Rating: 
Summary: Clumsy writing technique is a book closer
Review: A new John Dunning book, one to take its place next to Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake, had been much anticipated for a number of years. I bought, and read it, as soon as it was available. The best I can say about The Bookman's Promise is that it's as good as many mystery books being published today. Yet it falls short of Dunning's other two Cliff Janeway novels, especially Booked to Die which I consider the best Dunning work. If you've not read Dunning, maybe you shouldn't start with Booked to Die and/or The Bookman's Wake. These two are much better reads, and might ruin The Bookman's Promise for you. But why read an inferior Dunning book considering his best two books are available as a package?
There is one section, Burton and Charlie, in Promise that is a roadblock for the reader. Much of the book is set in the present, told in first person. But in the middle, Dunning shifts to Civil War days, and allows another character to take over the book narrator's first person voice -- rather jarring, a clumsy way to write fiction, and a reason to put down The Bookman's Promise.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bookman Is Back
Review: After an eight year wait, John Dunning returns to his Bookman character, Cliff Janeway in a new novel that catapults the reader into a variety of worlds. First, there is the world of the book scout where the author describes finding and collecting valuable books. Janeway is now a bookstore owner and his purchase of a first edition of 19th century daredevil, linguist and explorer Richard Francis Burton leads to a radio interview, which gets picked up by newspapers on a slow news day and the publicity attracts a woman in her 90s who claims that the book was part of a collection scammed away from her family by an unscrupulous family of book sellers. A bookperson will be interested in the author's description of writers, collectors, and publishers. The woman introduces the second world, the United States in the 1860s where Burton and her grandfather travel the south and Burton may or may not be a spy for the British. On her deathbed she gives another signed first edition to Janeway on the condition that he will promise to try to find the collection, which has been missing for 80 years. Janeway promises and enters a dangerous world of murder, mobsters and crooked booksellers where nobody is quite what they appear to be. Cracking wise and living dangerously, Janeway follows the clues and his own moral compass to find the collection, track down the murderer of a friend and, he hopes, get the girl. If it is at times difficult to suspend disbelief at some of the plot twists and turns, it is in the end well worth the effort.
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Summary: A Fascinating Exploration of a Time and Place Long Lost
Review: After an eight-year hiatus, author and antiques book collector John Dunning has returned Cliff Janeway --- the tough guy, Denver ex-cop turned bookstore owner and hero of two prior novels, BOOKED TO DIE and THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE --- to his fans.Janeway is plunged into a new mystery when Josephine Gallant, a frail and dying old woman, is brought to his shop. She had heard Janeway on a radio interview about a rare first edition he had acquired by 19th century explorer Richard Francis Burton. She contends that the book is rightfully hers and was part of a vast collection of her grandfather's. The collection mysteriously disappeared shortly after her grandfather's death, and she has always suspected that a crooked Baltimore bookstore dealer was responsible. None of the books had surfaced in almost 80 years, but she is certain Janeway's new acquisition was part of that collection. She tells Janeway and the people with whom she is staying that her grandfather traveled the American South with Burton for three months just before the outbreak of the Civil War and that Burton kept a journal of that expedition, which he left with her grandfather. She owns only one pristine book from the entire collection, for which Janeway offers her $25,000. On her deathbed she gives it to Janeway with two stipulations: that he split the value with her hosts and that he will promise to track down the journal and the rest of Burton's writings, which she claims were her birthright. After a friend is murdered and another's life is threatened over the possible existence of this collection, Janeway's promise leads him to Baltimore and South Carolina in search of the missing journal. Janeway collects two women and encounters a large cast of colorful characters in the search. Was Burton a British spy or did he play some role in the early part of the American Civil War? What was the connection between the unscrupulous Baltimore bookstore owners and their current owners? Is one of his female companions somehow involved with the murder? Janeway combines his antiques collector knowledge with his muscular tough guy cop persona in hot pursuit of the ultimate dream of every book collector: the undiscovered handwritten copy of a prolific and famous author. THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE is part book collector's paradise, filled with Dunning's unquestioned knowledge of musty book dens and collector's facts, and part mystery buff's delight as his sleuthing skills go on the hunt for clues that span a century. He reveals Burton's mysterious journey through a flashback to Gallant's grandfather's narrative of the trip. The narrative method used is a little tricky, but it manages to overcome incredulity with a fascinating exploration of a time and place long lost. --- Reviewed by Roz Shea
Rating: 
Summary: This special book will be enjoyed by mystery readers
