The backroom of the Precious Finds Bookstore has served many purposes in its twenty-six years: a museum for unsalable books; a meeting place for art, music, and coffee clubs; a rendezvous point for the mysterious Friends of England; and the final resting place of its owner, Mr. Robert Ripple. Found dead of a heart attack, hunched over an overflowing box of Agatha Christie hardcovers, Ripple's death is relatively simple. The complications come in its aftermath. In the absence of a last will and testament, Ripple's savvy assistant Tanya sorts through the estate and discovers the the box of Christie volumes that ended her boss's life might just make hers. The unsavory members of the Friends of England, however, have secrets, not to mention plans, of their own for the unclaimed estate.

With its international wheeling and dealing, mob boss connections, and sexual conspiracies, Tanya discovers the the Precious Finds Bookstore is not anything like it seems. This Mysterious Bookshop original is Peter Lovesey at his best; the twists and turns of "Remaindered" will keep you guessing until the end.