The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
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Narrated by:
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Hannah Cabell
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By:
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Eva Jurczyk
About this listen
Midnight at the Bright Idea Bookstore meets The Bookshop of Yesterdays in a stunning debut following a librarian whose quiet life is turned upside down when a priceless manuscript goes missing. Soon she has to ask: What holds more secrets in the library - the ancient books shelved in the stacks, or the people who preserve them?
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.
Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book, but is told repeatedly to keep quiet, to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian unexpectedly stops showing up to work. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues' pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long - and about the people who care for and revere them - shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life.
©2022 Eva Jurczyk (P)2022 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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In need of a good adventure, Delaney Nichols takes the leap and moves to Edinburgh, Scotland, to start a job at The Cracked Spine. She doesn't know much about what she's gotten herself into other than that the work sounds exciting and that her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime.
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A bit unbelievable
- By Beatrice on 04-01-16
By: Paige Shelton
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Plaid and Plagiarism
- By: Molly MacRae
- Narrated by: Elaine Claxton
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Janet Marsh's move into her house has been delayed due to vandalism. Then, when the women go to look for clues that might tell them who is guilty, they find a corpse (murder!) in Janet's garden shed. Constable Hobbs answers their emergency call. He's calm and quietly pleased, as he's never had a murder case. Then the contents of a dozen or so garbage bags are discovered behind the bookshop. The letters inside are nasty.
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Excellent book in a great setting
- By Victoria J. Mejia-Gewe on 02-21-17
By: Molly MacRae
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The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks
- By: Shauna Robinson
- Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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When Maggie Banks arrives to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to the small-town clientele. But with the town on the map as a top literary destination and the tourist society bent on keeping businesses historic, Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat. And in Maggie's world, bookish rules are made to be broken.
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Simple RomCom nothing more nothing less
- By Kelli on 09-01-23
By: Shauna Robinson
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Bright Lights, Big City
- By: Jay McInerney
- Narrated by: Daniel Passer
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The tragicomedy of a young man in New York City, a writer, never named, who works as a fact-checker for a prestigious magazine. He struggles with the reality of his mother's death, alienation, and the seductive pull of drugs and a vibrant nightlife.
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Curiously, mundanely real
- By Amber on 01-07-12
By: Jay McInerney
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Manhattans and Murder
- The Murder, She Wrote Mysteries, Book 2
- By: Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain
- Narrated by: Beth Porter
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Promoting her latest books brings best-selling mystery writer Jessica Fletcher to New York for Christmas. Her schedule includes book signings, chat-show appearances, department store shopping...and murder. But it all begins with a sidewalk Santa staring at Jessica with fear and recognition.
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A release of an older Donald Bain book in the series, thank goodness
- By Dorise on 02-01-19
By: Jessica Fletcher, and others
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Murder of Magpies
- By: Judith Flanders
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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It's just another day at the office for book editor Samantha Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will deliciously dish the dirt on the fashion industry. But little does she know how much trouble Kit's book is about to be. Before it even goes to print.
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Excellent novel, horrible narrator
- By David on 03-20-17
By: Judith Flanders
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The Magnolia Palace
- A Novel
- By: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
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This isn't my favorite but entertaining
- By Linda on 02-01-22
By: Fiona Davis
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Grace Under Pressure
- Manor House Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Julie Hyzy
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it's up to new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they'll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.
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Loved it!!!
- By Beatrice on 11-18-13
By: Julie Hyzy
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The Accidental Bestseller
- By: Wendy Wax
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Once upon a time four aspiring authors met at their very first writers' conference. Ten years later they're still friends, survivors of the ultra-competitive New York publishing world. Mallory St. James is a workaholic whose best sellers support a lavish lifestyle. Tanya Mason is a single mother juggling two jobs, two kids, and too many deadlines. Faye Truett is the wife of a famous televangelist and the author of inspirational romances: No one would ever guess her explosive secret.
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Meh....just okay.
