Atticus Craftsman never travels without a supply of Earl Grey, his own personal kettle and a particular mug. In fact, he'd prefer not to leave England at all. But when his publisher father, Marlow, discovers that the Spanish literary magazine Librarte is hemorrhaging money, he sends Atticus to Madrid to close it down. Librarte, however, is run by five whip-smart women who have no intention of losing their jobs. From Atticus's arrival, Spanish novelist Mamen Sánchez weaves a highly entertaining story of corporate fraud, literary intrigue and cross-cultural romance in her fifth novel (and first published in English), The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman.
Inspector Manchego, a stolid policeman with a fondness for poker, is assigned to investigate Atticus's vanishing. Manchego does his best, but is completely flummoxed by the schemes of the Librarte staff. Editor Berta keeps Manchego running in circles in Madrid, while beautiful staff writer Soleá whisks Atticus away to Granada, enticing him with promises of a long-buried literary find. Meanwhile, Librarte's other staff members are harboring a few more secrets.
With a breezy narrative style and plenty of plot twists, Sánchez crafts a complicated story with a light touch. Soleá's sharp-eyed Granny Remedios is a wonderful character, as are Berta and Manchego. The solution to the literary mystery is surprising, but the real charm of this story lies in the amistad between Librarte's staff members and the romance that peeks impishly around every corner. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams