Pity the plagiarist! Especially if he has written a thriller, and the books he copied from are James Bond novels and books by Robert Ludlum. That’s what Quentin Rowan, who writes as Q.R. Markham, has done. Today Little, Brown recalled his debut novel, Assassin of Secrets, from the shelves of bookstores across the country, offering refunds to those who have already bought and now would like to return his book.
Earlier today Publishers Marketplace’s Michael Cader reported that Mr. Rowan is part-owner of Spoonbill & Sugartown, the Bedford Ave. bookstore that keeps Williamsburg weird. We called and spoke with the owner, Miles Bellamy, who said that Mr. Rowan was not really an owner, just a “small investor.” Mr. Markham/Rowan referred to himself as a co-owner just a couple weeks ago on HuffPo, but that’s only as good as his (borrowed) word.
“There are a lot of different people who have supported the bookstore over the years,” said Mr. Bellamy, who declined to comment further. According to a Facebook invitation, Spoonbill & Sugartown hosted Mr. Markham’s spy-themed costume party in honor of the book’s release last week.
Edward Champion has started to compare some passages of Mr. Rowan’s book with passages from books he lifted from, and it does not look good.
