"The Forgers" by Bradford Morrow is a compelling literary mystery that delves into the world of rare books and art forgery. Morrow's prose is elegant and evocative, drawing readers into a web of deception and intrigue. The characters are complex and well-developed, adding depth to a plot that twists and turns with each chapter. However, pacing can be slow at times, requiring patience as the story unfolds. Overall, "The Forgers" is a satisfying read for those who enjoy atmospheric thrillers and intricate plots.

Intriguing…
A reclusive rare book collector is discovered dead in a grotesque fashion. What is the meaning of this bizarre act. The rare book community is left stunned. An intriguing and interesting mystery which also explores the drive behind such single minded collectors.

It is a criminal mystery of the horrible death of one forger and the life of another forger before and after his death, how is he connected to the victim, how he became the forger, who are the authors whose handwriting is their "bread" and what became of him after the crime, and who is guilty of this murder.
This story is such an exciting thriller in which the reader is enticed by one piece or another, directing them here and there to explain why such a vicious way was needed to eliminate this alleged counterfeiter, and who may be the one who threatens the protagonist, while providing interesting descriptions of rare books and how skilled counterfeiters "improve" or "enhance" these books by adding something in the author's "handwriting." In addition to books, some forgers and fanatics of certain authors' works also let their imagination fly and "find" unsent "letters" or manuscripts of famous works by these authors.
Exciting reading

With an opening sentence like "They never found his hands", you can expect that you're in for a serious crime story. The Forgers does not deliver the gruesomeness that that opening suggests, but it is still a twisty murder mystery with a likeable protagonist.

The corpse in question is that of Adam Diehl, brother-in-law of notorious forger Will. Will has entertained suspicions that Adam might also have been a forger, but has kept those suspicions to himself. However the murder brings his own past back under the microscope, and he finds he needs to defend himself from his wife's suspicions, without exposing Adam. Just when he thinks that he has succeeded, he starts getting threatening letters that could only have been produced by a master forger, one at least as good as himself.

Will and his wife Meghan retreat to an Irish village while Will tries to go straight and leave his tarnished reputation in the rare book world behind him. Things are not so simple though, and trouble soon follows.

I liked the unusual milieu that this novel is set in, and the mounting tension that Will feels as his past closes in on him while he struggles to make a life beyond forgery and faking.

I really wanted to love this book, based on the blurb and cover, but unfortunately I just didn’t manage to ‘click’ with it.

The story is told by a mostly unnamed, unreliable and pretty unlikable, first-person narrator (we find out his name is Will about halfway through) and is written in the style of an old-fashioned written memoir novel – think The Woman in Black, or Watson and Hastings’ accounts of Holmes and Poirot’s cases respectively.

There is a lot of book-mentioning, which is usually something that warms my little book-loving heart, but for the main character, books are only items to be embellished and sold, rather than relished for their content. I found this more difficult to forgive than the various blackmails, forgeries and murders, to be honest!

The murder mystery isn’t really very mysterious, nor is it the real focus of the plot. The murderer can be identified almost immediately and then the reader meanders through a wealth of detailed information about the art of forgery and of selling said forgeries, and the moral qualms of a man who loves forgery and an honest woman almost equally, before briefly revisiting the murder to reveal that the obvious person was indeed the culprit.

I did enjoy the style of writing but found that the plot, pacing and characters left me colder than the narrator’s conscience. However, if you want to know more about forgery in written and typed documents, then this book is an excellent resource for your studies.

A bit of a meandering mystery with a somewhat navel-gazing protagonist. I liked learning about the world of book selling, and of forging, but the protagonist was a little too full of himself. He waffled a lot, and while he was deeply in love with Meghan, we did hear that rather a lot. There were suspenseful moments to be sure but the tension rarely lasted long. I hate not loving books but maybe this will work for other people, but it certainly wasn't for me.

I received this as a free book in exchange for a fair review.

Unfortunately this book just did not grip me and I did not finish it. Other readers may enjoy this one more

This book is the first I have read by Bradford Morrow - but most likely not the last! Morrow has crafted an exciting and believable story about the (to me) somewhat unknown world of rare book dealers and the forgers that no doubt also exist in those circles.
Morrow lost me momentarily a couple of times along the way but pulled me back and didn't let go until the climax. I was somewhat annoyed by the stupid decisions made by the main protagonist along the way, which ends pulling the book down to 4 stars, despite Morrow's excellent writing technique.

Sensational and literate .. we are totally immersed in the mesmerising voice of a convicted forger of literary books and letters as he supports his steadfast wife whose brother had been murdered. Unknown to her ..her brother was also a forger.. although not as adept as our narrator .. the denouement is a convincing shock which I won't reveal.. but it's worth the wait .. you will learn a great deal about the world of books and literary documents and mss for buyers ..all in meliflous prose ...really impressive

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A interesting read which doesn't hold back with some dark moments. The eriitng is good and engaging.
An OK read.

