A shy librarian accidentally stumbles on a conspiracy by a group of rogue cops. Assaulted, framed and sent to prison to ensure her silence, Sarah discovers a fierce will to live and a startling capacity for violence that enables her to survive the harsh prison environment. On her release, Sarah learns her father died alone and her old life is gone forever. Heartbroken and enraged, Sarah devises a chilling revenge for the men who destroyed her world. As she prepares, she meets Paul Taylor, an ex US navy seal, who teaches her the skills she needs; but also shows her love and the promise of a new life. As Sarah begins her hunt, the cops’ disbelief turns to terror as they realize they are being stalked and killed by a librarian.
Philip Wilson is the author of two books - The Librarian and Songs for Lucy. Both books are available online through Amazon, Chapters and Barnes and Noble in paperback, hardcover and e-book formats.
The Librarian received a 5-star rating by IndieReader and was featured in the Huffington Post as one of the best reviewed books of 2017.
A former financial executive, the author began writing after retiring from his career. He spent his summers in Toronto sailing on the Great Lakes, and his winters in Florida.
This has to have one of the most unlikely plots ever but I found myself caught and extremely entertained anyway. I think that, with one or two details presented differently, this could even be a 5 star read for me, but there is changing in the sequence of trauma/tragedy and there's fantasy, which this book is not. Therefore, a great and movie-like story but the characters needed more personality.
Introverted librarian Sarah Andrews unintentionally ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time walking past a drug bust by crooked cops in the process of skimming a million dollars for themselves. When the money they skimmed goes missing, Sarah is taken to an unused detention center where she's hung from the ceiling, tasered and framed with cocaine in her clothing. They arrange for her to take a guilty plea and serve a three month sentence in a maximum women's prison where she's targeted for assassination to keep her quiet.
In an ingenious homage to "The Count of Monte Cristo", Sarah survives her brutal prison term and on release, teams up with a former Navy Seal she met earlier and plots imaginative revenge on the dirty cops who tortured and imprisoned her. Her transformation from a shy, introverted librarian to a mentally and physically empowered woman taking charge of her life in a tightly focused path of vengeance makes this book so entertaining.
A fast and enjoyable read. While highly improbable that the mild mannered, nerdy librarian would undergo such a radical change, survive prison and thwart attempts on her life and turn successful vigilante, I still found myself rooting for her.
I purchased this book on a whim. The premise seemed interesting—a librarian was framed for a crime she hadn’t committed and then bid her time to get the vengeance she wanted. It stayed in my Kindle library for a long while (as a lot of purchased books do), when I stumbled upon it yet again and this time the word “rogue cops” caught me—it was so relevant in the current scenario when our faith in police system was wavering. The idea of such rogue cops getting the right justice in an alternate fictional universe seemed satisfying.
And so, I got to reading it.
It brought out all the delights of a typical good thriller. The story was engrossing, I found myself turning pages to keep up with the fast-paced plot and sitting on the edge as I navigated through the plot twists. The strong female protagonist was fairly well etched, her normal background made her easily relatable; I felt the frustration of Sarah as the tide turned against her, and almost tasted victory as she tried to get back her life on track. The journey she goes through is exhilarating and as a reader it is quite an experience to live through that.
The story was neatly tied together, with most secondary characters having back stories to supplement how they landed up to be the people that they were; their motives and intentions making them credible. The police system also seemed to be decently researched and plausible. The build up to the plot is good and short, there are enough instances placed for the reader to start loathing the villains even before their encounter with Sarah. There was the right amount of romance in the story, not overly done that it deviated from the main plot but not just present in conversations with others.
There were two things which I did not like much in the book. One, Sarah’s transformation, something which I was looking forward to, was almost sudden. Till a moment, she had almost resigned to fate and then the next second, she was a different person. The reasons for her transformation were justified, there was enough wrong done to her for her to be so furious and lose her normal morality compass, however, the process of how she got there was missing.
Second, was the stereotyping of her being a “librarian”. While I understood the job specification was to help bolster the fact that the girl had a commonplace life, and abided by the rules. But then it was abused in the entire series, to the point of stereotyping the job itself. It was as if everything inexplicable that Sarah did was almost tied to the fact that she was a “librarian”; the villains in the books mentioning it way too often.
