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    The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel
    The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel
    The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel

    Written by Mark Pryor

    Narrated by Michael Prichard

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Max-an elderly Paris bookstall owner-is abducted at gunpoint. His friend Hugo Marston, head of security at the U.S. embassy, looks on helplessly, powerless to do anything to stop the kidnapper. Marston launches a search, enlisting the help of semiretired CIA agent Tom Green. Their investigation reveals that Max was a Holocaust survivor and later became a Nazi hunter. Is his disappearance somehow tied to his grim history, or even to the mysterious old books he sold?

    On the streets of Paris, tensions are rising as rival drug gangs engage in violent turf wars. Before long, other booksellers start to disappear, their bodies found floating in the Seine. Though the police are not interested in his opinion, Marston is convinced the hostilities have something to do with the murders of these bouquinistes.

    Then he himself becomes a target of the unknown assassins.

    With Tom by his side, Marston finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together, connecting the past with the present and leading the two men, quite literally, to the enemy's lair.

    Just as the killer intended.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 24, 2013
    ISBN9781452683690

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    Reviews for The Bookseller

    3.5/5

    161 ratings21 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Purchased this as Whispersync through Book Gorilla.Forget the summary; it skews the timeline.Simply take Paris, American Embassy security chief on vacation,a good friend who is bookseller, rare books which are not what they seem, a reporter who is not what she seems, local cops who are not what they seem, an old friend who is CIA retired, and several murders. And be prepared to become addicted to Hugo Marsden's way of things (with plot twists).Michael Prichard does a fine job of differentiating characters and adding snark.My great disappointment is that there are no more of this series available on audio!
    • 4/5
      This was a good one -- satisfying in that the sleuth and his colleagues are likable and the mystery gets resolved and the bad guys dealt with. The descriptions of Paris are nicely done, evocative but not intrusive. The story involves a former FBI guy who works security for the U.S. embassy in Paris. He collects books on a small scale and has befriended one of the many street booksellers who have shops along the Seine. His friend is kidnapped before his eyes, and in trying to rescue him, he uncovers many secrets and ultimately helps the Paris police solve a big case with many tentacles. His journalist girlfriend and his alcoholic buddy from FBI days are both well drawn. This was Pryor's first mystery in a series, and I hope to see these characters again.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis/blurb..........

      Who is killing the celebrated bouquinistes of Paris?

      Max-an elderly Paris bookstall owner-is abducted at gunpoint. His friend, Hugo Marston, head of security at the US embassy, looks on helplessly, powerless to do anything to stop the kidnapper.
      Marston launches a search, enlisting the help of semiretired CIA agent Tom Green. Their investigation reveals that Max was a Holocaust survivor and later became a Nazi hunter. Is his disappearance somehow tied to his grim history, or even to the mysterious old books he sold?

      On the streets of Paris, tensions are rising as rival drug gangs engage in violent turf wars. Before long, other booksellers start to disappear, their bodies found floating in the Seine. Though the police are not interested in his opinion, Marston is convinced the hostilities have something to do with the murders of these bouquinistes. Then he himself becomes a target of the unknown assassins. With Tom by his side, Marston finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together, connecting the past with the present and leading the two men, quite literally, to the enemy's lair.
      Just as the killer intended.
      ----------------------------------------------------
      My take.......

      Another new author, another interesting mystery this time set in present-day Paris.

      We have a main character; Hugo Marston. Marston is getting over the failure of his second marriage. He’s decent, conscientious and is portrayed in a sympathetic light. He looks out for his friends and is loyal as well as capable. Our tale begins with Marston buying a couple of collectible books from a bookseller along the banks of the Seine. Max, the seller and Hugo have become friends after numerous sales, chats and drinks during the period Hugo has been stationed in Paris. Shortly afterwards, Max is taken from under Hugo’s nose and disappears. When the police appear lack lustre in pursuing the disappearance and subsequent booksellers also disappear, Marston gets involved to try and get to the bottom of things.

      Several other characters are introduced to us along the way; Claudia – a journalist with contacts inside the Gendarmerie; Tom – ex-CIA and a friend of Hugo’s; Gravois – head of the bouquinistes, Gerard de Roussillon – old French moneyed, book collector plus a few other minor players.

      As Hugo’s inquiries gather pace, hindered in part because of the difficulties in a US attaché actively pursuing an investigation in Paris; several possible rationales for the crimes arise.........drugs, the bouquinistes’ future or Nazi collaboration during the war.

