"There’s No Crime in Avalon" is how Cory Doctorow’s latest novel, The Bezzle, begins. Avalon is a community on Catalina Island, just off the coast of Los Angeles. When forensic accountant Martin Hench visits a friend at an exclusive resort on the island, he also discovers there are no In-and-Out Burgers in Avalon. And so it begins.

Doctorow’s readers will recognize Martin Hench from the novel Red Team Blues, in which the author proves a thrilling book can be written about an accountant. Of course Hench isn’t just any old forensic accountant, he’s also a cybersecurity professional with a keen sense of where people with something to hide will hide that thing, whether we’re talking the physical or virtual world. The Financial Times expressed it best when they wrote, “Imagine Lee Child’s Jack Reacher in the world of Sam Bankman-Fried, and you’re halfway there.”

The Bezzle takes place in 2006, before the events of Red Team Blues. After discovering a hamburger ponzi scheme, Hench sets off a series of events that leads him down the rabbit hole of the ultra-wealthy and their machinations to grow their money into even more money. What he finds at the bottom is the for-profit prison industry that gains from both the government (read: tax payers) and the incarcerated. Combine that with a system that demeans and dehumanizes people and you get a situation Martin Hench just can’t leave alone. Buckle up for a fascinating fictional ride through the systems that make wealthier people wealthier and the less fortunate among us fodder. Doctorow’s compassion and humanity combine with his detailed knowledge of scams as systems to make a novel that’s both timely and fun.

Cory Doctorow will appear at Weller Book Works on Wednesday, Februrary 21 at 6:30 pm. He’ll converse about The Bezzle, carceral capitalism, and – knowing Doctorow – more things than I can list here.

In keeping with the carceral justice theme, Weller Book Works will host Utah organizations working for prison reform. We’ll have tables with information designed to help you help out.

-Catherine Weller

February Best Wellers’ Pick

RECEIVE 20% OFF WHEN YOU PURCHASE DURING FEBRUARY

I remember the first time I stepped into the bookstore I currently work at right now. My friends were talking about a cool bookstore downtown and I thought it would be just like a Barnes & Noble so I tagged along. That first step opened an entire world of possibility. It was magical. I see the same reaction I had when people step past our front counter and see just how tall our bookcases reach, all full of books. There is no place like Weller Book Works.

Working here brings so many new perspectives of the world to me – from silly little picture books to full length multi-volume sets – and nourishes a space of free thought and speech. That's what we do, we sell perspectives of the world. From whimsical fantasy to a harsh reality, we are in the business of free thought.

How to Protect Bookstores and Why is a guide to support not only us, but bookstores in general. Bookstores and libraries are under attack by a group who wants to manipulate fact, history, thought, etc. Just last month of writing this, The King’s English Bookshop was the target of a bomb threat because of a drag story hour. Under the Umbrella across town has been the subject of multiple online threats, harassment, and property damage throughout their operation. These acts intend to silence us, both as minorities and free thinkers. It is more important than ever to protect bookstores.

Danny Caine shares his experience interviewing and understanding twelve independent bookstores across the globe. Each one faces both similar and unique problems. The main antagonist in this book is, you guessed it, Amazon. Amazon is possibly the worst enemy to bookstores, authors, publishers, and readers. Because they are an online store, there is no physical store to shop in, no booksellers, no magic. Also, because they are a multi-billion dollar company, they can afford to create dangerous warehouses and working conditions to get your book as fast as possible. This creates an impossible expectation for bookstores, which causes business to slow and even close.

This includes libraries. The extreme right has made a mission of silencing anybody and anything that disagrees with them or makes them “uncomfortable.” Libraries are currently a main target with the banning of books. According to the Every Library Institute, a total of 816 books were decidedly banned from school and public libraries in 2022. Sixty-eight of those were from Utah school districts, the main ones being Washington and Alpine School District. Many of these books highlight experiences of queer and POC discrimination. We, as booksellers, have a duty to make these books accessible to those who need them.

All twelve of the bookstores in this book have amazing histories that show we aren’t going down without a fight. One I would like to highlight would be Moon Palace Books, in Minneapolis. It had a rough start with a lot of unknowns, much like most bookstores in this book, but Moon Palace is unique. They temporarily closed down in late May of 2020 due to the protest and ensuing riot, caused by the murder of George Floyd. In the book, the owner is said to have hung up on a Penguin Random House representative quoting “I’m sorry. I'm gonna have to go, they’re tear-gassing again.” This shows the commitment this bookstore has to their community, especially in times of pain.