Overall, it was a good one time read, and I enjoyed this more than I expected to. There were parts that were not very realistic, but since it is fiction, in my opinion it can be easily overlooked. The writing of the author was decent, so I wouldn’t mind trying other books of his. (P.S. I’d have actually rated the book 3.5)
Carlos & Raul confronted Sarah Andrews (34, Glenwood Library librarian). Paul Taylor (46, ex-mercenary, US Navy SEAL) took care of the 2 thugs & walked her partially home to Eastgate. Police Chief Ed Moorby, & Captain Peter Lindsay (6th. Precinct) had a War on Drugs campaign going on. Backfield Building. Sergeant John Gordon (6th. Precinct) finally got Nick Costanza drug dealer) to talk.
Paul (Taylor Security Services) later asked Sarah out for dinner. What were Officer Tom Miller, & Officer Chris LePan talking to Freddie “Fred” Dell about? Tom & Chris met off-duty Sergeant Gordon, Officer Frank Carlucci, & Officer Ernie Kramer at the Purring Kitten upscale strip club for a few drinks. They were all headed to the Warehouse District. Sarah got an urgent call. Her father was in the Mercy Hospital. She had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. P.M. Officer Lana Crawford greeted her in front of the holding cell. Sarah (English/history) was moved to the Detention Center where Arnold Carney (Carney & Associates lawyer) saw her.
The trial was over & she (# 314159) was headed for the Northbridge Prison for Women. Ethel Walters (55+) was her cellmate. Warden Sidney Patterson & Asst. Warden Doreen Matlock were discussing how Rose Dutton (prisoner, laundry) might have died. What did Kurt (liaison) call Asst. Warden Matlock about? Sarah had been released. Unfortunately; the 6th. Precinct hadn’t forgotten about her. Later Paul had rescued Sarah from a warehouse where she was being held. What were Sergeant John Gordon (54, retired, divorced), Officer Tom Miller (45), Officer Frank Carlucci (29, bodybuilder), Officer Chris LePan (32), & Officer Ernie Kramer (35, husband/father) were meeting with Deputy Chief of Police Peter Lindsay (6th. Precinct) about? Steven Harris (Blackstone Apartment Complex superintendent) had been brutally murdered.
What were the emails to/from John & Peter about? Are falling in Paul & Sarah love? Who is Julia Coulter?
I didn’t care for the ending.
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow a very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Author; Cyanna Corporation; PDF book Tony Parsons (Washburn)
"The Librarian" starts out with a chance encounter on a train that establishes the tone of this thriller. Protagonist Sarah Andrews isn't tough. She's a librarian and not at all sure she can stand up for herself. When faced by a couple of thugs, she tries to ignore them. But they're not interested in leaving her alone. And it isn't until a guy with white hair sends them packing that they leave her be. Andrews is intrigued by this man who turns out to be younger than he looks. She tells him where she works, and the two later go out on a date. But author Philip Wilson hasn't written a love story. This is a bit of a genre-bending thriller with a revenge aspect that unfolds like "The Count of Monte Cristo." Andrews decides to walk after work than spend money on a cab. Big mistake. Her cross-town jaunt brings her in contact with a group of police just wrapping up a big drug bust. The problem is she gets blamed for a theft, a sizable one. And she is arrested. The problem is she stumbled across some crooked cops, and they want their million dollars back. They're assured she was the culprit no matter what she says. Then they beat and torture her and send her to prison on trumped up charges. She has no recourse and very little hope. She's a witness who needs to be eliminated. The cops try. But something has happened to the sweet little librarian. She's got nothing to lose and she becomes aware of her ability to protect herself, to channel her growing anger. She's assaulted in prison and is forced to protect herself. She gains a reputation. But the story has hardly begun. Andrews still has work to do. Wilson kept the tempo up through the entire novel. Andrews retains her humanity and Wilson does a good job exploring the motivations of her character. But she has to protect herself. The crooked cops are relentless and will stop at nothing to send her to the fishes. Great read.
Wrongly accused, definitely, p.o.'ed, and determined to right the wrongs inflicted on her, librarian Sarah Andrews proves herself to be, not only, a survivor, but also a force to be reckoned with. Well-developed characters, interesting but scarily-realistic plot, and full of action, this is a book that's hard to put down. I've become a fan of Author Philip Wilson, and I'm confident that anyone who enjoys good fiction will join my ranks once they've read this fast-paced, well-written, action-thriller.
What a fantastic read! This book explodes with action! Sarah Andrews is a quiet and shy librarian that has devoted her life to her mother and father. When her father has a medical emergency, Sarah's nightmare begins. So much heartache and sadness but Sarah meets Paul Taylor and her life takes a turn for the better. Life does work out for Sarah and Paul but the twists and turns will definitely keep the reader's attention and interest. Paul and Sarah do get their HEA but getting there!?! Well done Philip Wilson, well done.
