The Dirty Book Murder, A Rare Book Mystery by Thomas Shawver

Auctions aren't something that a small local bookstore owner normally attends.  They don't usually have a lot of capital to invest and an auction environment might make them bid higher than they want to for the item.  However, this ad mentioned erotica and that sometimes brought in some good money...

Alibi and Net Galley let me download an ebook of this story and read it for review (thank you).  The book will be published May 6th, so you can grab a copy then.

When Michael gets to the auction, he only has a few minutes to look at what's for sale.  His competitors are there also.  When they see Japanese Shunga scrolls and a first edition of a novel by French author Colette with an inscription by Ernest Hemingway, they know the bidding is going up.  A unknown man arrives and begins bidding on the same books.  He's outdoing every bid put up no matter how high it goes.  He also takes the whole lot with him in one bulk price.  Who is he?

The plot in this story is a bit odd.  It's not just murder, there's porn, a mutiny, a father-daughter conflict, and a movie cast involved.  Michael is an interesting character.  He's not perfect but he's trying to do the right thing.  The problem is that killer is too close to him for him to see it.

This story will keep you reading and wondering just what is going to happen next.  It will be interesting to see what the author does next with Michael.