The Haunted Bookshop

This is a fun continuation of the first book, Parnassus on Wheels. However, it was first written over a hundred years ago, and it does show its age (anti-German sentiment particularly). That aside, this was a more complex adventure than the first book, with some new characters and a mystery to solve. Another fun evening of reading!

This book is so confused. It's something of a sequel to Parnassus on Wheels, which is a pity, because that felt like a clear narrative. Roger Mifflin continues to have a passion for books, eloquently if verbosely expressed. Due to the time of publication (1918/19) now added to the many things he suggests they are a remedy for is the tragedy of war. Again, some  incisive anti-war sentiment I can get behind. Alas, there are also some very old ideas about the world buried in here.  I would happily have read a work surrounding the plot of a young woman, daughter of an old family friend, being a new employee at Mifflin's now stationary book selling institution, The Haunted Bookshop. Even if Helen is now kind of a background character. Morely decided he needed to add a touch of truly painful romance and a mystery involving an advertising man. I think Aubrey is supposed to be vaguely ridiculous for plot purposes, but he comes off as a moron that gave me a headache.
Worse, he's proved at least partially right in his prejudices when the German-American turns out to be the bad guy. Oh, and the dog dies, violently. WTF Morley?!
Good news: You don't have to spend money on this you're still curious, it's available in digital form free via the Internet Archive.
⚠️ derogatory/out of date language, animal death