Dewey Decimated

Werner-Bok Library Mysteries #1

by Charles A. Goodrum

Rumors of fraud, forgeries, and murder at the Werner-Bok, one of the world's greatest rare-book libraries attract an illiterate cop and three extra-literate librarians and scholars, who test their wits against some very unprofessional adversaries

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Books About Books, Mystery Thriller

245 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1977

About the author

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/wash...

Of Springfield, Virginia, passed away on Friday, September 21, 2012 at his residence. Beloved husband of Donna Belle Goodrum; devoted father of Christopher Kent Goodrum of California, Julia Belle (Peter) Freitag of Wake Forest, NC and Geoffrey Paul Goodrum of Alexandria, VA; loving grandfather of Gregory, Rachel and Tristan Freitag.
He received degrees from Wichita University and Columbia University. Following graduation, he was hired by the Library of Congress and became the librarian of its Congressional Research Service. In ensuing years, he became the CRS's Director of Research, and later the Director of the Office of Planning and Development for the Library as a whole until retirement.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is my great uncle - one of my favorite people and a great mentor! His writing style is humorous and witty and his personality is quite obvious through each book published.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 1977 when I worked for the original hardcover publisher. I remember liking it a lot.

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. This book was so informative that it made up for the slow start.

Unless you are a librarian, this has everything you probably ever wanted to know about rare books and incunabula (a phrase I've not often used since I was in Library School).

It has jealousy, envy, hatred - all of the academic kind that one might find in a research library. And, of course, it has murder, mayhem and poses the question of just how easy (or hard) might it be to steal from the rare books collection.

The heroine, Crighton Jones, and a reader in Western history, Steve Carson, are among the first to find the body of Dr. DeVeer who has plunged head first down the stairs and split his skull open. Soon Dr. George, late of Yale University Library, comes to find some answers for his former student, Dr. Brooks, now head of the Werner-Bok Library.

I found Dr. George a most fascinating character. The author uses him to show just how much he knows about rare books.

I thought I would be interested in reading others in this series. I think they are mostly out of print, so if I do, I will probably have to go to a library. To find this out, I went to Amazon and found that this author had also written books about the Library of Congress. So, I guess he is no weakling in this area of expertise.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book of the Haunted Library Mysteries series by Allison Brook. I picked it up because it sounds like a fun series; and because the title said Dewey (which made me think of library) and Decimated (which made me think of murder). So - a murder mystery set in a library. Sounds like good reading to me. I haven't read any other books in this series.

Well, the body wasn't found in the library, but was in the basement of the building attached to the library. Carrie Singleton is the librarian for the spooky library set in Clover Ridge, Connecticut. Apparently, she has been involved in some other murder cases in previous books. This time the victiim is her fiance's Uncle Alec. Dylan hadn't seen his uncle in years. The library ghost, Evelyn, informs that Alec can't move on until his murder is solved. Now the library has a second ghost!

An enjoyable, ghostly cozy mystery. The library has a cool cat called Smoky Joe. Ghosts in a library is a fun theme. There are some interesting turns in the investigation. The characters were likeable, as was the town, and the plot was fun. Very cute cover too.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 6, 2022.

[GailW · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realize that this book was written in 1977 and I also realize things were a bit different then. But if I heard the educated young woman working in the PR office referred to as "the girl" one more time I thought I was going to throw something. So I gave the storyline a 5, i took away 1 point for the too many instances of "the girl", took another away for the schmaltzy handling of Carson's personal feelings, and another one when I came towards the end, and the young woman is twice described as "There was no feminine delicacy in her voice. It was hard and cold" (as she's arguing a point with the two men) and then "She shuddered, looking smaller and more feminine by the minute", after she has been shot at." Seriously? Hell, no.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Betty Crighton Jones (called Crighton from here on out) is the press officer for the Werner-Bok Library in Washington, D.C. Some recent developments are making her job particularly stressful. Anonymous letters sent to various members of the media claim that several of the Werner-Bok's rare books are, in fact, fakes, and it's starting to put the Library's reputation at risk. Not only that, but Murchison DeVeer, the Head of the Manuscripts Division, claims he knows that something fishy is going on in the Rare Books Division.

