The Archivist: A Thriller

by Rex Pickett

A November Book Pick from The New York Times When archivist Nadia Fontaine is found dead of an apparent drowning, Emily Snow is hired by Regents University to finish the job she started -- to organize and process the papers of Raymond West, a famous Pulitzer Prize-winning author who has been short-listed for the Nobel. Emily's job comes with its inherent pressures. West's wife, Elizabeth, is an heiress who's about to donate $25 million to the Memorial Library -- an eight-story architectural marvel that is the crown jewel of the university. The inaugural event in just a few months will be a gala for the who's who of San Diego to celebrate the unveiling of the Raymond West Collection and the financial gift that made it all possible. As Emily sets to work on the West papers, it begins to dawn on her that several items have gone missing from the collection. To trace their whereabouts, she gains unsupervised access to the highly restricted "dark archives," in which she opens a Pandora's box of erotically and intellectually charged correspondence between Raymond West and the late Nadia Fontaine. Through their archived emails, Emily goes back a year in time and relives the tragic trajectory of their passionate love affair. Did Nadia really drown accidentally, as the police report concluded, or could it have been suicide, or, even worse, murder? Compelled to complete the collection and find the truth, Emily unwittingly morphs into an adult Nancy Drew and a one-woman archivist crusader on a mission to right the historical record. Twisting slowly like a tourniquet, The Archivist turns into a suspenseful murder mystery with multiple and intersecting layers. Not just a whodunit, it is also a profound meditation on love, privacy, and the ethics of destroying or preserving materials of a highly personal nature.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Novels, Book Club

700 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having loved the movie (but not read the book) Sideways, I hoped that this thriller by the same writer Rex Pickett would be worthwile. Well, I was disappointed. It is definitely the case of being 200 pages or so too long and can justifiably be accused of using $5 words when a 10¢ word would do. That alone was so aggravating that I almost ditched it a few times. The plot uses some relatively old tropes (California forest fires = hot situation for the protagonist) but just drags them out (first half of the book, e.g. over 400 pages). As for the intrigue, the title of the book makes sense after the halfway point. I dunno, it just didn't feel smooth and well-executed to me.
One thing that really bugged me was the author's utter ignorance about computers: he makes this big deal about the C:\ drive at the Library being a "dark drive". For those who are not computer geeks like myself, on Microsoft Windows, the C:\ drive is the most basic drive where ALL software is installed by default. If it was not visible, she would not be able to login and see anything. If it was truly "dark", it would be invisible and require permissions to connect. So, that really killed my suspension of disbelief.
Also, I felt that sometimes, the protagonist's female sexuality was a bit forced as it was being told by a male author: in other words, it felt at times more prurient than realistic.
Unless you are an ardent Pickett fan, this one can probably be safely skipped.

My list of potential 2022 Pulitzer Prize winners here.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being an archivist myself, I REALLY wanted to love this book. It's always fun to see someone else's perspective of what I do for a living. And while it was interesting to see how someone else would process a large and complicated collection, I had a hard time getting into this book. To the point where after I got halfway through and still was struggling and forcing myself to continue I finally just threw in the towel and didn't finish it. I may still try to finish it, but as of right now, it's done.

So what went wrong for me: I think the biggest problem I had with this book was the dragging out of details and the VERY slow action in the story. I'm halfway through and I feel like Emily hasn't made a dent in the collection. And while she's slowly learning what happened to Nadia (and by slowly I mean literally reading her life story and emails....this could have been summed up in parts and used the emails more sparingly to have more of an impact), it doesn't feel like she's doing too much to figure out exactly what happened to her and why everyone is so freaked out about mentioning her.

I think this story has potential, but the pace needs to pick WAY up and not be so bogged down in emails and Nadia's story. I get that it's important to the plot, but it really could have been condensed more to move the plot along. I didn't finish, so maybe it picks up later (but I made it halfway though - in my world, if a book hasn't picked up by the halfway point and I'm still somewhat bored, it probably won't get any better).

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC!

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an archivist myself, I was really excited to give this one a try. Unfortunately, it took me only a few pages to realize that this book wasn't going to work for me. The writing was just so bad. It was somehow both extremely amateur and also extremely pretentious, like it was written by a high school or college student trying to prove how smart they are. Also, the main character is a young woman and in the bit that I read, I could tell this would fall into the oft-discussed "why men shouldn't write women characters," category. It wasn't as blatant as some I've seen, but it still was pretty bad. I'm sorry to say, this isn't one I'll be recommending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the review copy.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never written a review this short and to the point: an incredibly ponderous read.

