "Plumtree" books up and you won't be disappointed, more likely you will be hooked. Alex Plumtree is a bibliophile's dream come true. This is the sixth book in her series and I certainly hope there are many more to come.