      Overall the characters were fairly interesting. The plot was plausible, though there were a few minor gripes that I would have a little bit of a problem swallowing en masse. There was enough smoke and mirrors exhibited by the author to ensure my interest sustained itself until the end. We had some decent banter and inter-play between the main characters; especially Tom and Hugo. There was a bit of love action between a couple of players and well-written scenes involving derring-do and action and a there was a decent sense of place. The scenes along the banks of the Seine were particularly evocative.

      I’m kind of oscillating between a 3 and a 4 for this one. Did I want to stop reading at any point.....no. Did I care about the outcome....yes. Would I want read more from the author....yes. Would I recommend it to others....yes, on the proviso that it isn’t the perfect book, but overall an entertaining and satisfying read.

      Okay it’s a 4 from 5.

      Thanks to Meghan at Seventh Street books for my copy of this one.

      Pryor has written two subsequent Marston books. The second – The Crypt Thief – came out earlier this year and the third entitled The BloodPromise, which is due out January, 2014. I will get to them both soon.

      As a last note, the author did raise an inadvertent chuckle. Pryor is a former UK journalist, now residing in Austin, Texas hometown of Lance Armstrong. Marston exhibits great pride when the Hotel Crillon flies the Texan flag in celebration of Armstrong’s 7th victory in the Tour de France.
    • 5/5
      “If peace had a smell, he thought, it would be the smell of a library full of old, leather-bound books.” (Quotation page 221)ContentHugo Marston, forty-two years old, a former FBI profiler and now security chief at the American embassy in Paris, loves Paris and old books. Therefore, on his first day of a vacation he did not ask for, he visits his friend Max, a bouquiniste who owns one of the traditional bookstalls on the bank of the Seine. His has to watch as Max is kidnapped at gunpoint. The Paris police does not show very interested in Marston’s observations, because some witnesses, other bouquinistes, confirm they had seen no violence. But soon more booksellers disappear and fortunately Tom Green, an old friend of Hugo Marston, former CIA agent, now kind of retired as he says, has come to Paris for a visit and together they immediately start their own investigations and researches. Is the disappearance of Max connected to one of his special antiquarian books, and who tries to take over the bookstalls? How can so many different traces fit together?Theme and genreThis first book of the Hugo Marston Series is a crime novel located in Paris. Themes are investigation, crime and books.CharactersWe meet different characters, they all have their own stories and background. Their actions and behavior are believable and plausible.Plot and writingThe story, based on crime and investigations, takes place within a tight time schedule and is an enjoyable mixture of action, researches and a lively description of Paris and everyday life in the vibrant, famous city Paris. The plot brings up different themes, some of them reaching back into the past, and has enough unpredictable turns to maintain the narrative tension. ConclusionAn interesting, gripping crime novel with surprising twists, where some antiquarian books play an important role. Enjoyable read, not only for booklovers.
    • 3/5
      The Bookseller. The first Hugo Marston Novel. Mark Pryor. 2012. Marston is head of security at the American Embassy in Paris. He has become friends with one of the booksellers along the Seine, and watches in horror when the friend is kidnapped. Working with his buddy, an ex-CIA operative and his new friend, a journalist, he is determined to find out why his friend disappeared. The best thing about this novel is that it is set in Paris. The author obviously knows his way around Paris and it is fun when I recognize locations. It was a little slow moving, but because of Paris, I’ll probably try another one.
    • 2/5