In a effort to deal with the anonymous note situation as quietly and quickly as possible, the library director, Brooks, invites Dr. George, a respected retired librarian, to look into the situation in the guise of doing research for a book. Brooks assigns Crighton to be George's guide/assistant. Shortly before George arrives, however, DeVeer ends up dead in an apparent accident. Was DeVeer the one responsible for the notes, and is the problem now solved? Or is something more sinister going on?

This was originally published in 1977, and it shows. An actual card catalog, a physical shelflist, male librarians in all the most important positions, casual sexism (which leaves Crighton feeling more resigned than annoyed), and characters who've barely heard of smoke detectors before. The best point of reference I had was the semester I spent at the Newberry Library. Even today, a portion of their collection still can't be searched in the online catalog and must be found using the card catalog. Without the experience I'd had searching for research materials there, as well as the time I spent in some of their staff-only areas, I'm not sure how much sense parts of this book would have made.

I went into this expecting it to be a cozy mystery, but I'm not sure that's quite the right label for it. The first death, in particular, had gorier aspects than I'd normally expect from a cozy. Then there was the, uh, drawer full of blood. Ew. Still, the cutesy title and slight romance subplot fit, I suppose - there's a love triangle involving Crighton, a researcher named Carson, and Welles, the assistant chief of the Rare Books Room.

Although I enjoyed the Werner-Bok's messed up workplace politics, this was a bit of a struggle to get through. None of the characters particularly appealed to me or even made much of an impression. Almost all of them had the same "voice," and I found myself repeatedly having to flip back and forth in the book in an effort to figure out who people were and what their jobs were. It didn't help that nearly everyone was referred to by their last names, several of which began with the same letter. I kept mixing up Carson and Conrad, and the first few times Welles appeared on-page I couldn't even remember which division he worked in.

The romance aspect was painfully weak, and the mystery aspects were mediocre. I correctly guessed the identity of the murderer well before the end of the book - Goodrum made it so obvious I was sure I was going to turn out to be wrong. I will say this, though: the cat-and-mouse scene near the end, in the closed library, was really good, even if it did make me want to shake Crighton for not fully thinking everything through (she brought food but no flashlight!). Also, the title is fabulous, although it would have been more appropriate for a book set in a public library than a research library.

I have no plans to seek out the next book in this series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Susan Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got bogged down in some places, but enjoyed the story.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the lesson in library work. Characters were great!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I had to read this 70s era book about a private Washington DC Library. They had card catalogs, female (nonprofessional) catalogers who typed the cards, men who ran everything, but despite all that, it was a fun read. Getting locked in the stacks at night when the power is cut was pretty scary for our protagonist, but in the end, she got out ok and they identified the person stealing the rare books. Just kind of fun.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reread for me, and an enjoyable one. Someone is accusing the Werner-Bok Library in Washington DC of acquiring rare books of insufficient quality for its world renowned collection. After several leters and bad press, the director brings in his friend and a former library director himself, Professor Edward George, to nose around a bit. Meanwhile two employees of the Werner-Bok are murdered. Are all of these events connected? Professor George is ably assisted by Crighton Jones, a young woman fresh out of graduate school who currently works as the Library's press officer, and graduate student Steve Carson, who is in Washington using the collection for research. These three put their brains and research skills to work to solve this intricate crime.

For me, what librarian can resist a good, intelligent mystery set in a library?

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly dated. Apparently smoke detectors weren't a common thing in the late '70s?? It's a wonder anyone survived.

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as plot goes, this book is pretty average as far as mysteries go. A couple of people end up dead in a rare book library, and some other people try to figure out whodunit. What does set this book apart is it is set in a rare book library. The author does a good job of introducing the subjects of rare books and book theft to the reader.

If you really want to learn more about rare books and book theft, read The Thieves of Book Row by Travis McDade. It is a work of non-fiction about a band of thieves who stole from libraries in the 20's and 30's. Given many of the events in Goodrum's book, he is basing his story off of the gang that was the subject of Thieves. Do note that Goodrum wrote his book at 30 years before McDade, so it was research he did on his own.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like two things about this library mystery: the title and the name of our heroine, Crighton Jones. Crighton herself sucks, but it's not her fault, poor thing. She was written by a man in 1977. Sidenote: I feel certain that the stacks in a library would not act as a silencer for a pistol. (eyeroll)

[Deb Mallonee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1977, the setting and characterizations are very dated, but it is a smart, educated, intelligent mystery. (Fits the category of book that takes place in a library or bookstore.)

