The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel

Mark Pryor

Jun 2013 · Hugo Marston Book 1 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Michael Prichard

About this audiobook

Max-an elderly Paris bookstall owner-is abducted at gunpoint. His friend Hugo Marston, head of security at the U.S. embassy, looks on helplessly, powerless to do anything to stop the kidnapper. Marston launches a search, enlisting the help of semiretired CIA agent Tom Green. Their investigation reveals that Max was a Holocaust survivor and later became a Nazi hunter. Is his disappearance somehow tied to his grim history, or even to the mysterious old books he sold? On the streets of Paris, tensions are rising as rival drug gangs engage in violent turf wars. Before long, other booksellers start to disappear, their bodies found floating in the Seine. Though the police are not interested in his opinion, Marston is convinced the hostilities have something to do with the murders of these bouquinistes. Then he himself becomes a target of the unknown assassins. With Tom by his side, Marston finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together, connecting the past with the present and leading the two men, quite literally, to the enemy's lair. Just as the killer intended.

Ratings and reviews

Neither rivers nor cities have vaginas, moron; as such, their pronoun is "it," not "she." Linguistic sexism works two ways, so fix it. The book is also slow and a bit pedantic, and the concept of bookstalls as an illegal drug delivery system was as predictable as time itself. Fail.

About the author

Mark Pryor is a former newspaper reporter and felony prosecutor, currently working as a criminal defense attorney in Austin, Texas. He is the author of the Hugo Marston mystery series, set in Paris, London, and Barcelona. He is also the author of the psychological thriller Hollow Man and its sequel, Dominic.

Michael Prichard has recorded well over five hundred audiobooks and was named one of SmartMoney magazine's Top Ten Golden Voices. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award and several AudioFile Earphones Awards.