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Mr Dixon Disappears (Mobile Library Series #2) by Ian Sansom — book cover

Mr Dixon Disappears (Mobile Library Series #2)

by Ian Sansom
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Overview

Mr. Dixon a member of the Ulster Association of Magicians, has gone missing—along with one hundred thousand pounds in cash. Israel Armstrong, bighearted and overly inquisitive, should stick to delivering library books to out-of-the-way readers and not get involved in the investigation. But of course, he can't help himself—which costs him his job and earns him a place of dishonor among the police's prime suspects. Can Israel clear his name and get his van back? Will the exhibition of old local photos he's been driving around County Antrim offer clues to Mr. D.'s whereabouts? And is a romance in the offing with winsome barmaid Rosie Hart?

All will be revealed!

Synopsis

Mr. Dixon a member of the Ulster Association of Magicians, has gone missing—along with one hundred thousand pounds in cash. Israel Armstrong, bighearted and overly inquisitive, should stick to delivering library books to out-of-the-way readers and not get involved in the investigation. But of course, he can't help himself—which costs him his job and earns him a place of dishonor among the police's prime suspects. Can Israel clear his name and get his van back? Will the exhibition of old local photos he's been driving around County Antrim offer clues to Mr. D.'s whereabouts? And is a romance in the offing with winsome barmaid Rosie Hart?

All will be revealed!

The Washington Post - Maureen Corrigan

Mr. Dixon Disappears is not one of those mysteries one enjoys for the plot. (For the last two-thirds of the book, I kept having to remind myself what the ostensible crime was.) Rather, the great pleasure in this romp derives from Israel's glum-in-his-Guinness rueful world view.

About the Author, Ian Sansom

Ian Sansom is a regular contributor to The Guardian and the London Review of Books. He lives in Northern Ireland.

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Editorials

Washington Post

"the great pleasure in this romp derives from Israel’s glum-in-his-Guinness rueful world view..."

London Times

"blissful British comedies for the intellectual escapist"

The Belfast Telegraph

"[a] comic masterpiece"

Maureen Corrigan

Mr. Dixon Disappears is not one of those mysteries one enjoys for the plot. (For the last two-thirds of the book, I kept having to remind myself what the ostensible crime was.) Rather, the great pleasure in this romp derives from Israel's glum-in-his-Guinness rueful world view.
—The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

In Sansom's wry second mystery to feature Northern Ireland mobile librarian Israel Armstrong (after The Case of the Missing Books), Israel is suspected of robbing and kidnapping a local department store magnate, the titular Mr. Dixon, who dabbled in the magical arts. To clear his name, Israel must penetrate the bizarre world of Ulster magic. Dixon's wife seems curiously unmoved by her husband's absence, but perhaps all the alcohol she swills is masking her true emotions. If this isn't enough to ruin Israel's week, Linda, his boss at the mobile library, learns that Israel's been digging into the petty cash to pay his friend (and love interest), Rosie, to work for a few hours each week. Linda suspends him, and Rosie, who had thought her job was on the up and up, gets steamed about Israel's patronizing deception. Readers will enjoy the snappy dialogue and wacky cast of characters, particularly the lovable and winsome Israel. (July)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Kirkus Reviews

A feckless vegetarian Jewish English librarian takes up residence in northern Ireland, where he's greeted by unexpected troubles. His mum wanted him to be a doctor, of course. Or at least a lawyer. But Israel Armstrong, now nearly 30, was such a book nerd that he willingly moved from cosmopolitan London to County Antrim to take up a post driving the bookmobile. He had to leave his girlfriend Gloria behind, but organizing the five-panel display commemorating the 100-year history of the town's main department store, Dixon and Pickering's, kept him busy. Alas, it also landed him in a jail cell when he went to the store to install it and learned that Mr. Dixon had vanished, as had millions of pounds from the company coffers. The picaresque trail he wanders to prove his innocence is fueled by packets of chips and cinnamon scones, about all he can afford once the library fires him right after the cops seize him for kidnapping and robbery. Many satirical and flamboyantly comic encounters later, Israel is off the hook for crimes he didn't commit but saddled with woes of a more romantic nature. The plot is wispy, but the dialogue is certainly amusing. Readers who enjoy send-ups of crime novels, talk-radio hosts, city pomposities and rural eccentricities will queue up for the series (The Case of the Missing Books, 2007, etc.).

Book Details

Published
June 1, 2007
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Pages
272
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780060822538

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