Synopses & Reviews
Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he is an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local bookscout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway's wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge. andlt;BRandgt; Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop -- all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now, Janeway's life is about to start a precarious new chapter as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains. andlt;BRandgt; Includes information on John Dunning's new Cliff Janeway novel, andlt;Iandgt;The Bookman's Promise,andlt;/Iandgt; coming soon in hardcover from Scribner
Review
"You have to love the premise of this book. A Denver detective, sick of police work, quits his job and opens a bookstore. Is that great or what? Cliff Janeway is a book collector from way back, so what's more natural than to begin selling his prize first editions when his job goes sour. More to the point, Janeway's new bookstore is an island of peace compared to the crime traffic with which he formerly had to deal. That included the unsolved murder of a book scout, a guy who made his living picking up bargains at the Goodwill and peddling them to bookstores. Janeway pursues that mystery in the course of his own book searches, and it turns out to be a good story. But don't be distracted from the real fun—all that lore about books and the book trade. It's a bibliophile's dream." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
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andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt; (starred review) Crisp, direct prose and nearly pitch-perfect dialogue enhance this meticulously detailed page-turner.
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andlt;Iandgt;Boston Sunday Globeandlt;/Iandgt; I am...an unabashed admirer of John Dunning's andlt;Iandgt;Booked to Die.andlt;/Iandgt; No one...can fail to be delighted by the sort of folkloric advice Janeway carries with him.
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andlt;Iandgt;San Francisco Chronicleandlt;/Iandgt; Fascinating...Assured and muscular prose...Very cannily and creepily, Dunning shows how quiet men with civilized tastes can turn into killers...The payoff, in pleasure, is for the reader.
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andlt;Iandgt;The Philadephia Inquirerandlt;/Iandgt; A standout piece of crime fiction...Compelling page-turning stuff.
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United Press International Very credible...An involved tale that satisfies the mystery reader's wants.
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andlt;Iandgt;Mystery Sceneandlt;/Iandgt; Memorable...Compellng...Vivdly realistic...Fascinating and utterly convincing...A suspenseful, well-crafted mystery that should keep readers guessing right up to the closing paragraph. This novel, friends, is a keeper.
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andlt;Iandgt;St. Petersburg Timesandlt;/Iandgt; (FL) A perfect mystery. It's intelligently written; the action is bafflingly logical; the reader learns something, and it's got a sucker punch of a finale.
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andlt;Iandgt;The Denver Postandlt;/Iandgt; A knockout....One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.
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andlt;Iandgt;New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/Iandgt; A joy to read...[A] whodunit in the classic mode.
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The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) Irresistible....An outstanding novel.
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andlt;Iandgt;The Plain Dealerandlt;/Iandgt; (Cleveland) Irresistible....An outstanding novel.
Synopsis
Booked to Die, the first book in John Dunning's bestselling, award-winning Cliff Janeway series, is "a joy to read for its wealth of inside knowledge about the antiquarian book business and its eccentric traders" (The New York Times Book Review). Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he's an avid collector of rare and first editions. Bobby Westfall is a local bookscout, a gentle and quiet man who has sold enough valuable books to keep himself and his cats fed and housed. When Bobby is murdered, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway's wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge.
Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop--all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. When prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now Janeway's life is about to change in profound and shocking ways as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains.
"One of the most enjoyable books I've read" (The Denver Post), Booked to Die is the first in the Cliff Janeway series. It is "a standout piece of crime fiction...Compelling page-turning stuff" (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Synopsis
Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he's an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local bookscout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, sleazeball Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding murder convictions. Unfortunately for Janeway, his swift form of off-duty justice costs him his badge.
Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a bookshop -- all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now Janeway's life is about to change in profound and shocking ways as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains.
About the Author
John Dunning is the national and New York Times bestselling author of Booked to Die, which won the prestigious Nero Wolfe award, The Bookman's Wake (a New York Times Notable Book of 1995), the Edgar Award-nominated Deadline, The Holland Suggestions, and Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime. An expert on rare and collectible books, he owned the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver for many years. He is also an expert on American radio history, authoring On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. His latest Cliff Janeway novel, The Bookman's Promise, is forthcoming in hardcover from Scribner. He lives in Denver, Colorado.