An excellent book. Well-plotted and conceived, this murder mystery throws a fascinating light on the dark side of the arcane world of rare book dealership. I have never encountered this writer before but will definitely be tracking down his other books,

The Forgers was, for me, a strong 3 or weak 4 star rating. I enjoyed feeling part of the bibliophile's passion for first editions and the amazing skill necessary to pull off the art form that is forgery. The attention needed, the focus and the skill, amazing, even if it is illegal. Will was a worthy narrator as his dealings are what drove the drama. Not a thriller, as such, but a gentle slow burn that failed to catch light at the close. I guessed the outcome and was disappointed to have it be revealed as the truth. I had concocted a more fiendish twist that might have cast this tale into a stronger rating but that was not to be.

The writing was eloquent and tight. Much like a chat with a snooty distant friend you see once in a few years. You warm to them and appreciate the knowledge and mastery of the English language they convey as they speak but it may get up your nose if too much time is spent in their company. It felt like a novel that set in previous era and that added to the aloofness in a good way.

The Forgers is a good story that covers an interesting area from some of the loveliest parts of world. I was intrigued and wanted to see where it was headed but found it stumbled ever so slightly at the end. Not a deal breaker, though. Reading it was time well spent.

This mystery, set in the rarefied world of rare and collectable antiquarian first editions, was published in the US four years ago and seems to have come to the UK market only now in paperback.

It opens with a gruesome attack on a reclusive rare book collector, Adam Diehl, which results in his death a few days later. His sister Meghan is hard hit by her brother's death, and the narrator is her fiancé Will, also a collector of rare books as well as a consummate forger specialising in late Victorian and early 20th century authors. As Adam's death remains unsolved and Will marries Meghan and has a child on the way, he is targeted by anonymous threatening blackmailing letters written in Arthur Conan Doyle's handwriting, culminating in death threats for him too.

The novel is billed as a riveting mystery in the style of Sherlock Holmes, with an ingenious twist at the end. However, I must say I found it to be rather pedestrian, written in an overblown style that jarred. I'm not generally the most perceptive of mystery readers, but I saw the twist coming from around halfway through the book, so for me the second half was more about finding out the details to solve the mystery, rather than compulsively seeking the solution itself. Sad to say, Bradford Morrow is no Conan Doyle on the strength of the evidence this novel provides.

They never found his hands. Collector Adam Diehl is found dead missing his hands leading to an investigation. His sister and her partner are soon brought in wondering what happened. Will was a forger who got found out and has been trying to recover his image when he starts receiving blackmail letters. Is there a connection.

I had such high hopes for this book but it didn't quite live up to them. Its a shorter story than most but it doesn't feel short at times. It has the premise of a good thriller but that's lost along the way The identity of the killer is obvious early on so its not much of a twist when finally revealed. I did find the story interesting and loved all the references to authors and books. A good read if you not reading it for the thriller part.

The Forgers is set in the rarified world of antiquarian book collectors who spend their lives searching out rare and valuable books and manuscripts.

The writing is excellent. the book pulls you in, I was enthralled as I had no idea such a world existed.

I really enjoyed this book. Would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books – Grove Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Forgers by Bradford Morrow starts with rare book collector, Adam Diehl, being found with both of his hands cut off.  His sister Meghan is left with the repercussions of his death, and her boyfriend, Will, another rare book collector, but also a convicted forger who still feels the itch.

Will and Meghan try to start their life anew, but someone knows about Will's past, and writes to him in the handwriting of long death author's.  The same someone who tipped the police off about Will's forging.  

This is a suspenseful book, with twists and turns.  I enjoyed the ride, and was kept guessing all the way along.

 The Forgers  by Bradford Morrow was published on 5th November 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and your  local independent bookshop .

You can follow Bradford Morrow on  Twitter ,  Facebook  and his  website .

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Atlantic Books .

I quite enjoyed this one. I'll admit, that writing felt a little clunky and dry, for lack of a better explanation. However, the setting of the rare book world was fascinating and kept me interested. The mystery itself wasn't the most enthralling. I figured out the twist from very early one, but again, I still found myself invested enough in the story and characters to keep turning the pages. Invested enough, in fact, that I plan on reading the second book in the series soon.

Even if I loved the style of writing the MC grated on my nerves and the story didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When a reclusive book collector is found in his home with his hands severed, his sister and her boyfriend, a convicted signature forger, struggle to deal with the bizarre murder. But when the forger begins receiving threatening letters, apparently from dead authors but full of secrets about his life, he understands that he may also be in danger.

The action was quite disjointed and I found it difficult to follow the story. There are plenty of shady characters and a deep-set mystery which should have kept me hooked but my mind drifted very often. Perhaps it was the jumbled, complex writing style. I did really enjoy the final few pages, although the truth didn't really surprise me.

Set in the world of rare books, and forgeries, this story has all the ingredients for a great thriller - a man discovered with severed hands who dies shortly after in hospital, a romance between the dead man's sister and a prolific forger (the narrator), and mysterious letters to the narrator.

However it didn't grip me as much as it should given those ingredients - I found the writing too prosaic, the characters very stiff and hard to engage with. I did enjoy the setting and the background of the books and forgeries; the story itself was okay, although rather predictable.