Rating: 
Summary: Poor taste
Review: This book comes so highly rated that I was surprised to find that it is written in such poor taste. Obviously, some mystery readers don't mind a story line that is laced with hard-core swearing and violence. But if you're not one of those readers, then be forewarned and don't bother with this one. I really enjoy a good bibliophile mystery, but in this case I couldn't force myself to go beyond the first few pages to discover the author's touted knowledge of antique books. With so many well written mystery stories to read, I don't need to spend time reading this type of writing. Again, mystery lover beware.
Rating: 
Summary: Great first novel in the series!
Review: John Dunning, Booked to Die (Pocket, 1992)This book's probably got a niche market in the same way that Christopher Morley's wonderful turn-of-the-century bookstore-themed mysteries did. You're going to get a lot more out of this book if you've ever trod the bibliophile's path yourself, or at least have some other kind of collecting bug in your bonnet. Otherwise, you might do well to avoid this one. Okay, now that we've got rid of the riffraff, let's get down to brass tacks. This is a great little mystery that introduces us to Cliff Janeway, a Colorado cop who dreams of retiring from the force and opening his own rare bookstore. It doesn't matter that every other shop on the street where he wants to open his is a rare bookstore; competition doesn't apply to the types of folks who frequent rare bookstores. After all, most every copy of a rare book is different, and this gang is usually looking for that one specific typo that sets edition A apart from edition B and wants printing X; so many variables everyone's bound to hve different stock. But Janeway's bookstore dreams are a background to the novel, which is above all a mystery. There are two plotlines here. The first concerns the murder of a bookscout, onje of that class just up from the homeless who make their living buying books at Goodwill and selling them to people who know what they're worth. The second concerns a rather nasty person that Janeway's been trying to nab for years. Due to the American system of justice, the guy keeps evading capture. Everyone else in the novel wants to combine the two; they're convinced the nasty type did in the bookscout, and everyone's happy. Everyone, that is, except our fearless narrator. Things get out of hand. Complications ensue. If they didn't, it wouldn't be a mystery novel. Where Dunning excels here is in the balance ebtween the book talk and the mystery talk. Separating the two out would make for a passable novel about the book trade (think Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop as told by Mike Hammer) and a passable mystery novel (think My Gun Is Quick as told by Penelope Fitzgerald). Neither side suffers from the inclusion of the other, something which is rare indeed among novels that attempt to blend two such disparate streams of thought. Add to this Dunning's eye for detail-- the only stones that remain unturned are those necessary to set up the idea that these characters will continue on into other novels (a second Janeway novel, The Bookman's Wake, has already been published)-- and you've got a fun little read. It's not earthshaking, it doesn't break any new ground, and it's a niche. More people remember Agatha Christie than Christopher Morley, too, but that doesn't make Morley's books any less wonderful. As Morley, so Dunning. Highly recommended for those who find themselves in the first paragraph of this review. *** 1/2
Rating:
Summary: The Bookchase becomes a hunt
Review: John Dunning is taking us into a surprising world, that of bookscouts in Denver. The criminal plot is only there to give some momentum to the novel and to emphasize the strange passion that buying books of value is. We are not alking of the value of the book seen as a piece of literature but rather the value of the book seen as an antique, as a collectible. Looking for such books, buying them and then selling them is seen as an hypnotic activity that can lead someone to killing his fellow men in order to appropriate a real treasure and then to protect one's secret and possession. Dunning add to that a tight study of the cop's psychology that makes him become a bookman. Where is the knot between the two ? And this knot is analyzed in many details. The cop deals with human passions and fears that can lead him into a frenzy to discover the deep layers of human nature. The bookman is directly involved in such a human passion and the cop become bookman cannot avoid his destiny at unwrapping the truth of a killing in this book-world. And his aim is to protect this world, to keep it ethical in spite of the extreme passion that goes along with it. How can a human passion remain pure ? That is the question. John Dunning does not give us an answer but gives us a fascinating thriller that comes to a close that no one could have foreseen. The ending is thus a little surprising and we are made to understand that human passions always lead to extreme positions that have nothing to do with logic and that a cop is a bizarre being who deals with human passions but does not have the right to experience them : looking for the truth in a murder case, in the bad doing of a passion, kills any passion in the cop himself. A cop is a recluse from passions and real life. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating: 
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining, excellent mystery
Review: In this story we are introduced to a tough homicide detective named Cliff Janeway. Cliff also has a soft side -- the side of him that has a passion for the printed word and collectible books. The story opens with an investigation of the murder of a Denver bookscout (a person who finds treasure at resale shops and Salvation Army stores, among other places, & sells it to used collectible book dealers). Cliff suspects a vicious criminal that he has been after for years, Jackie Newton. Cliff and Jackie enter a spiral that changes their lives forever. However, nothing in this book is quite as it seems .... one important part of the mystery isn't solved until the very last page!
