Book review: Death in Fine Condition

An addict-turned-dealer of classic paperbacks, when Cordelia's not spending her days combing the charity shops and jumble sales of suburban London for valuable collector's items, she's pining for the woman of her dreams and nimbly avoiding her landlord's demands for rent. The most elusive prize of all, her white whale, has surfaced — a set of magnificent, vintage, rare Sleuth Hound crime novels. Just one problem: they're not for sale. Still, that won't stop a resourceful woman like Cordelia… One burglary later, the books are hers. Unfortunately, the man she's just robbed turns out to be one of London's most dangerous gangsters, and now he's on her trail and out for blood. Cordelia's best laid plans to pay the rent and woo the object of her affections start to fall apart, and she realizes she may have placed herself in the crosshairs of a villain torn straight from the pages of her treasured novels.

The Paperback Sleuth series is from Andrew Carmel, creator of the bestselling The Vinyl Detective novels. It was released June 6, 2023, from Titan Books.

Growing up, one of my favorite ways to spend my allowance was on paperback books from the book store near my house or from the various newsstands around town. It was always exciting to add a new read to the shelf in my room. I never got into the collectible route on them (unlike, say, comic books). Still, I can very much relate to this novel's lead and her collector mentality.

Right out of the gate, the reader can tell that Cordelia is a questionable protagonist. We learn that she's smart and works out elaborate plans to acquire what she wants and avoid consequences she does not. That makes her intriguing, whether you want to root for her or not.

Cartmel does a fine job introducing us to Cordelia's world - her home, her usual haunts, and her supporting cast. In the latter case, they all have interesting hooks to engage the reader with right out of the gate. Plus, the author also brings by several familiar faces which quickly establishes The Paperback Sleuth and the The Vinyl Detective existing in the same literary world. I like all the potential that entails.

I also appreciated the added touch of the author sprinkling in names of real authors and their works into the story. I had fun bringing up images of covers for them. These are nice 'Easter eggs" for book enthusiasts.

I look forward to more of these characters in future books.