[Chris]

10% of this 700 page novel was enough for me.

[Bette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst written book I have ever read. The word choices and metaphors are laughable. And perhaps worst of all it’s at least twice as long as it needed to be. I skimmed most of it, stopping to highlight the funny passages that caught my eye—unintentionally funny, that is. I can’t believe Pickett got this book published at all. Horrible.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

AN OVERLY LENGTHY MULTI-LAYERED MURDER MYSTERY


SUMMARY
Archivist Emily Snow is driving down the coast on her way to Regents University Memorial Library in San Diego California to complete the job of organizing the papers of Raymond West, a famous Pulitzer Prize winning author. Her predecessor Nadia Fontaine had died in an apparent surfing accident several months earlier. The temporary position is a fabulous opportunity but comes with lots of pressure.

The job must be completed quickly, since West has just been shortlisted for the Nobel Prize. West’s wife, a philanthropist is also about to donate $25 million to the renovate the eighth floor of Library. The donation and the papers will be revealed at a gala set in just a few months, But as the meticulous Emily begins the archival process she notes that several documents have gone missing from the collection. In her search for the missing documents and her perusal of the “dark archives” she uncovers extremely personal correspondence between West and Nadia as well as a book they seemed to have authored together. The correspondence leads Emily to believe that Nadia’s drowning may not have been the accident everyone believes. So what should she do now…

REVIEW
THE ARCHIVIST is a multi-layered murder mystery that librarians and book lovers might just adore. The setting, suspense and ethics of the archival process are primed and ready to draw you in like a moth to a flame.

The story is a long one at 700 pages and it occasional gets bogged down in minutia. While the writing is descriptive at points it’s a little much. The opening chapter has Emily driving down the California Coast Highway and at times I didn’t think she, nor I would ever make it to her destination.

Emily’s character is rather quirky because of a selective sound sensitivity affliction know as misophonia. A barking dog, ticking clock, or dinging elevator drives her to distraction, frustration, and at times, even rage. As a result she has gravitated to the seemingly quiet of libraries. She is also so meticulous and will leave no document untouched or unfound. She’ll accept no help and must be in total control of her project, and is quite rough around the edges when dealing with co-workers.



Author Rex Pickett skillfully transports us into the archive files and has woven Emily and Nadia’s experiences into a dramatic high stakes tale. Pickett is an American novelist best known for his his novel Sideways.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Published November 9, 2021
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

[3 no 7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This library is not a haven of books but a repository of deception, betrayal, and murder

“The Archivist” has the tension of a tale of international espionage, but these things happen within the intellectually-safe cocoon of a library. Who would think that murder, treachery, and breach of trust could happen in such a nice, quiet, educational place? The initial premise seems so wonderfully academic ― a famous, prolific, and potentially “Pulitzer Prize-winning” author is donating his archives to Regents University, but what follows is fodder for the tabloids.

The story unfolds in the first-person narrative of Emily Katherine Snow, the archivist assigned to organize and document this collection. She is a consummate professional, and this is her chance to advance her career. This gift of superb academic materials will allow the university to show itself off to the world. However, what Snow finds is not a storehouse of literary excellence but a repository of deeply hidden secrets. Her conservation of academic pieces turns into an erupting volcano of information concerning clandestine meetings, dark archives, trauma, betrayal, and murder. She also uncovers a bombshell ― an unpublished manuscript that if published, could have monumental consequences.

Pickett’s descriptive style enhances the tense atmosphere. Sensory images are everywhere; waves crack like whips in the early morning; events take form like a photo developing in a darkroom, and thoughts run away like cockroaches skittering in the light. The library is no longer an oasis of serenity, but instead, it has become a stormy world of suffering, salaciousness, secrets, and seduction.

“The Archivist” is a tale of intensity, paranoia, and fraud. Each page reveals new dishonesty and deception. I received a review copy of “The Archivist” from Rex Pickett, and Blackstone Publishing. The book is like a set of Russian nesting dolls, one is opened to reveal another, and another, and yet another.