Review: After getting a little heavy handed with a suspected criminal in his custody, Denver Police officer Cliff Janeway leaves the force to become an antiquarian book dealer. His friendship with rare book collector Judge Leighton Huxley led him to bid and win at auction, PILGRIMAGE TO MEDINA AND MECCA by Richard Burton for just under thirty grand. He's very satisfied with his purchase until Josephine Gallant, an elderly frail woman claims that his new purchase and the whole library of Burton's books were originally hers until the Treadwells conned them out of her late husband. As she lies dying Janeway promises to find the collection and donate it to a library. She gives him a Richard Burton book to be split between him and Denise and Mike Ralston who took care of her in her final hours. Shortly after Josephine dies Denise is murdered, a homicide that Janeway thinks is linked to the Burton book collection. The bookman's search leads him to Koko in Baltimore who used to visit Josephine in the nursing home. Her life is in danger for what she knows so she accompanies Janeway to Charlotte where he intends to learn why Denise had to die and Koko's house torched. John Dunning can always be counted on to give his audience a wonderful reading experience and THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE is no exception. Readers learn a lot about legendary explorer Richard Burton and the exhilaration a collector feels when they find the book they consider a treasure. The protagonist's search for answers takes him on a long and winding road that circles back to the starting point. This special book will be enjoyed by mystery and readers of mainstream fiction Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Mr. Dunning Gives The Reader a Cliffhanger
Review: Cliff Janeway is back with a fury. Mr. Dunning begins this novel in 1987 in Denver, the home of Janeway's bookstore. Then the policeman-turned-bookseller travels to Baltimore, Charleston and then back to Denver in his quest to find the murderer of Denise Ralston, who Janeway believes was murdered because the assailant thought she had a rare book by Sir Richard Burton, the l9th Century English writer, not the 20th Century actor, as Dunning would say. To paraphrase Faulker, "once a cop, always a cop" as Janeway's sleuthing skills come back to him. He sets about to solve the several mysteries here in a deliberate, meticulous fashion. As we have come to expect from Dunning's two previous novels, Janeway's relationship with a woman he pursues is rocky. And THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE ends on a cliffhanger! This novel flows more easily than the first two mysteries, I thought; apparently Mr. Dunning has found his stride. The reader learns a lot about Richard Burton; and for those who want to know more about this interesting individual, the author gives a list for further reading at the end of the book. I must say I missed all the referenes to book publishers and first editions and prices that were so entertaining in the first two books of this series and for the most part are absent here, although Mr. Dunning does make a couple of digs at St. Martin's Press.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Dunning Gives The Reader a Cliffhanger
Review: Cliff Janeway is back with a fury. Mr. Dunning begins this novel in 1987 in Denver, the home of Janeway's bookstore. Then the policeman-turned-bookseller travels to Baltimore, Charleston and then back to Denver in his quest to find the murderer of Denise Ralston, who Janeway believes was murdered because the assailant thought she had a rare book by Sir Richard Burton, the l9th Century English writer, not the 20th Century actor, as Dunning would say. To paraphrase Faulker, "once a cop, always a cop" as Janeway's sleuthing skills come back to him. He sets about to solve the several mysteries here in a deliberate, meticulous fashion. As we have come to expect from Dunning's two previous novels, Janeway's relationship with a woman he pursues is rocky. And THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE ends on a cliffhanger! This novel flows more easily than the first two mysteries, I thought; apparently Mr. Dunning has found his stride. The reader learns a lot about Richard Burton; and for those who want to know more about this interesting individual, the author gives a list for further reading at the end of the book. I must say I missed all the referenes to book publishers and first editions and prices that were so entertaining in the first two books of this series and for the most part are absent here, although Mr. Dunning does make a couple of digs at St. Martin's Press.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Engaging
Review: For my first John Dunning novel, *The Bookman's Promise* was a great place to start. Coming in on the latest book in a series can sometimes be daunting. The characters have an established history, set up in previous books as it were, that is often referred back to and sometimes it just makes you feel like you're missing something. But that is not the case with this series. Janeway obviously has a very involved past, but I was given enough to feel as though I knew the character and didn't need to worry about what I missed by starting at the end of the series. Aside from the infinitely interesting world of rare or "unique" books, this novel focuses on one historical persona in the shape and scars of Richard Burton. Now, I had heard the name, but knew little about the person. Where some may have found the emphasis on this one particular man distracting or not as engaging as booklore, I thought just the opposite. I love learning about people like Burton, and being introduced to him as I was in this novel motivated me to learn more. When a book makes you want to go right to your local library to get a better understanding of history (or whatever it may be), well, that's fantastic. And it makes me appreciate the work of fiction all the more. And the interlude between Charlie and Burton that has been mentioned in other reviews was quite refreshing. Charlie has a lovely voice, which makes his story so enjoyable and readable. To me the book would have been missing something without it. I must say that *The Bookman's Promise* was thoroughly entertaining and I'm very glad to have read it. The day I finished it I went and purchased the other two books in the Janeway series. And even though it has its flaws (I wasn't thrilled with the ending and some of the characters had annoying tendencies, but overall that's being relatively picky) I would recommend it to anyone--whether they've read the other ones or not.
