In a wonderful paean to booksellers everywhere, Susan Wiggs (The Beekeeper's Ball; Return to Willow Lake) transports readers to the vibrant, colorful city of San Francisco. Here, a shocking tragedy has brought Natalie home to the family bookshop, housed in a crumbling historical building, and to the grandfather she adores. She hires a restoration expert, Peach Gallagher, to shore up the charming old building. He shares her love of books, is surprisingly well-read and has a precocious young daughter. Soon, both Peach and his daughter become vital to Natalie's life, particularly since her grandfather returns their affection and friendship. Her once quiet, work-driven life is suddenly filled with people who are becoming more important to her with each passing day.
With her grandfather's health failing, the bookstore's finances on life support and the historical building needing many repairs, Natalie searches desperately for a plan to save them all. Her grandfather refuses to sell the building, which has been in his family for generations. A solution to her problems seems within her grasp, however, when Peach's repair work to the structure's walls produces some startling discoveries. Natalie can only hope the bookshop's secrets from the past will save the building's future.
The Lost and Found Bookshop is an excellent story that resonates on multiple levels. Its rich variety of engaging characters live within a vivid San Francisco tapestry. The characters drive the outstanding plot, with intriguing historical mystery elements layered into the contemporary story. --Lois Faye Dyer, writer and reviewer