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to describe my impression of this book in a single word, it would be pretentious. As a journalist/editor, I was taught never to use a $20 word when a 50-cent one would do. Right from the git-go, this rule-of-thumb got turned on its head and never righted itself throughout the 700 pages (yes, I had to look up several words, the meanings of which I couldn't discern through context alone). Also off-putting to me is the length; with the exception of the Harry Potters, a couple of James Micheners and a Stephen King or two, anything more than 400 pages and I'm inclined to run the other way.

So all that said, I was surprised at being drawn in almost from the beginning and even more shocked when my enthusiasm grew as the pages trudged on. Even before the halfway point, in fact, I just didn't want to put it down, and for a book of this length, I finished it in record time.

At the heart of the story are two professional archivists - Nadia Fontaine and Emily Snow - both hired to organize the "papers" of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Raymond West at his alma mater, Regents University, where he's also a professor. But at different times; Nadia, who came first, drowned while surfing, deemed an accident by police. Emily followed, chosen because of her expertise and the need to finish Raymond's collection in time for the opening of the $25 million upgrade to the college library's eighth floor, where the collection will be housed (also, hopefully, coinciding with the announcement that Raymond has won the year's Nobel Prize for literature). Of even more importance, though, is that those big bucks are coming from none other than Raymond's starchy wife, Elizabeth - so stepping on toes by anyone on the library staff, in particular the Special Collections Department, is, well, frowned upon.

As Emily starts to make sense of her predecessor's work and assess what still needs to be done, though, she notices that several items that should be in the collection are missing. But why? Were they simply mislaid, and if so, where? Or were they deliberately removed, and if so, why? Aided in secret by her closest friend at the library, Joel, Emily gains access to what's called the "Dark Archives" - and tumbles headlong into evidence of a torrid love affair between Raymond and Nadia. That puts Emily in sleuth mode, trying her best to get to the truth about the missing papers and Nadia's untimely death.

At almost every juncture, she gets pushback from the library powers-that-be, all of whom seem intent on stopping her from throwing a monkey wrench into the plans for the library makeover and embarrassing the college and Raymond's wealthy wife even though they have no idea how much she's already learned. Even Emily isn't totally sure what it all means, but she's convinced that no matter how the chips fall, Nadia's story - as recorded by both Nadia and Raymond - needs to be made public despite the family's wishes. That, in turn, brings Emily's ethics into serious question and, ultimately, threatens to destroy not only her career, but her very life.

In the interest of full disclosure - and other readers' sensitivities - I will note that the book has plenty of graphic sex (culled from Nadia's super-detailed accounts of her trysts with Raymond). Also, I'll hope that Moleskine and Societe paid for the extensive product placement (if they didn't, the companies darned well should ante up for all those mentions). I'd also concede that the story could have been told in fewer pages by leaving out what some might deem irrelevant details (such as descriptions of clothing, where and what a character ate and drank). From my perspective, though, those details help shape the story and add substantially to character development (in other words, I'm fine with it). Finally, I think this could be a great motion picture or, maybe even better, a TV series.

All that comes together to make a very enjoyable, thought-provoking and at times scary tale I'm really glad I took the time to read. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

[Tiffany Sayers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews for books I’ve read, ever. I absolutely felt like I had to for this book.
Remember back in HS the year before you took your SATs and your teacher would give you homework every week consisting of 10 words you had to spell out and then use in a sentence? This book is what would happen if you took every SAT word ever compiled, used them all in sentences and then strung those sentences together for 400 pages.
About 20 minutes into the audio version of The Archivist, I started counting ‘big’ words. It was like a fun game. Before the hour was up I had lost count there were so many inane word choices and it wasn’t funny anymore. This book is filled with similes and metaphors and opulent descriptions for EVERYTHING. It is 30 hours long. It could have probably been 8 hours if anyone had actually edited it. I kept at it for 7 hours because the story interested me. But I finally had to throw in the towel, the dialogue is so horrendous and pretentious, I couldn’t keep going. Which is too bad because I was into the story. I’m very tempted to go get a copy of this book and a red pen.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't finish it. I couldn't figure out exactly how I felt about it. I work in a HS library so I was intrigued by the abundance of SAT words, but given the amount of promiscuity and X-rated passages in the book, I couldn't recommend it for our library. I am far from a prude but I was turned off by those passages and frankly tired of having to use the dictionary on my Kindle to look up so many words.

I got about half way into this 700 page book when I decided it just wasn't worth it to finish. Good concept, that's about the best I can say.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

[Denise Sweeney]

Mr Picket swallowed a thesaurus, and regurgitated puerile pretentious nonsense.