      I really wanted to like this book, and there were parts I did enjoy: many of the descriptions of Paris were good, and I liked some of the characterizations. Hugo was at times interesting and suggested some hidden depths. But some parts dragged and seemed formulaic. A writer like Alan Furst makes Paris more than a setting and almost a character. Here it is largely setting. There are cliches as well: Hugo is from Texas, so of course he wears boots. The plot is serviceable and there was enough good writing to keep my interest, but literary thriller it is not. Maybe the sequel will be.
    • 3/5
      Given the theme, I really wanted to like this one so I'd have a new mystery series to dive into. But there wasn't much memorable at all about this book, so while I might pick up the next book if it falls into my path, I probably won't go seeking them out.
    • 4/5
      Fictional sleuths, whether amateur or professional, are rarely witnesses to the crimes they investigate, but such is the case in “The Bookseller,” the first novel (published in 2012) in the Hugo Marston mystery series written by Mark Pryor.Marston is actually a professional sleuth operating as an amateur. A former FBI agent from Texas, he now works in Paris as head of security at the U.S. Embassy. Investigating French crimes is hardly in his job description, but one day at the start of his vacation he buys some books from an old bookseller who operates his small business from a stall on the street. Before he leaves he witnesses the bookseller being taken away against his will. But what to Marston's eye seems like an obvious kidnapping, the French police write off as just a man leaving with friends, never mind that someone who clearly knows nothing about books is running the bookstall the next day.Marston had thought he might use his vacation to return to Texas to try to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife, but she lets him know it would be a wasted trip. Besides he now has a disappearance to investigate, and he soon meets a woman who may help him forget his wife. But Claudia turns out to be the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Paris, a man who doesn't want his daughter getting serious with a middle-class American. Then the father turns out to be both a collector of rare books and a man with secrets, raising the possibility that he could somehow be involved in the bookseller's disappearance. Was his meeting Claudia more than just a happy accident?Helping in the unofficial probe of this unofficial crime is Tom, Marston's old friend and a former CIA agent. Together they make progress, but not before bodies start piling up, each that of a Paris street vendor. Finally the police get involved.“The Bookseller” proves to be an exciting, fast-paced mystery with intriguing characters. It does, however, lose much of its credibility when a French police captain allows Marston and his friend to take the lead in his investigation. This didn't seem very likely in the days of Hercule Poirot, and it's even less so now.
    • 4/5
      Great mystery, whether you're a bibliophile or not.
    • 4/5
      I’m usually not a fan of foreign settings in mystery novels. I think it’s because so often the author spends much of the narrative in descriptions of the countryside, the customs, the food, etc. and both the plot and characters suffer as a result. I’m happy that this book, set in Paris, was one of the exceptions for me. It does include those same type of descriptions but not so as to overwhelm the plot or characters. Hugo is certainly a likeable and intelligent protagonist, and I hope Tom appears in future stories as well, if only to find out more about his backstory. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 3.5 stars
    • 3/5
      Nice easy flowing crime story. Author managed to include significant amounts of color via Paris scenery, history, illegal drugs. Interesting to read an expat Englishman portray American government employees.
    • 4/5
      I was put on to this series by Beth/BLBera, who reviewed it recently on her thread. It's the first mystery/thriller/suspense (I never know what to call this type of book) featuring Hugo Marston, whose day job is as head of security for the American embassy in Paris. That seems like a setup with lots of potential for good plotting, and perhaps it is in future books. This first one, though, finds Hugo freelancing during an enforced vacation, trying to solve the mystery of his missing friend, one of the picturesque bouqinistes who sell books and small touristy items along the banks of the River Seine. I have never been to Paris and had never heard of the bouqinistes but this book made me want to jump on a plane and visit, both the city and the booksellers. Paris is as much of a character as Hugo, and Pryor writes some great descriptive passages that evoke the romance of the city. The plot is a touch predictable but had a good array of potential suspects and enough red herrings to satisfy a mystery fan. Pryor deftly handles the lengthy character exposition that's inevitable in a series debut without dragging the plot to a standstill. I'd like to read more in this series if they are available at my library.
    • 4/5
      Thoroughly enjoyable!
    • 4/5
      After years in FBI, Hugo Marston had moved to diplomatic security and after a few different posts ends up as the head of the security in the embassy in Paris. Marston likes books, especially rare and old books, so being in Paris, he ends up visiting the bouquinistes and becomes a good friend with one of them, Max. And one day he sees his friend being abducted. Lacking jurisdiction, he calls the police and expects that they will look for Max - but the rest of the witnesses claim that nothing bad happened. Add a mysterious journalist (Claudia), Hugo's best friend Tom (an ex-CIA agent) and an old family from the French nobility and the story gets complicated.The bouquinistes of Paris are being paid to leave their stalls. And when they refuse, they seem to disappear - until bodies start showing up. The books they are selling are not enough to justify all this - there should be something else. And this is where things get complicated - Max was a Nazi and collaborators hunter and there is a possibility that one of the people he unmasked may have found him. At he same time a drug war is brewing in the streets of Paris - between the Pied Noirs and the Romanians (who had lost their leader but seem to be still around -- although it takes Hugo a long time to realize that (for the record, Romanian is a Romance language even if most westerners would think of Spanish or Italian when they hear the accents)). The stories of rare books, corrupted police, the WWII and of the drug war of now are converging. The story ends up being more complicated than just a simple mix (and less complicated in some ways - the way too many things that happen hide the story for a while). It makes sense at the end, even if I wish Hugo had guessed some of this a lot earlier. And as a background of the story, Pryor has painted Paris - a Paris that is magical and normal; old and new at the same time. By the end of the novel, there are more bullets in it than before it and some secrets had been uncovered (and some pieces of history had been remembered again) but the city is still there, just waiting to see what else will happen. The pacing could have been better and Hugo should have seen things faster but despite that, it is an enjoyable story and I want to read more about Hugo.