- By S on 02-19-13
By: Wendy Wax
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Death by Cashmere
- Seaside Knitters, Book 1
- By: Sally Goldenbaum
- Narrated by: Julie McKay
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Not long after Isabel "Izzy" Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters. Izzy raises some eyebrows when she rents the apartment above her shop to Angie Archer, whose reputation for loose behavior and a quick temper has made her unpopular with many locals. But could any of them have wanted her dead? Angie's body is discovered drowned in the harbor, her long red hair tangled like seaweed in a lobster trap.
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Great first book in a new series
- By BayHighBaby on 03-03-16
By: Sally Goldenbaum
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A Grave Talent
- A Kate Martinelli Mystery, Book 1
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The unthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. A series of shocking murders has occurred, the victims far too innocent and defenseless. For Detective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasoned cop who's less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it's a difficult case that just keeps getting harder. Then the detectives receive what appears to be a case-breaking lead.
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Another Fantastic Series by Laurie R. King
- By Anna on 03-29-15
By: Laurie R. King
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The President’s Daughter
- By: Mariah Stewart
- Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Dina McDermott is on top of the world. Attractive and independent at 30, she runs her own business, funded by a generous inheritance. But an explosive chain of events will soon be set into motion—and her perfect life will spin out of control. A journalist with a fearless instinct, Simon Keller believes he’s struck gold when he unearths an unsettling story about former president Graham Hayward, one that started with a secret affair and ended in tragedy. The trail leads Simon to Dina McDermott’s front door—and threatens to expose a parentage that would rock the political world.
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Highly Recommended!
- By Johnsondv8 on 05-18-22
By: Mariah Stewart
What listeners say about The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- L. W. LARSON
- 04-22-23
Well worth the read.
What an interesting and thoughtful story. I really enjoyed then entire story. Fascinating to learn of some of the intricacies of running a library… it’s not just to check our a book. Thank you.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-04-22
Fascinating Look Inside Library Operations
This book in audio form drew me in. At times the situation seemed improbable but eventually made sense. A lot of pondering by the main character on multiple layers. I eventually couldn't put it down.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Donna
- 02-16-22
4
A fine mystery for the discriminating reader.
1st) I loved seeing the secret world of
Rare Books and Collectibles -- sub basements and
cages, esoteric cataloging using stubs of paper
with numbers sticking up from each volume
2) I liked the intramural politics of a huge university Library.
3rd) The mysteries were so subtle that I missed them. Yikes.
It got a 4 from me because sometimes the non-
library stuff lost my interest
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4 people found this helpful
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- Teacher 20
- 11-05-23
Nothing to learn here
Story doesn’t offer anything that any adult hasn’t experienced in their workplace. I couldn’t get attached to any of the characters. Nothing meaningful at all.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 12-16-22
Realistic Portrayal of the Rare Book World
Pros:
Realistic Portrayal of the Rare Book World ( I know this from personal experience).
Descent mystery writing.
Female protagonist
Cons:
Slow moving at times.
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- Charity Christofferson
- 12-18-22
Too Long
The characters weren’t well developed and I couldn’t relate to them. There were odd unnecessary details that didn’t add to the story. The story could have been told in half the pages/time.
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- ilene
- 12-01-22
Slow
Very slow with too many twists and turns for no apparent reason. Just tell me the story.
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- Kenna
- 08-14-22
Why?
Look, I try not to be a snob about books, which is hard as an English professor. But why in the hell is it that every book written about a librarian or a bookseller is written by a person who seems to understand neither profession? Cue to future readers: if a book describes itself as a "love letter to readers" or a "love letter to books" or some nonsense like that, it's going to be weak in narrative and dialogue. Go read something good that actually accomplishes some kind of comment on the nature of humanity. This is a beach read masquerading as literary fiction and I'm mad at myself for finishing it. I could have been listening to a Lorrie Moore collection.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Debra Tydd
- 02-06-22
Be prepared for off-colour language
I was surprised at the first instance, disgusted at the second, and stopped the book and returned it at the third. Just unnecessary. So unpleasant.
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4 people found this helpful