This year, Weller’s will turn 95 years old. Ninety-five years of regulars, store events, recommendations, and Best Wellers such as this one. We still exist, even if we aren't on Main St. anymore. Generations have kept this store open as well as a devoted community. We ask you to not only support us, but find a local shop near where you live and support them. A small misconception is that our neighboring bookstores are enemies. We are the opposite, King's English calls us to see if we have a book in stock and we do the same. We hold each other up and stand together as a local economy. Take action. Support your local businesses.

Bookseller Reviews

Dead of Winter

By Darcy Coates

Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback $15.99 

Review by Alechia Brulé

"It would be a mistake to believe too much in anyone's innocence."

A horror thriller, "locked-room" mystery with grisly murders and relentless weather in the Rockies. For fans of Taylor Adams' No Exit, which I'd also highly recommend. Dead of Winter follows strangers trapped together while being targeted one by one with no easy way out. Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan, along with eight other guests and a guide, travel through the Rocky Mountains for a retreat at a remote hotel. Deteriorating weather conditions and a fallen tree stall their progress and Kiernan and Christa get separated from everyone. The next thing Christa knows, she is hypothermic and injured in a cabin with the others. The guests try to come up with an exit plan as their group dwindles in horrifying ways. 

The deaths are not for the faint of heart and the who-dunnit will chill you to your bones. The story is also a worthy tribute to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, one of my favorite Christie mysteries. Coates makes this story her own and does not try to copy the classic. So, even if you've read Christie's, it won't spoil this book. The narrative unfolds with past and present timelines from/in Christa's perspective. She is a strong female lead that depends on her wits and instincts, making it easy to root for her character. After an exciting prologue, readers get a steadier pace akin to breaking trail through the snow. This switch is great for Coates to build tension, atmosphere, and to develop the eleven characters. Usually, a large cast of characters like this group can be daunting, yet, Coates handles everyone so distinctly and with signifiers that I never felt overwhelmed by who was who. The author deftly creates the trust-no-one tension and the claustrophobic setting. The brutal weather, several twists, and the cliffhanger chapter breaks help drive the compulsion to turn pages. The danger and suspicion seeping from the writing makes solving the threat along with Christa that much more vital. 

Lone Wolf Series

I would describe myself as an avid enthusiast (redundant for emphasis!) of roleplaying games. I am also, unsurprisingly, a lover of books. I've spent many evenings throwing fistfuls of dice with friends in the basement, our minds off on adventures in imaginary worlds, and the more solitary experience of reading a book has also entertained my imagination and inspired me greatly over the years. Considering these two passions, perhaps it should be no surprise that Joe Dever's Lone Wolf series eventually caught my attention. When a used copy of one of the books appeared in the store, a glance inside revealed a sight unmistakable for a tabletop gamer such as myself: a character sheet!

My interest was piqued and with further research I soon discovered that Joe Dever created this series at a time when tabletop gaming was on the rise in popularity in the mid-70’s. A gamer himself, the fictional world of Magnamund that would eventually serve as the setting for his gamebooks began as a world explored in his home games of Dungeons and Dragons. When he started writing the books, Dever was as much creating a set of solo roleplaying rules as penning a narrative, and the books certainly reflect his talent for both enjoyable gaming and inspired storytelling. Flight from the Dark marked the start of a journey through the eyes of Lone Wolf, a main character formed by the choices and fortune of the reader. No mere choose-your-own-adventure book, this would be a narrative experience involving charts, ability characteristics, and chance as well as choice. On top of this format, Dever established character progression that continues between entries in the series. This feature, never before implemented in a gamebook series, would allow readers to continue from each book to the next, with every choice and challenge weighed by consequences and rewards for future quests.

Sadly, Joe Dever passed away in 2016 before the final Lone Wolf books could be completed. It would be his son Ben, with the help of Dever's close contributor Vincent Lazzari, who would take up the mantle of overseeing the completion of the series. The final books follow the plan laid out by Dever before his passing.

As a new fan of Magnamund, I plan to continue my delve into the series as intended, tracking my progress between each book in turn. Holmgard Press is currently working to get every book in the series back in print, so those wishing to enjoy this experience can look no further than Flight from the Dark to take those fateful first steps.

Events

Click here for our February events newsletter.

And, as always, view our events calendar to see all of our upcoming events.

We host both virtual and in-person events, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Come visit us!

SUNDAY 12-5

MONDAY-THURSDAY 10-8

FRIDAY & SATURDAY 10-9

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