Boy did this book have a lot going on that was right up my alley:

1. The hero is a librarian, so there's a lot of poetic musing over the beauty of libraries, democracy, freedom, etc.

2. The villains are Republicans who are hell bent on controlling the world by any means necessary. Some of them bear strong resemblances to real politicians, e.g. Dick Cheney and George W.

3. It was a page-turner AND well-written AND had some good laughs. That, friends, is a rare combination. There's even some good poetry here and there.

Now, a few warnings. There's some graphic sexual violence that disturbed me a little. And I did roll my eyes a few times at how unbelievably evil the Republicans were. But Beinhart found a great Adam Smith quote to rationalize it: "Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." That is, if the bad guys were just greedy, there would be limits to what they'd do, but because they feel their cause is righteous, they try to win by any means necessary, even MURDER and SUBVERTING DEMOCRACY.

Obviously, if conspiracy theories annoy you, you probably won't like this book. But if you're looking for a wry political thriller that was clearly written by a Democrat, this will fit the bill. ( )

Bespreking in het Nederlands: https://alimolenaar.nl/stukjes/the-librarian-van-larry-beinhart/ ( )

Synopsis:David Goldberg is a university librarian who, because of falling salaries and the likelihood of having his position cut, begins working for a billionaire who wants to preserve his place in history by developing a library of his personal papers. (think presidential library). While this seems innocuous enough, the job puts David at risk as well as exposing him to some of the most powerful politicos in the US.
Review: Written somewhat in the style of Carl Hiaasen, it has neither the subtly nor humor that is a hallmark of Hiaasen. Based on current political hijinks, the book doesn't even get interesting until chapter 27, then moves at a fairly good pace until the last chapter which is less than lame. ( )

Well it is about a librarian, and there's a few (but just a few) insights into the life and thinking of those folk who live and breath books and archives. But not enough to make this much different from a thousand other political thrillers. It'd make a great movie, but it's no more than a 'good' book. It might be a hit amongst mild-mannered librarians though... Recommended as entertainment, if you like that sort of thing. ( )

A political thriller with pleasant satirical overtones. A very pleasant surprise. ( )