[P.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emily the archivist is a plucky loner who has landed a gig she's really excited about: archiving for Raymond West, a Pulitzer-prize winning author and potential Nobel winner. The project is undone because the previous archivist, Nadia, drowned in a "surfing accident." Now Regent's University has everything to lose if the archive isn't finished on time for its unveiling at a gala with a $25 million donation attached. As Emily digs into the project, navigating the strange politics of the archives team and West's heiress wife, missing items send her on a deeper search that reveals an illicit affair between Nadia and West. With information that could scandalize West's career, ruin his wife's reputation, and bring Regent's to its knees, Emily has to wonder how accidental Nadia's death really was.

I was very excited by the premise of this book, but three enduring aspects of the prose made it extremely difficult to get through. First, it's incredibly detailed, including detailing everything the protagonist wears and eats, which I don't ever feel is germane to the plot unless we're reading a culinary murder or a sartorial serial killer case. The details often killed the tension and made it hard to track the main story line. As the band Cake puts it, "The ornaments are pretty, but they're pulling down the branches of the tree." (The culinary coverage also did not work for me in A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, but in that case the pacing made up for all the food descriptions, which I think everyone but me loved.)

Second, there are redundancies throughout the text that don't feel like they are building, but just restating a story element in different words, so I felt like I was being beaten with the information instead of moved along by it. The two main examples are Helena's jealousy of Elizabeth as it relates to Helena's limited earning potential, and the way Emily tries to hold herself at arms' length when it comes to men.

And third, there are various transitions between places that are included that aren't necessary, in my opinion. I don't need a detailed account of Emily and Helena leaving the building to go to Helena's car, for example - to me these kinds of scenes (eating, driving, walking) can play well on screen and can even say something within the story (Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" with all the shots spent on characters walking to doors). That just didn't feel like the case here.

I might have loved this book if it didn't feel bloated by those three issues. I think it could have been much shorter and would be a much stronger work for the cutting. If it's shorter when it comes out, I would definitely pick it up again, if only out of curiosity.

I didn't mind having to use the dictionary so often (some SAT words I'd forgotten, others I'd never encountered) but it did take me out of the story and I was SO GLAD I was reading on my iPad so I could just tap a word to pull it up. The vocabulary felt appropriate given who the characters are.

On the plus side, I thought Emily was a really interesting character. I kind of loved rolling my eyes at her academic ego, and I liked it whenever she stood up for herself. I was also super-intrigued by her sensitivity to certain sounds and the suggestion that she could probably be homicidal if provoked with the right sounds under the right circumstances. While West's archives were a "Pandora's Box," Emily felt like one, too. So I liked how she was underestimated by the other characters. And the late Nadia was sufficiently mysterious to keep me curious.

Lastly, I did enjoy the artful descriptions of the fires in California, which lent an ominous air to the whole atmosphere of the story, and the descriptions of the buildings also gave the story an edge.

A big thank-you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I had mixed feelings about this book. In the beginning I felt the author was trying too hard to be literary. I frequently had to look up words in the dictionary (not that this is a bad thing, but it took me out of the story to do so).

The Archivist is a disturbing work with a great story of a twisted romance and the murder of the female in the relationship. In essence, Nadia Fontaine, the archivist working on the papers of Raymond West, a writer short-listed for the Nobel Prize. She and West fall in love, co-author an Anais Nin type sexually explicit book. Shortly thereafter, Nadia is found dead, presumably drowned while surfing. Emily Snow, another archivist, is hired to complete the cataloguing of the West papers. She soon comes to feel that Fontaine was murdered rather than drowned and embarks on the quest to learn the truth.

The Archivist is a dark work that required considerable effort to read. Then I stumbled into a sex scene that I considered putting up for The Guardian’s Bad Sex Awards and nearly quit. However, I persevered and, towards the last half of the book, I couldn’t put it down and stayed up at 4:30 a.m. to finish it. I enjoyed it too because it was about writing and how authors (and other artists) feed off each other.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 1 out of 5]

SO MANY ISSUES WITH THIS BOOK!!!

Let's get started:

This book was 700 pages and would have been better at about 250. This book is evidence that the author has no idea how to write a book with female protagonists; main character was written and portrayed as young but to find out she is an aspiring young journalist.... SMH. She is investing a surf accident at prestigious college where everyone has an opinion or some people do not want to talk about it.