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad the Werner Bok is a fictional library. I'd love to walk through it.

Besides a great setting, this book has a variety of interesting characters and a puzzle that had me stumped.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those stars is because my edition of this book was pretty. Otherwise, weak storyline and sexist storytelling. But oh so pretty.

[Gospodyina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly fine murder mystery which unexpectedly gets minutiae of librarianship right. There’s a lot of minutiae, though. Perhaps more than is necessary.

[Armelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one hasn’t aged well!

[Speck Rejk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea what happened (but im no good with plots) but it takes place in a large metropolitan library which i love

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll read almost anything set in libraries or with librarians. This book was written in 1977, the year I started college and declared my major as "library science", so I was reading it a little more critically than I do some other books.

Goodrum did a good job of painting the pictures of major libraries that have very old books and both manuscript and rare book collections. The descriptions of the closed stacks, the methods for tracking materials and they "how" of the murder all rang very true to me.

I did figure out the why of the book fairly early on but the who was a little more convoluted. It made perfect sense and I tumbled to the killer about the same time as the supporting cast but before the author came out and pointed out the killer.

I enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more in the series (too short a series but I'll get them all read).

[Christiane · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The serene world of rare books and cultivated librarians beset by theft and murder." (front-page)

Someone has been sending letters to the press suggesting that the famous Werner-Bok collections are fraudulent...an obviously ridiculous idea! Until a most unlibrary-like murder occurs. Though written in 1977 I bet many rare book libraries are still run in a very similar fashion today (though I suppose the clerks aren't using typewriters). More difficult for modern sensibilities is the character of Betty "Crighton" Jones, our "plucky" heroine who does very little toward solving the case (that's up to the men folk) but does manage to put herself into peril and need dramatic rescuing. She's no Miss Zukas.

[Esti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Brisk, delightful, old-school mystery set in the hallowed stacks of a rare books & manuscripts library in the heart of DC. Written by a former research director of the Library of Congress. Not the 'cozy mystery' genre that so many library-set stories end up falling into.

Cons: Takes a stab at featuring an awesomely-named, vocally-feminist heroine, but squashes her agency and personality at every turn. To the point that it starts to seem deliberate.

Also, while the title is delightfully clever, it bothered me the whole way through that the book takes place in a library that definitely does not use the Dewey Decimal System.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proving that librarians and historians kick ass (unless you happen to be a woman- this book is pretty damn sexist I'm afraid to say), this book was an interesting, funny and almost disturbing read. As a librarian, I kept shaking my head at conventions that are STILL in practice today. This book was written in 1977 for Christ's sake! And we still operate in much the same way! That's frakking ridiculous!!! Although this book marginalized me as a woman, it empowered me as a librarian and for that it get's a reluctant three stars from me.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not very well-written, but it's still charming and library-geeky. And if you ignore the speechy dialogue, odd pacing, uncertain handling of point-of-view, even more uncertain handling of female characters, and weird explications (really, the library director has never heard of "foxing"?), there's a clever crime and a couple genuinely chilling moments--especially a locked-in-the-library-stacks-in-pitch-blackness scene that is definitely drawn from life.

[Christopher Everest · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1977 this is the world of card catalog(ue)s in libraries. Where it was more feasible to steal rare books and to even read rare books. The computer is about to change lives but this still holds up as one of the great library series of crime fiction. This is also the book where Steve Carson meets Crichton Jones first.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the head of the prestigious Werner-Bok Library's manuscript division is found dead, there are few mourners. But three people--visiting retired librarian Edward George, the library's public relations person Crighton Jones, and graduate student Steve Carson--suspect that it may be murder.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I'm a librarian and am writing a book featuring libraries, I'm always interested in books about the subject. This, while old, wasn't really out-of-date. I'll have to research to discover whether Werner-Bok is a real library. I liked the main characters.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first fell hopelessly in love with this book as an undergraduate library science student way back in the early '80s. After many years it's good to see that there are others that love it too. I'm looking forward to reading it again after many many years.

[alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

tepid mystery about a rare book library. totally boring, uninspired, and moderately sexist.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery for librarians. Loved it!