Content Warning: This section contains references to sexual assault, addiction, and death by suicide, in addition to descriptions of murders.

“The front door opened, and I heard the stamp of the FBI agent’s feet on the doormat. It had just begun to snow, and the air that rushed into the store was heavy and brimming with energy.”

This is the first line of the novel, which establishes a central location—Old Devils Bookstore in Boston—and the typical winter weather there. Snow is set up as a symbol that reflects Malcolm’s feelings in this quote. He is energized by the entrance of Gwen, the FBI agent, as she breaks up the monotony of his day-to-day with news of the list killer.

“It promised, like all these covers, two things: sex and death.”

Here, Malcolm describes the covers of the mystery books on his shelves. These two concepts maintain a connection for Malcolm throughout the narrative. He is responsible for his wife’s murder because of her infidelity, and Malcolm later mistakes Tess’s sexual advances for murderous intent.

“Books are time travel. True readers all know this.”

In this passage, Malcolm reflects on how rereading a book can take you back to the time in which it is set, as well as take you back to the first time that you read it. This relationship between one’s past and the fiction they read develops the theme of Reality and Fiction. It is also significant that Malcolm doesn’t read new mystery novels after the death of his wife. He is living in a past mindset, not moving forward.