As this author was continuing this painfully long, unbelievable mess of a story; it is clear the author pulled out a thesaurus. Seriously such a turnoff and distracting from the story.

Honestly? This was a DNF at about page 275 and thank goodness it is a Netgalley book. The actual hardcover when it comes out, for the poor fool who buys this, would have better use for it is a coaster or a step stool. Can I have the days I spent reading back, please?

Cannot recommend. Hated it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Rex Pickett and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 11/9/21

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

TITLE: THE ARCHIVIST
AUTHOR: Rex Pickett
PUB DATE: 11.09.2021

REX PICKETT is a California-based screenwriter and author who is most well known for writing "Sideways", the book that became one of the most critically acclaimed and highest-grossing comedy films in Hollywood history.

What I enjoyed:

Slow burn suspense
Twisty murder mystery
Intriguing characters

The Archivist was a riveting read that weaved into a twisty and layered story about characters so interesting you find yourself immersed into the world of the wealthy and a secret relationship.

Archivist Emily Snow takes her job seriously ensuring that historical records are correct and missing records found. Turning into an amateur sleuth, she uncovers a passionate love affair between Raymond West, a famous Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Nadia Fontaine who was found dead from an accidental drowning or is it?

[Tom Orsi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have paid attention to other reviewers. I kept reading because I thought there might be something good that I would miss if I didn't complete the book. It would have been about the same as deciding not to go to the dentist because I might miss something during the root canal. The biggest surprise was when I got to the acknowledgements at the end of the book and discovered that there actually was an editor involved. You couldn't have told from the writing. An editor might have questioned the logic of the story and might have corrected some of the errors.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Rex Pickett is not a good writer. His descriptive paragraphs go on too long. He is in love with his own ornate descriptions even if it adds nothing to the characters, plot or sense of place. His plot unfolds at a painful glacial pace. He is interesting when the plot is backed by wine lore of Santa Barbara, Oregon or Chile, but without the wine motif, his novel length work, like this one is awful. His editor should have done a better job of trimming down these 700 pages to a tighter book of less than 300. That’s would more like Chandler than this enormous stolid tome

[Rachel Parham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh snails, this book is slow! I tried to listen to the audiobook and 2 hours in (of what I learned was a 30 hour book) nothing had happened. The heroine had driven down the Pacific Coast Highway in CA, moved into a new apartment, allowed a stray cat to move in as well, took a walk along the beach, and visited the library. In 2 hours! The author spent more time describing CA wildfires than moving the plot along. Couldn't spend another minute on this one, I am sorry to say.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book about a girl but you can tell it’s written by a man; I’ll spare you the details but you can tell. Also a man who likes to add in big words for the hell of it. My mom liked this book but I hated it. I guess it’s like a mystery romance type of book but I’ll never read anymore of this author ever again. When it finally ended, it wasn’t a surprise. I think I was more relieved that it’s finally done.

[Barb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally stupid. Over written. Overwrought..

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Up from zero. D n f. Unreadably overwritten.

[Cathy Cohn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t even make it through.

This book is a drivel of over explanation and overuse of innocuous vocabulary. Shitty overblown writing, stupid themes, don’t waste your time.

[Joy Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pickett's nearly epic literary mystery THE ARCHIVIST begins slowly and lays a foundation for a tragic love story that becomes something so much more in a world we almost never get to visit, or imagine a mystery would unfold in: a colossally imposing library. Emily Snow is a 27-year-old project archivist who comes to a fictional university in southern California to finish up a job her predecessor left unfinished after losing her life in an accidental drowning. She finds more than she bargained for, and then some. Delving into the world of archivists and their work was fascinating to me. But what really sold me on this novel, what really tore my heart out is how Pickett deftly moves from what appears to be a workplace novel to a tense thriller that is both cerebral and of one that uses the mystery genre to get at greater truths about love, the craft of writing, a person's legacy and the lengths to which some will go to protect it. The ending will blow you away and make you realize that Pickett, known for SIDEWAYS (which I loved, incl. the sequels) has more going on than just two guys on a wine-fueled road trip, he can explore other worlds, as he has here in THE ARCHIVIST and surprised me in the best possible way. I can't imagine anyone who is not in the archival profession, or who works in a library wouldn't be interested in this book, let mystery/thriller genre lovers as a whole. THE ARCHIVIST brings literary depth, four strong women characters, whose stories you won’t want to end, that make this mystery so unique, and so uniquely rewarding.

