Review of The Hemingway Thief — a debut mystery from Shaun Harris.
From the publisher:
Novelist Henry “Coop” Cooper is contemplating a new book between sipping rum and lounging on a Baja beach with hotel owner Grady Doyle. When Grady tries to save a drunk from two thugs, Coop tags along for the sake of a good story. The drunk is Ebbie Milch, a small-time thief on the run in Mexico because he has stolen the never-before-seen first draft of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast from a wealthy rare book dealer.
The stolen manuscript is more than just a rare piece of literary history. It reveals clues to an even bigger prize: the location of a suitcase the young, unpublished Hemingway lost in Paris in 1922. A year’s worth of his stories had vanished, never to be seen again. Until now.
But Coop and Grady aren’t the only ones with their eyes on this elusive literary prize, and what starts as a hunt for a legendary writer’s lost works becomes a deadly adventure. For Coop this story could become the book of a lifetime . . . if he lives long enough to write it.
My review of The Hemingway Thief
Finding the lost manuscripts written by Ernest Hemingway is the premise behind Shaun Harris’s debut caper.
Cooper “Coop” is a disconcerted writer at a crossroads in his career. He seems to be basically a good guy, but how far will he go to write the best book of his life? Grady is a down-on-his-luck hotel/bar owner with a shady past. At times Grady’s secrets have Coop doubting he knows the person he calls his friend. Unfortunately, the characters feel a bit stereotypical.
At times the suspense builds, at other times it lags and borders on the unbelievable. The occasional humor is funny. The classic clichés and movie references will delight some readers, but may miss the mark with others.
Overall The Hemingway Thief is an enjoyable read and a good debut novel for Harris.
FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.
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