October 3, 2014
Springfield, Oregon author William Ritter’s recently released 12-and-up novel Jackaby (Algonquin Young Readers) earned the BuzzBooks contest title this past weekend at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association annual tradeshow, in Tacoma, Sept 26-28.Nearly 200 booksellers and librarians from around the Northwest made stops at publisher booths on the show floor to hear pitches in support of some of the more highly anticipated releases of the fall publishing season. Participants then voted for the BuzzBooks candidate they were most excited to recommend to readers back in their libraries and bookstores.
Jackaby, the first book in a series, is quick-pitched as Doctor Who meets Sherlock, as a detective of the paranormal and his adventurous assistant, Abigail, investigate a string of murders in a tale brimming with quirky humor and a dose of the macabre.
“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion—and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
The book mavens of the Northwest have peeked behind Jackaby’s curtain and like what they see.
