Book of the day - a love letter to the novel

 

        "A hymn to fine literature."

        " ... a declaration of love for the art of the novel and its effects on human history."

        "An Agatha Christie-style mystery bolstered by a love story worthy of Madame de la Fayette."

Reviewers' comments on A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé drew me to the book. Due out in the UK in early January, it's a literary thriller, and here's the gist:

"Ivan, a one-time world traveller, and Francesca, a ravishing Italian heiress, are the owners of a bookstore that is anything but ordinary. Rebelling against the business of bestsellers and in search of an ideal place for their literary dreams to come true, Ivan and Francesca open a store where their passion for literature is given free rein. Tucked away in a corner of Paris, the bookshop offers its clientele a selection of literary masterpieces chosen by a top-secret committee of like-minded connoisseurs. To the owners' amazement, after only a few months, the little dream store proves a success. And that is precisely when their troubles begin. At first, both owners shrug off the anonymous threats that come their way and the venomous comments concerning their store circulating on the internet, but when members of the supposedly secret committee are attacked, they decide to call the police. One by one, the pieces of this puzzle fall ominously into place as it becomes increasingly evident that Ivan and Francesca's dreams will be answered with envy and violence."