    • 3/5
      This book was just "meh." There had to be too much explanation at the end to tidy things up, instead of a wonderfully and intricately woven story that comes together naturally. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read but I've read much better.
    • 3/5
      I liked it, but it's nothing special. The formula of the book is as old as it can get: Main protagonist has a friend in the CIA to make research easy, he meets a 'girl' that also has connections, and of course it clicked instantly btw them. At least there is no ticking clock to the investigation or I could swear I was reading a Dan Brown novel.The hero of the book is likable, if unbelievable in his role. For a head of security for an embassy that once worked for the FBI, he sure seem to know nothing about security protocols and interrogations. You'll also probably guess the plot resolution before the end of the book. But at least the story is interesting. A summer book, not much more.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed The Bookseller for its window into Parisian life and for the background it provided of the bookstall owners. I've seen so many photographs of the bouquinistes, yet this is the first time I've read anything of their history. It was fascinating.Unfortunately, the rest of the book wasn't on par with its insights into Paris and one of its institutions. Having deduced what was happening to the booksellers and why very early on, I wondered how long it would take Hugo Marston to put the pieces together. Too long, as it happens. Moreover, Marston himself never really clicked as a main character for me, and neither did his friend Tom Green. Both have promise, but both lacked that indefinable spark that would bring them to life.Now that I've said all that, I will say that this is a promising debut mystery, and I am more than willing to give the next book in the series a try.
    • 4/5
      Fine read. Hugo Marston is an ex FBI agent, now living in Paris as chief of security for the U.S. Embassy. Recently divorced from his second wife (his first wife was killed in a car crash) he shared a love of rare books with her and had developed a friendship with Max, owner of one of the bouquiniste, along the Seine. He returns one afternoon after having bought a couple of first editions and witnesses Max being forced, at the point of a gun, on the a boat. When interviewed by the police, some of the bystanders insist that Max had gone willingly. The next day Max's stall has been taken over by someone who claims not to know Max. Hugo, having a couple weeks off, and an ex-cop, decides to check things out. He is soon joined by his old friend, Tom, a semi-retired CIA operative. What makes this book special is less the mystery, although that's good, too, but rather the surroundings, the flavor of Paris and the little historical bits that some readers objected to, those who must have at least twelve gunshots on each page. I love informative paragraphs like The term bouquinistes came from the Dutch word boeckin, meaning “small book.” Made sense. The first sellers, he read, used wheelbarrows to transport and sell their goods, and fastened trays to the parapets of the bridges with thin leather straps. After the French Revolution, business boomed when entire libraries were “liberated” from nobles and wound up for sale cheap on the banks of the Seine. In 1891, bouquinistes received permission to permanently attach their boxes to the quaysides. Hugo was struck by the line: “Today, the waiting list to become one of Paris's 250 bouquinistes is eight years.” But what are we to make of Claudia and her gay father, a rich count, who, when he learns Hugo and Claudia are seeing each other tries to set him up with one of his attractive American employees? And what was his relationship to Gervais the chief of the bouquiniste union, the SBP? In the end, the book is a nice melange of spies, WW II collaborators, drug smugglers, murder, bad cops, microdots, a Holmesian suicide, and a shoot-out. I downgraded it a bit because Gervois just didn’t seem that believable to me.
    • 4/5
      A very good first outing. The story kept me interested, even though I figured out the story before the main character did. I think I will read the sequel. On a side note two things that surprised me about this book:1. I usually don"t enjoy books that only have author reviews on the book- too much you scratch my back I will scratch yours, but it was not true of this book..2. It was the first book that ever made me want to visit Paris.
    • 5/5
      This debut novel by Mark Pryor has been my favorite book of 2013 so far. This is a captivating mystery set in Paris that centers on books and world of the bouquinistes, the booksellers with stalls around the Seine. Hugo Marston work at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. During a day off, he stops at the stall of a friend, the elderly Max Koche. As he is returning to purchase something from Max, he witnesses his abduction and off we go on an amazing adventure. I can not believe this is a debut novel. I thought the writing was very good, and was impressed with the descriptions of Paris. I enjoyed learning about the history of the booksellers. The characters were nicely developed and I am really looking forward to knowing more about them. I definitely would recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      A fun mystery made all the more enjoyable because of its Paris setting, this book reads somewhat like a translation, although it's not. Hugo Marston is a likeable protagonist, and one that I'll keep an eye on.