It's a detective story where the reader learns the clues as the narrator does and jumps to the next logical conclusion in step with him. The aim is to find the killer but also learn as much as possible about the world of libriomancy. There are other ways to use magic than reaching into a book and pulling out disruptors or healing potions, but none of them speak quite as keenly to any book lover, which the author quite clearly is.

Librarians are the real heroes of this world. But in the book they also have magic, and what's better than a librarian has magic? A fire-spider of course. A spider that sets things on fire near books? Tricky but handy too, and if I hadn't set my heart on getting a kitten I'd take Smudge.