In Israel Armstrong’s life libraries had been a constant part of his world. A place he was destined to be a part of his whole life. He had schooled for it, he then found full-time positions few and far between. To fill time he worked in a discount bookstore.

An offer of the position of District Branch Librarian in Northern Ireland has brought Israel across from England on and 18 hour journey by coach and ferry, only to be greeted by locked doors and a posting on the library door. Library Closed.

Is this to be the beginning of a nightmare, and adventure or a joke? He needed this job and it was no joke.

Israel meets Lind Wei, Deputy Head of Entertainment, Leisure and Community Services, the person he had spoken to earlier. It seems the council had a wee change of plans. The building is to be redeveloped. Library services are to be transitioned to a mobile system…a bookmobile! They are pulling the old bookmobile out of mothballs and bringing it back!

There are a few snags: the van is over 25 years old and been in storage for the last three years in a barn. It needed “freshening-up”…as in paint, tune-up, battery, alternator, air filter, fuel filter…. Oh, and all the books are missing…or are they?

Israel’s accommodations weren’t that great either. A chicken coop on George’s family farm — not the most fragrant surroundings or warm.

The characters, the events, the surroundings make for an entertaining read. Israel’s exposure to small town living in Ireland, with humour and feelings, leads him to find there is more to life besides his bad luck and books. There are people and events to care about that make life worthwhile. ( )

Israel Armstrong has lost his job as a librarian. Off he goes (from England) to Ireland to become the driver of a mobile library. He discovers a mystery when he arrives, the books have gone missing! As Israel goes about trying to find them, he mixes it up with the locals. The book and it's characters are a bit quirky and it starts out slow but in the end I really enjoyed it. ( )

From the book jacket: Israel Armstrong is a passionate soul, lured to Ireland by the promise of an exciting new career. Alas, the job that awaits him is not quite what he had in mind. Still, Israel is not one to dwell on disappointment, as he prepares to drive a mobile library around a small, damp Irish town. After all, the scenery is lovely, the people are charming – but where are the books?

My reactions
This was an enjoyable diversion, full of quirky characters and unlikely scenarios. Israel is as far from a hero as one could imagine – rumpled, decidedly UNambitious, content to do just enough to get along. But he does manage to rise to the occasion, despite more than a few setbacks and missteps.

I’m not sure I’ll bother with reading another in the series, as I like a little more actual mystery in my cozy mysteries. But I did enjoy the references to books! ( )

librarian discovers new job has disappeared with closing of library and books for mobile library are missing, sort of depressing

Adult fiction; sort-of mystery. Israel Armstrong is an out-of-place Londoner taking a job as a bookmobile librarian in rural Ireland, and makes for a bumbling, unlikely detective. Kind of amusing, but not that memorable overall. ( )