{"product_id":"the-antiquarian-a-barton-brooks-cosy-mystery-book-1-paperback","title":"The Antiquarian: A Barton \u0026 Brooks Cosy Mystery Book 1 - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNed Hoste\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhen a brilliant historian is found dead in Exeter Cathedral Chapter House, the secrets buried in centuries-old books prove more dangerous than anyone imagined.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExeter is a city where the Cathedral cast long shadows over the city and history presses close against the present. On the sunlit Cathedral Green, rare books change hands in hushed transactions, academic rivalries simmer beneath academic smiles, and the past, if disturbed, has a habit of striking back with deadly force. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eDetective Inspector Whipton Barton\u003c\/b\u003e prefers the quiet rhythms of life in the estuary town of Topsham: morning walks along the River Exe with his golden retriever, Pip, the easy warmth of home with his wife Lydia, and the steady satisfaction of a case solved with patience rather than drama. His second-in-command, \u003cb\u003eDS Saxon Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e, is the perfect foil, forensically systematic, quietly tenacious, and rarely unsettled by anything the job throws at him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen \u003cb\u003eDr Evelyn Merton\u003c\/b\u003e, a renowned medieval historian, is found dead in the Cathedral's Chapter House, Barton and Brooks are drawn into a shadowy world of rare manuscripts, bitter academic rivalries, and a hoax so audacious it rewrites everything they thought they understood about the case. At the heart of it all is \u003cb\u003eEdward Voss\u003c\/b\u003e - antiquarian bookseller, Dr Merton's former protégé, and a man whose early brilliance has long since curdled into obsession. He wanted recognition. He wanted control. And when neither came willingly, he took something else entirely. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs Barton unravels a web of deception that stretches back years, he discovers that the pursuit of knowledge, in the wrong hands, is no different from the pursuit of power. Those closest to Evelyn find they are not untouched by what she left behind, including Lydia, whose own quiet research into medieval history draws her closer to the truth than anyone anticipated. The race to uncover what really happened in the Chapter House becomes deeply personal, and Barton must move fast before a killer who believes himself untouchable decides to tidy up loose ends. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistory isn't just a passion in this corner of Devon. It is a motive.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePerfect for readers of \u003cb\u003eRichard Osman, Ann Cleeves and M.C. Beaton\u003c\/b\u003e - for anyone who loves their detectives deeply human, their settings richly evoked, and their mysteries rooted in the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and secrets run centuries deep. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Antiquarian\u003c\/b\u003e is the first book in the \u003cb\u003eBarton \u0026amp; Brooks Cosy Mystery\u003c\/b\u003e series, set in and around the historic city of Exeter and the beautiful Devon estuary. \u003cb\u003eBook Two is available now.\u003c\/b\u003e Book Three arrives in 2027.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 214\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.45 x 8 x 5.25 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 01, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46154643341498,"sku":"9781738460465","price":16.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/5727\/8650\/files\/XmCckWcdM79781738460465.webp?v=1783955397","url":"https:\/\/thebookloversatlas.com\/products\/the-antiquarian-a-barton-brooks-cosy-mystery-book-1-paperback","provider":"The Book Lover's Atlas","version":"1.0","type":"link"}