The author made his characters thoroughly believable & thoroughly likeable. Mixed into this well written mystery are details about collectible books woven skillfully into the story.
A friend loaned me the paperback and I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I ordered the hardcover available on Amazon -- the book is that good! Buy it, if you love books as much as I do, you'll really enjoy and treasure this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Fun entertainment
Review: I bought this book in order to stay awake during an overnight wait at the Tokyo train station, and to that purpose it was well suited. Replete with interesting details on the rare book trade, the story nevertheless moves along at a brisk pace. The case is sufficiently complex to keep one's attention, and is told in a first-person perspective which keeps the reader at level with what Janeway knows, thus eliminating the need for long-winded final explanations of the Hercule Poirot type. So yes, this book lives up to its promise as a page-turner. If that's what you're looking for, buy it. However, details alone do not make good characters, and while Janeway is quite convincing, most other characters are merely perfunctory, failing to arouse the reader's sympathy. Chandler's heroines were sexy without him having to say so, and without them having to sleep with anyone - Dunning does the opposite, and so gratuitous sex becomes necessary for anyone to believe his women might be attractive. As a result, sex is heartless, therapeutic, in-your-face: supposedly modern, but not sexy. As a consequence, I hardly felt for the murder victims; I hardly rooted for Barbara; and I was glad when Janeway was finally out of the police force - the back cover gave that away in advance. (A plea to back cover summary writers: don't go beyond chapter one!) The strengths of this book are its fast-paced narrative and the accurate description of the bookselling subculture as a self-similar microcosm of society. Its weaknesses are in characterization. On the whole, that averages out to three stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Mystery and Not Just for Bibliophiles
Review: This mystery introduces Cliff Janeway, police detective turned antiquarian bookdealer. Janeway is a likeable protagonist and a fairly good sleuth as well. The book reads rather quickly, introduces believable characters, and contains quite a bit of biblio trivia. Those interested in book collecting will find this book engaging for its discussion of the business as well as the storyline. Others may also be interested in the discussion of the used book business (and book collecting in general), but anyone who reads this will enjoy the mystery and its solution. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Enter the hard-boiled bookworm
Review: John Dunning makes the combo work for a fun read on two levels. His tough-guy protagonist can hold his own with the best of them, doggedly pursuing his brand of maverick justice, meeting and beating the low-lifes on their own level. At the same time he's a smart man whose passion for book collecting provides lots of insights bound to intrigue the avid reader. I recently read Julie Kaewert's "Un" series, which also involves the acquisition of rare books but with an emphasis on secret societies and arcane messages that give it an "Indiana Jonesish" quality. Dunning's tidbits about what makes a book valuable are more accessible and interesting, and his hero's brushes with violence arise logically from who he is. Kaewert's Alex Plumtree is beaten, stabbed, shot and otherwise assualted with a regularity that seems a tad excessive in the publishing industry. Besides, you've got to love a mystery that reveals one of its secrets in the very last line of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the exciting world of rare book trading.
Review: BOOKED TO DIE is a must read for not only mystery readers, but for anyone that loves to read also. The story introduces Cliff Janeway, a police officer that is forced to turn in his badge after roughing up a career felon. A wannabe rare book trader is found murdered. Janeway, who has a passion for books, opens up a bookstore of his own while conducting an investigation. The story turns up a lot of interesting angles like a deceased millionaire's massive collection of seemingly worthless Book-of-the-Month volumes. Don't expect this book to be full of action, gore, or sex. Instead Dunning, whom I believe runs an appointment only rare book store, gives us a great mystery set in what appears to be the mundane world of rare book trading. Along with creating a flawless whodunit, Dunning makes rare book trading sound fascinating and exciting. A book worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: Book lovers, Mystery lovers treat
Review: This book offers plenty for both groups. Janeway makes an interesting slueth because he is passionate and faulted. He knows books and police work. John Dunning has put together a fun storyline with enough twists, and dead bodies, to keep you guessing as to not only whodonit but who's going to make it to the end of the book alive!
Rating:
Summary: The Bookselling Business Can Be Murder...
Review: A fun and engrossing whodunnit in the tradition of Ray Chandler's Marlowe, or Ross Macdonald's Archer, with a bibliphile slant. Beloved by collectors who have been paying big-bucks for a 1st edition, the book is a lively noir fiction romp well worth the ride. The book is Dunning's tribute to Chandler, and he has learned from the master how to build atmosphere layer by layer, and to create tension that is palpable. Witty dialogue and 1st-person narrative, complete with introspection, ala Chandler also. Janeway is a fearless book-loving cop who makes some rash decisions, but never strays from his own chosen vision of justice as he unravels the mystery of the murder of a local impoverished bookscout, and crosses the path of a vicious criminal who vows revenge. Overall a four-star-plus read that will send you to the sequel The Bookman's Wake, and leave you wishing for some more in the bookman Cliff Janeway series!
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