Why Hasn't Any Journalist Tried to Unravel the Mystery of Harriet Klausner?

This week, when I was preparing for our book club discussion of Herta Muller's The Passport, I was browsing various web sites and came across one called "Genre Go Round." Surprisingly enough, it was an blog that indexed all the reviews by Harriet Klausner, the #1 reviewer on A-zon.

Folks have been trying to figure out if this person is the real deal for years. She has claimed to read two books a day, but the review all sound like jacket copy. And while I have previously noticed the large amount of reviews posted on A-zon-mart and Barnes and Noble's web site, it hasn't really been laid out so bluntly:

224 books reviewed in the month of February, 2009.

2882 books reviewed in 2008.

By the way, that is almost triple the number of books reviewed in 2006, though this blog might not include the higher year.

I can't figure out what they get out of project Harriet K. There is no advertising on the blog. It doesn't seem to be some trick to get you to upload a virus. It's obviously a scam, or a big practical joke, or a cult. Folks on A-zon-mart's discussion board contemplate the options.

Here's her post about Noah Boyd's The Bricklayer. Note that the second link is to our web site. Klausner likes it!

"This is an action-packed investigative tale starring a man’s man antihero who does what he believes is right especially using his contacts, fists and guns, but infrequently his brains. The story line is fast-paced from start to finish though one wonders when the Bricklayer gets any sleep. Although the finish is abrupt and the Machiavellian villain obvious from someone at the top of the Sears Tower looking down at the street; readers will enjoy this testosterone thriller."

I particularly like the part about not getting any sleep.