A shy and quiet librarian gets revenge when her local police mistreat her.
If you suspend your disbelief you might really enjoy this story. You can't help but cheer for the librarian, Sarah Andrews. She was framed for a crime she had nothing to do with, when she finally gets released from prison, she plans on some payback to the cops that almost killed her...
The romance was a little too lovey-dovey at times, but I did enjoy the story.
Bonus points from me, for having a bodybuilder character that got what he deserved for being brutally mean to women, when he couldn’t have his way with them. His gruesome demise was well deserved.
An apt book cover, an awesome font, ‘show and don’t tell’ type of writing style. An amazing, very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read and follow and I never experienced a single dull moment. There were no grammar or typo error. Numerous exciting scenes, This could also be made into an astonishing thriller movie.
I loved Sarah’s character and how she discovers the inner strength to take control of her life. A touching love story of Sarah with Paul combined with a satisfying tale of revenge made my reading time worthwhile.
My rating is Narration:5/5 Story plot:5/5 Cover:5/5
Recommended by Goodreads - I was intrigued by the plot summary. I read it through in one sitting because the storyline is full of suspense plus I wanted to see justice done. I must give credit to the author - for a first novel, the writing is really good. On the slightly down side though - the story is a little far fetched so there's need to suspend belief in several places and I had some ethical issues with the way resolution took place.
I immediately became engaged with the main character and found her to be believable. The book was a welcome change to some of the spy novels and murder mysteries that I have been reading. It was a real page turner that made for an enjoyable read. There are parts of the book that will test the credibility of the plot but not enough to detract from the book or the "mission" of the main character. Enjoy!
this if a pretty fantastic book , at first I thought would I like it ? but after giving it 30 pages I got more and more hooked , so far I haven't read the count of monte cristo but I have watched a handful of adaptions and in many ways it seems quite similar , with the main character, what happens at certain points but in a modern world I found I couldn't put it down , but in a middle of a house move that's hard to do
A very good book. Parts of it were a bit over simplified, but it was a good read. Kind of easy to predict what was happening next, but that just made it easier to read. I read most of this book in bed, before going to sleep, and it was not too difficult to keep up with. I will look for more of Philip Wilson's books, to have around when I want to read in bed.
Even though the story had a number of holes, it showed how a mild mannered person can do anything if pushed too far. The Sarah Andrews character in the book reminded me of the Sarah Connor character from the Terminator movies. Just like in Terminator, our Sarah becomes a "kickass" heroine who takes justice into her own hands.
What an EXCELLENT book. Nice easy read, with lots of plot twists. Can't say enough about this book. Has just the right amount of complexity to keep the pace moving, and you are always wondering what will happen next! Wow!
Just bought this authors second book, and really looking forward to that!
The Librarian is so well written that it's hard to believe that it is the author's first publication. The characters are vividly drawn and the plot was crafted in a manner that led the reader intensely from page to page. I finished the book in two sittings. Am looking forward to Philip Wilson's next book.
This book is a page-turner. Philip Wilson spins a remarkable story complete with mood inspiring settings and intriguing characters. There’s an interesting blend of romance and revenge along with no shortage of surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm not saying it's the most believable novel ever, but it's got lots of action, a clear plotline - with a few twists, and some time has been spent on the characters. An engaging 'revenge thriller'.
I could not put this book down. Very suspenseful, loved the characters. Perfect book for these cold days. Now I must read everything this author has written.
Fantastic characters, far fetched revenge plots, murder and a love story.... i will definitely continue reading this guy's books!!! Defintely recommend.
You were drawn into the story from the very first sentence. This is unlike any bad cop story I have read before. There are some grammatical errors in the book but the story is well worth the read!
Book down. Philip Wilson is a great story teller. Can't wait to read another of his books. I would recommend this book The Librarian to my friends. Thank you
This book was reminiscent of Sidney Sheldon. I loved his vulnerable, mild-mannered librarian lead who dealt with injustice and turned into a strong, vengeful heroine. Could not put it down! If there was ever a vengeance plot fit for an awesome movie this is it. Read it and you will understand why!
If they don't make a movie from this book then Hollywood has definitely lost the ability to see a good story. Needs some editing, but that doesn't detract from the storyline. Some areas raised my eyebrows, but would recommend it nonetheless.