Jon Fasman, The Geographer’s Library

The Geographer's Library

Jon Fasman

Penguin, February 2006, $14.00

ISBN: 0143036629

In Lincoln, Connecticut, reporter Paul Tomm for the weekly newspaper the Carrier is assigned to write the obit for Estonian academia's Jaan Puhapaev. To do so Paul investigates Jaan, though he expects nothing to come of it beyond accolades. Eerily, soon after Jaan's death, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy dies in a car accident.

Recently graduated, Paul knows, from his college days, coincidences like these two deaths are rare though plausible. He makes enquiries, which leads him to Jaan's neighbor music teacher Hannah Rowe, and evidence that the late Estonian worked with lethal international jewel thieves. Soon Paul's efforts lead to a specific map created by twelfth century Arabic geographer al-Idris for a Sicilian client, and artifacts allegedly owned by the cartographer, but especially the legendary alchemist's handbook, the Emerald Tablet. As the journalist closes in on the truth, dangerous foes want him stopped, with his demise being the preventative first choice.

The storyline actually switches focus back and forth between the twelfth century and modern times, but never misses a beat, as Paul's inexperience in investigative journalism and love makes him endearing and the tale fun to follow. As Paul investigates, he begins to uncover clues of a jewel thieving cabal, who he conjectures murdered the professor and the pathologist, but fails to see that as he gets closer, the killers will want to exterminate him too; thus, in spite of his obvious intelligence, he seems too dumb not to anticipate they will come after him. Still, though complex, both subplots tie together nicely to make THE GEOGRAPHER'S LIBRARY.