The Geographer's Library, by Jon Fasman

Jon Fasman. The Geographer's Library. New York: Penguin Books, 2005. 374 pages. ISBN 0143036629.

The Geographer's Library is about a young reporter, Paul Tomm, who stumbles across a story that could break him out of his small town local paper job and help him get a position with a major Boston newspaper. Jaan Puhapaev, a professor at Paul's alma mater, has been found dead in his home, and Paul has been asked to write his obituary for the local weekly paper. There is no evidence of foul play, but questions start to pile up leading Paul to dig deeper and deeper into Jaan's past. Along the way Paul meets Hannah, Jaan's neighbor and friend. While he begins to fall in love with Hannah, he is surprised by her vehement objections to his investigation into Jaan's life and activities.

The plot of The Geographer's Library toggles between the present and a variety of past events in which magic or occult objects are tracked down and acquired, by any means necessary. Who's collecting these objects? How did they come to be in Jaan's possession, and who has them now? How far will they go to keep the secret of these objects hidden away? As Paul investigates these questions he finds that he's not safe, and he has to decide how far he should take his investigations.

I found The Geographer's Library intriguing. There's a lot of action but the characters are well-developed and interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical mysteries like those of Dan Brown or Steve Berry.