"When a rare copy of "Bodies in a Bookshop" does turn up, it is a rare treat for all mystery lovers and those who love to rummage through musty old bookstores in search of the unexpected. Botanist Max Boyle visits 'a curious little shop in a side street off the Tottenham Court Road' in London and is delighted with the bibliophilic treasures he finds. He also stumbles across soemthing less pleasant: in a back room, an unlit gas ring emits noxious fumes, and two corpses lie sprawled on the floor."