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Summary: john dunning's newest left me sad
Review: I am a fan of Mr. Dunning's character Cliff Janeway, but I found this book a bit more maudline than past tomes. It was well written and interesting as always but the over all tone of the book was what really struck me. It was a "sad" book to me. The death of his friend's wife and the duty to the book owner, it was all a little too heady for me at the time i read it.
This in no way deters me from awaiting the next Janeway adventure.
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Summary: The Bookman Returns
Review: I have to confess that it would be very hard for me not to like this book. Like a lot of readers, I am drawn into the worlds of books and the fantasy of being an ex-cop and bookdealer is quite appealing. After an absence of 8 year or so, John Dunning brings back his character, Cliff Janeway, ex-homicide detective and bookstore owner in a well written thriller that is a satisfying read. Through a believeable series of events, Janeway happens to become known as a book collector and book dealer who is knowledgeable about the 19th century explorer, linguist and author, Richard Francis Burton. A woman in her 90s appears at his store with the claim that her grandfather knew, and traveled with Burton and that his extensive signed collection of Burton's books was stolen from her by a family of shady booksellers. On her deathbed Janeway promises to investigate. The murder of a friend solidifies his resolve and the reader is taken into a variety of interesting worlds. First, there is the world of books, book scouts, collectors and bookstore owners. Then, there is the world of the Antebellum American South where Burton may or may not be a spy for the British government. Also, there is the dangerous world of hoodlums and murder which Janeway must navigate and survive if he is to solve the various mysteries. The author strains credibility at times, and the coincidences require an unusual effort on the part of the reader to suspend disbelief. More than once I found myself doubting that a character would act in a particular way needed to further the plot. Therefore I could not rate this five stars. Still, it is an interesting book and the return of a compelling character. You will have to read it to find out how the mysteries get resolved, if Janeway gets the girl and whether or not Burton was a spy.
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Summary: Janeway Jinxed
Review: I loved the first two Bookman novels. Booked to Die is absolutely fantastic, and The Bookman's Wake is labyrinthine and vastly enjoyable. So what went wrong?
I think, this is a forced book. The writing is stilted, who writes, "I'll come and tear your heart out," in 2004? Almost none of the Janeway asides on books and First Editions are present. It involves Richard Burton-the explorer. There is almost nothing new or of note in the book about one of the most interesting men of the Victorian Era. That part of the narrative is flat like women's old fashioned shoes.
Where is the mystery? What, even, is the mystery about? Burton's presence in the USA around the beginning of the Civil War? The twist here is ludicrous.
It is just a routine watered down thriller by a writer trying to revive flagging skills. One wonders how did this writer produce the last two Janeway books? Two O'Clock Eastern War Time, Mr. Dunning's last book, had a great narrative punch and style. This one has no heart or one with seriously clogged arteries.
Despite all the other glowing reviews (perhaps they are still smitten by the magic of the first Cliff Janeway in years), I put the book down with disappointment. Perhaps the new Michael Connelly will console this inveterate detective novel reader.
Sorry, Mr. Dunning.
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