Hooperman: A Bookstore Mystery

by John M. Daniel

Hooperman Johnson is a tall, bushy-bearded man of few words. He works as a bookstore cop, catching shoplifters in the act. It’s a difficult job for a man with a stammer, but somebody’s got to do it, because Maxwell’s Books is getting ripped off big-time. And, more and more, it looks like the thief works for the store.
Who’s stealing the books? Martin West, the foul-mouthed nutcase in charge of shipping and receiving? Millie Larkin, who hates the boss because he’s a man? Could it be Lucinda Baylor, the dark and sassy clerk that Hoop’s in love with? Jack Davis, the socialist, or Frank Blanchard, the anarchist? Or maybe even Elmer Maxwell himself, the world-famous pacifist bookseller?
Set in the summer of 1972, the summer of the Watergate break-in, Hooperman is a bookstore mystery without a murder, but full of plot, full of oddball characters, full of laughs, and full of love, some of it poignant, some of it steamy.

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John M. Daniel is a freelance editor and writer. He has published dozens of stories in literary magazines and is the author of ten published books, including three mystery novels: Play Melancholy Baby, The Poet’s Funeral, and Vanity Fire. He and his wife, Susan, own a small-press publishing company in Humboldt County, California, where they live with their wise cat companion, Warren.

Reviews

[Robin Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read other mysteries by John Daniel but this may be my favorite. His Hooperman gives us mystery and romance, past and present, set in 1972 in that best of places, a bookstore. Settle back with a cup of tea, let the cat take your lap-- because you won't want to stir until you've finished this welcoming, quirky, generous book.

Some might think that a mystery without a murder won't rivet the same way a trail of bloody corpses do, but the essential drive remains the appreciation of human beings, the need to unravel their motives and actions and who done it. Our friend Hooperman Johnson looms distinctive, constrained by his stutter, yet shaped by his love of poetry. His past story illuminates and deepens his present. He engages with a cast of distinct characters and you can't help taking favorites, worrying about who's to blame, who's been set up. Surprises and reveals abound, but author John Daniel hides evidence in the open and you are as free as Hooperman himself to swirl in with your cape and illuminate the mystery.

Romance winds through present and past threads with grace, never slipping towards cliche, and John Daniel knits a profoundly satisfying ending.

[Mk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is no ordinary mystery. This is a beautifully written book that only gets more complex and touching as you read. The setting: a Palo Alto bookstore in 1972. The mystery: in an era of typewriters, PO boxes, and handwritten orders, how do you figure out who's stealing from the bookstore?

Hooperman, a dropout with a stutter and a love of poetry, poets, books and women, is hired to figure out who's stealing. He ends up becoming a part of the misfit family of employees, and has his loyalties tested. There are a series of flashbacks that gather steam over the course of the book, lending depth to the story and Hoop's character.

I was sucked into an era where a Sucrets tin was a perfect hiding place for a joint, bookstores were counterculture hotbeds, a buyer--without any computer help--had to decide how many copies of "Joy of Sex" to pre-order, and employee meetings were run like encounter groups. The period details immerse you in a time and place the author knows a great deal about.

I started off slow, then couldn't stop until I'd read the whole book.

[Michelle Nakagawa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not usually a fan of mysteries because I figure them out too quickly, I decided to give this one a try anyway. Mostly because it takes place in a bookstore. Though I must admit to being led down the wrong path a couple of times as to who-dunnit, the "weeding out" of potential suspects happened a little too conveniently for my taste.
I loved the lead character, Hooperman, and his wonderful but bittersweet tale of love lost and regained. Mostly, I wanted to give him a hug. The rest of the "cast", except maybe the owner of the bookstore, were a little one-dimensional.
A decent time-killer of a read, but not my favorite.

[Patricia Gligor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then, I read a book I enjoyed so much that I wish I could rate it more than five stars. "Hooperman" by John M. Daniel is one of those books. Mr. Daniel has written an intriguing mystery with a cast of fascinating characters but his book is so much more than that. It's a glimpse back to a time and culture in our not too distant history, 1972 to be exact, and an insight into human nature, love and loss. My review can't begin to do the book justice. I strongly suggest you read it for yourself.

[Cindy Grossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little book!

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a nice little story and I was hoping I could recommend it to reader's who like cozy mysteries. Unfortunately, this was not the case and there was too much foul language.