[Kelly Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Archivist features an original concept so unique that any bibliophile, historian, and aficionado of the arts cannot help but be drawn to it. Rex Pickett crafts a tale of intrigue, set in a locale that could, by many, be seen as the antithesis of the concept - a library. But as anyone with a library card knows, those august walls hold a plethora of adventures and mysteries just waiting to be discovered.
In the process of telling his tale, Pickett aptly illustrates, in great detail, the world of archivists working in a prestigious library, and of the authors whose works grace the shelves. The elitisms, pomposity, and sense of superiority exhibited by the characters who make up his academia comes through in deafening detail. Why would such learned and intelligent characters deign to use a widely understood yet still multi-syllabic word when an ostentatious, archaic, and obscure one will display one's superiority? Such words force readers to scramble for a dictionary every few paragraphs, forced to recognize their own failings in the areas of vocabulary. After all, isn't it the responsibility of the higher educated to elucidate those below them? This tendency among academia is well ensconced in these pages, setting the tone for the book.
Sadly, in embracing his academics with a superior state of being, Pickett gets bogged down in minutia that does little to nothing to advance either plot or character development. This comes across as a penchant for verbosity just for the sake of self congratulation.
In fact, the minutia merely leaves the reader wondering when the story is going to actually begin, or continue, depending on what point she is in the ingestion of the fare Pickett has offered. The first five chapters are plodding and pedantic, ostensibly for the sake of ART, and the reader is simply tempted to skip entire sections or, heavens forbid, give up on the book altogether.
In fact, the book could easily lose at least a third of its prodigious girth without any ill effects. Perhaps even half of its word count. It would definitely be more enjoyable.
The story, when it finally finds its legs, is actually a gripping one. Despite its painfully long descriptions and cringe worthy depictions of feminine sexuality, once the plot gets moving, if you can wade through the flotsam and jetsam, it is spell binding in its intricacies and suspenseful in its development.
Ironically, the conclusion happens so comparatively quickly, the reader finishes the book wondering that it has actually concluded. It's almost as if the writer has exhausted himself and rushed the ending. Or perhaps I missed a key detail in the sections that I merely scanned for key words in order to get to the sections in which something Happened!
The Archivist holds so much potential. And somewhere, mired in the minutia that makes little difference to anything but the reader's desire to continue, if you search, it lives up to that potential.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the premise and requested a digital galley from Edelweiss.
I only read a few chapters of this book. The prose is too hard to wade through. There is an overload of backstory and unnecessary detail. The metaphors are painfully overwrought.
I hate giving such a negative review, but this book needed editing. The story is there, but is buried by the poor writing.

[Scout Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book I have ever had the displeasure of reading. Why is this nearly 800 pages? Has Rex Pickett ever met a woman? His main character makes me think he hasn't. Absolutely awful.

[Shari Suarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily Snow is a project archivist sent to San Diego's fictional Regents University to work on the papers of Raymond West, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and professor at the university. His heiress wife, Elizabeth is donating $25 million dollars to the library as well as Raymond's papers.
Emily's predecessor, Nadia Fontaine drowned in a supposed accident after being fired for getting too close to her subject. However, she had hidden secrets and she leaves clues for the current archivist.
Emily is trying to do her job but keeps finding inconsistencies and she is drawn into Nadia & Raymond's story which turns out to be dangerous for her. It could jeopardize her job, her reputation, her sanity & even her life. Emily can't quit however until she finds out the truth.
The first part of the book was difficult to get through, The author is very descriptive and uses some serious vocabulary which interrupts the flow of the story. Once you get used to that however, the story is intriguing.

[Jessica Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read usually on my IPad, so I rarely know how many pages something is. I was going to give this 3 stars, until I realized I suffered through 700 pages 😡 So, it’s a 2 star now.

I felt better reading other people’s reviews and not feeling so alone in my opinion. The author in this book comes across as pretentious and misogynistic. The characters are strangely flat too. The first part takes forever to get through. Some of the second part is pretty suspenseful and a quick read, but then the last few chapters seem to tie things up in a strange bow, like he just got tired of writing.

The premise is interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend this author or this book.

[Daria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rex Pickett wrote this book with a thesaurus in one hand and a parcel of favorite words in the other. How many time did someone's head "telescope" or is speech "Ventriloquized"? A fat white asparagus? Are you kidding me? Ugh. A waste of my time.