“He loved the smell and feel of old books. To hold them was to touch the past.”

“He was never lonely, not with his books for company. Books never complained, never asked awkward questions.”

“There was something she found intensely attractive about a man with a thirst for knowledge. Marc's obsessive love of books had been--she realized now--a huge part of his appeal....”

“Readers came and went, only the books stayed forever.”

“Seldom happier than when I'm on my own, lost in a book.”

“She says I ought to throw out at least two books for every one I buy. I had new bookshelves put up in the cottage after moving in, but already the to-be-read pile is mounting on to floor of the spare room.”

“One thing you learn in my job is that the truth is usually the last thing people want to emerge. Guilty or innocent, it doesn't matter. Everyone has something to hide.”