Book Endings by Syntell Smith

Workplace drama, emotional tragedy, and the winding roads of reconciliation abound in Book Endings: A Call Numbers Novel by Syntell Smith.

Following on the heels of this series’ first installment, readers once again find Robin Walker in the surprisingly dramatic muddle of mid-90s life in New York City. Despite the traditionally quiet atmosphere of a library, Robin’s world is packed with opinionated and argumentative peers who add color, conflict, and energy to this character-driven workplace drama. Managing the emotional exhaustion of his declining grandfather, navigating the patchwork alliances and fleeting loyalties among his colleagues, and even testing the waters of an intoxicating new relationship, Robin’s life is never boring in this branch.

With more than a dozen diverse and well-crafted characters swirling throughout this story, Smith orchestrates the action well, though the dialogue could be improved. New York is a wild jumble of jagged dialects and sharp tongues, and while the writing captures some of that, the stylistic speech patterns are inconsistent. Some of the narration also lands flat, failing to capture emotionally charged scenes, or rushing through critical moments of character development.

However, the frenetic pace of the plot does make it difficult to put this book down, while the gossipy drama makes the reading experience a guilty pleasure. While a final edit could smooth some pacing issues and eliminate poor language choices, this rough-edged diamond still shines with authenticity.