Kepler's 2020 Project in the News:
Follow us on Facebook
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much will entertain a variety of Kepler’s customers. Many of our book lovers will find (if they haven’t already) the world of book collecting to be a fun and fascinating one, with peculiarities, regarding both people and books, aplenty. In addition, our mystery readers (and others with a sense of justice) will enjoy the chase of the man who is stealing rare volumes across the country, a cat-and-mouse game successfully concluded after much hard “play” involving many people nationwide. Much of the “play” takes place right here in the Bay Area, too, with the thief’s apprehension taking place about a mile south of our store. Though we meet many people, the book focuses on three individuals: John Gilkey, the book thief whose actions drive Bartlett’s story; Ken Sanders, one of a number of book dealers we meet, but the one who eventually spearheads what turns into a large effort to bring Gilkey down; and, Allison Bartlett, the author, who is not just telling the story of all this, but plays a significant role in the story and, at times, has to question her ethics as she straddles the line between a) ethical journalist and b) law-abiding citizen. When considering Gilkey, I was reminded of the famous line from the great caper film The Asphalt Jungle - “Crime is just a left-handed form of human endeavor.” Gilkey endeavored not to be rich, but to be respected, thinking that possessing a formidable library would bring the admiration he so longed for. But I have to ask: would a respect that is known to be attained through deception be enough, ultimately? Reviewed by Mike C |
|||
