Book Review: Unsolicited

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Unsolicited     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Julie Kaewert
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Alex Plumtree # 1
Bantam, Aug 2000, $5.99, 336 pp.

Alex Plumtree is very proud of his heritage, but as a second son he never expected to take charge of the family's small London-based publishing company. However, his older brother Max proves incapable of running it. Alex's first year at the helm goes smoothly and the company even has a bestseller written by an anonymous author going by the name Arthur.

Arthur writes a sequel "Those Who Trespass Against Us" in which Alex has everything but the final five chapters. The book centers on the kidnapping and selling of British children during World War II. When Arthur disappears, Alex panics because the financial state of Plumtree Publishing heavily depends on Arthur's book. Alex learns that Arthur's book is based on actual facts and events with a real person willing to kill even a publisher to insure that the book never reaches the shelves.

UNSOLICITED was first released in 1994 as a hard cover. It is being re-released as a paperback and is the first novel in the "Booklover's series". Readers will meet in this debut tale characters who have since become popular. The audience also receives interesting glimpses at the British publishing industry. However, the novel belongs to the fascinating lead protagonist, whose complexity makes this story and other tales in this series entertaining.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner