- Paperback: 280 pages
- Publisher: Small Beer Press; Reprint edition (Jun 7 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1931520259
- ISBN-13: 978-1931520256
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Selected as a Must-Read by the Massachusetts Book Awards.
"Ingenious and refreshingly irreverent, Hound is not only a mystery on many levels, but also an intelligent and often funny tour-de-force of the perils and follies of human relationships. McCaffrey has a gift for crafting quirky characters and original dialogue, and the path of our hero, Henry, is always wonderfully unpredictable. I came away from this 'book noir' with a sense of catharsis, but also with a sudden desire to reread and rethink all the great classics to which McCaffrey alludes in his terrific novel."—Anne Fortier, author of Juliet
"As much about books—and love and knowledge and family—as about murder, Hound is the first in McCaffrey's projected trilogy, and book lovers will eagerly await Henry's next outing."—Richmond Times-Dispatch
"McCaffrey, the owner of Boston's legendary Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop, succeeds in conveying his love of books in his intriguing debut."—Publishers Weekly
Hound is the first of three novels featuring bookhound Henry Sullivan. When an ex-lover is murdered, he mounts an unofficial investigation into her death that leads him through the murky depths of both Boston's literary world and his own past.
Vincent McCaffrey has owned the Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop for more than thirty years. He has been paid to do lawn work, shovel snow, paint houses, and to be an office-boy, warehouse grunt, dishwasher, waiter, and hotel night clerk. He has chosen at various times to be a writer, editor, publisher, and bookseller. Hound is his first novel.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 Stars - A wonderful mystery for book lovers,
By
This review is from: Hound: a novel (Hardcover)
First Sentence:Henry Sullivan is a book hound. He buys books at estate and library sales, most often selling them to other dealers and bookstore owners. Morgan Johnson, once his lover now recently widowed, ask Henry to appraise the library of her late husband with plans to donate the collection. When Morgan is found strangled, Henry becomes the initial suspect. Although the police release him from that role, Henry does want to know who killed Morgan. This is a real book lover's book. McCaffrey, the author, is the owner of Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop, located for 30 years on Newbury Street in Boston but now an online bookstore. The greatest pleasure, in reading this book, comes from his insights on book lovers--"...The ones who really loved the books liked to browse, dip into a page here and there, and feel the cloth and smell the paper."--readers, collectors, non-readers--"Maybe some rainy day, they'll read one of these book and it will change their lives or at least make them want to read another. It's possible."--Reader's Digest editions and a very frank look at the publishing industry. As a mystery, it's not particularly strong. The characters are not fully developed. I finished the book not really know who Henry is as a person, but identifying with him as a book lover. The other characters were interesting, but remained enigmatic. The sense of place is strong when the setting is a room containing books, but although the book is set in Boston--a city I lived in and love--there was no real sense of the city. The mystery is there and interesting but, as befitting the character, not very suspenseful. However, I did very much like the ending. This is one of those books I find hard to rate. As a mystery on its own, it was only good at best. As homage to those of us who love the written word and the vessels in which they are contained, it was excellent. For me, if McCaffrey writes a second mystery, I shall definitely read it. HOUND (Ama. Sleuth-Henry Sullivan-Boston-Cont) - VG McCaffrey, Vincent - 1st mystery Small Beer Press, 2009, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9781931520591
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book!,
By N. Gargano "nokegchris" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hound: a novel (Hardcover)
I just finished reading this book and I wanted to write the review right away, hoping someone else will see it and buy the book, I want to be the one to have suggested it. I loved this book, and wanted someone else to read it and enjoy it like I did. I bought it on Kindle, otherwise I would have just mailed my copy to someone for them to enjoy. No I take that back, I wouldn't want to part with my copy after all!From the beginning of the book, I was so involved, I just wrapped myself with the characters and the stories that the characters were telling me. I can't quite explain why I loved it. It bills itself as a mystery, and although there were two mysteries in the book that needed solving, that is not what kept me reading. I guess it was the author's writing style, and I guess his characters. I was just sucked in and could not put it down. I was so glad it was a rainy day here today, so I had an excuse to stay curled up on the sofa until I had finished the book. I hope to see this character again, I was not ready to let him go, not just because of my love for books and he is a book dealer, but I just adore him, I am worried about what is going to happen to him next. Great story, great writing, just a great book. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 Stars - A wonderful mystery for book lovers,
By L. J. Roberts - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hound: a novel (Hardcover)
First Sentence:Henry Sullivan is a book hound. He buys books at estate and library sales, most often selling them to other dealers and bookstore owners. Morgan Johnson, once his lover now recently widowed, ask Henry to appraise the library of her late husband with plans to donate the collection. When Morgan is found strangled, Henry becomes the initial suspect. Although the police release him from that role, Henry does want to know who killed Morgan. This is a real book lover's book. McCaffrey, the author, is the owner of Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop, located for 30 years on Newbury Street in Boston but now an online bookstore. The greatest pleasure, in reading this book, comes from his insights on book lovers--"...The ones who really loved the books liked to browse, dip into a page here and there, and feel the cloth and smell the paper."--readers, collectors, non-readers--"Maybe some rainy day, they'll read one of these book and it will change their lives or at least make them want to read another. It's possible."--Reader's Digest editions and a very frank look at the publishing industry. As a mystery, it's not particularly strong. The characters are not fully developed. I finished the book not really know who Henry is as a person, but identifying with him as a book lover. The other characters were interesting, but remained enigmatic. The sense of place is strong when the setting is a room containing books, but although the book is set in Boston--a city I lived in and love--there was no real sense of the city. The mystery is there and interesting but, as befitting the character, not very suspenseful. However, I did very much like the ending. This is one of those books I find hard to rate. As a mystery on its own, it was only good at best. As homage to those of us who love the written word and the vessels in which they are contained, it was excellent. For me, if McCaffrey writes a second mystery, I shall definitely read it. HOUND (Ama. Sleuth-Henry Sullivan-Boston-Cont) - VG McCaffrey, Vincent - 1st mystery Small Beer Press, 2009, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9781931520591 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sleeper,
By LC2 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Hound: a novel (Hardcover)
The subtly of "Hound" by Vincent McCaffrey calls for a reread to try to figure out why the book is so entrancing.The short answer it that it's not just a slow-paced, tragic murder mystery, it packs in a second tragedy, as well as meditations on books and the book business, history both personal and universal, love, loss, motivations for murder, and the psychological aspects of chess and surviving urban gentrification. While our protagonist bookseller may seem passive or emotionally blunted, it actually serves to enable the reader to tolerate the examination of human tragedies and the ways in which people react to them. After all, one of the reasons people blunt their emotions is because of the loses they've had to endure. |
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