Booked to Die

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Summary: Good story line; insights into rare book collecting.
Review: Mr. Duning has launched my interest in rare book collecting and combined it with an exciting murder mystery. I like his writing style and interwoven detailed descriptions of the scenes and, of course, books! This book kept my interest and resulted in my successful quest for "Bookman's Wake" and attendance at an antiquarian book fair, where I felt I knew some of the 'points' to examine in old books

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Summary: simply fantastic!
Review: Dunning does a tremendous job of weaving the mystery into the learning experience of the 'book underworld'. He holds all the cards until the end. Don't pass this one up if you love a good mystery, and would enjoy discovering the value of all those books accumilating on your shelves

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Summary: This is the real stuff!
Review: I read a lot of mysteries and I must admit there is far too much not very original, illogical, ho-hum, let's-talk-about-the-food-or-our-running-shoes kitch out there. Not to mention those that amount to the scribbled equivalent of snuff films. But this guy doesn't need that to capture your imagination. Booked to Die is the sort of mystery that makes you glad you woke up in the middle of the night because it means you can read more of it. The atmosphere of Bookman's Wake made me wish it were non-fiction. Definitely worth the dough

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Summary: Murder for a book? Supercop understands.
Review: What could make a small-time bookscout a murder target? Cliff Janeway is a Denver supercop who loves rare books like Lt. Morse loves opera. As mysterious deaths haunt the Denver rare book trade Janeway makes the unlikely transition from burnt-out detective to bookshop owner. A gripping plot, believable characters and plenty of rare book lore will have you racing to the conclusion of this mystery and, inevitably, on to the sequel, The Bookman's Wake. Janeway's passion for collectible books will inspire many readers to daydream about opening a bookstore of their own and will likely lead others to seek out Nicholas Basbanes' 1995 comprehensive history of book collecting, A Gentle Madness.

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Summary: Enter the world of the bookseller ala 'film noir'
Review: I am a crazed book lover which led me to the next book by John Dunning following this one: _The Bookman's Wake_ - also a must read. I was led to search out a copy of this first story. Not only did I learn a great deal about the 'used' book market, but I was kept in suspense by an exciting story - right on the very edge of my reading chair! I'm not, in general, a mystery story fan, so this is high praise. Yes, the 'good' guys generally win and the 'bad' guys generally lose like all good detective stories, but along the way you will meet some very well developed, three- dimensional characters - and an ending where all the details are not all neatly tied up. And best of all - a terrific sequel that I think is even better - but read this one first. It's great.

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Summary: Great example of specialist crime fiction.
Review: Cliff Janeway is a cop living in Denver, with a passion: collecting rare books. His interest turns into more than a weekend hobby, however, when a murder investigation begins to intersect with the world of antiquarian book dealing. The New York Times Book Review calls it "a soundly plotted, evenly executed whodunit in the classic mode".

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Summary: If you like detective stories and are a book lover, read it
Review: A police officer, working on a book related murder, chooses to retire and set up shop as an antiquarian book dealer. Not only a good murder mystery but also a clever presentation of how a book store starts from scratch. Every page is enjoyable!

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Summary: A facinating look into the life of a cop turned bookseller
Review: Are you interested in a career change? No?Have a care when you read John Dunning's Booked To Die.This mystery and it's sequel, Bookman's Wake, have increased the population of used booksellers and book collectors ten fold. Cliff Janeway, Dunning's ex-cop cum bookseller is hardboiled with a soft center when it comes to beautiful books and women...in that order. If you enjoy books, murder and a compelling mystery, join Janeway(and tell your boss you'll finish his project as soon as you read the next chapter!)

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Summary: In which Mystery fans are Introduced to Cliff Janeway
Review: Cliff Janeway is a Denver Homicide detective with a passion for rare books. When Bobby the bookscout is murdered, he begins investigating with his partner until psat demons cause his suspension and resigning from the force. He opens a bookstore hoping the police will solve the case without him, yet is inevitably drawn back into it when death strikes his hired staff.

Cliff is an immensely likable character reflecting readers' passion for the written word and becoming a vehicle for Dunning (himself a dealer) to educate us on some of the finer points of collecting while entertaining us with a mystery. Cliff is not perfect a combination of brute police mentality and a poet, which duality is part of his appeal as a character. I scanned enough reviews in various Janeway titles to note the public clammoring for more of him. Dunning's supporting characters are also well written, and intrique.

The plotting is good as well my main and perhaps only notable critique of this novel as a whole is a sub-plot which is perhaps too much of a co-plot for it to have maximum effect. (Those demons of Janeway's maybe should have been kept a little more in background of story as opposed to having equal billing as the main mystery).

Dunning does an admirable job introducing a new series that touches any fan of rare and first editions and anyone curious about the book business.

Bravo.

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Summary: Decent Series Debut
Review: The market for crime novels has gotten so large and sophisticated that countless subgenres or niches can now be identified, from historical, to cat-lovers, cooking, and on and on. One of the shrewder of these is the book-related mystery, wherein books and/or book people (librarians, writers, etc.) take a prominent role. One book that fits into this niche is this fairly engaging series debut, which brings to life the world of used booksellers, collectors, and scroungers. Another trend these days is that almost every fictional cop or private eye has some kind of hobby or passion meant to make him or her a little quirky or unusual or just less generic. These tend to be things one doesn't usually associate with the rough and tumble work of policework-examples include being a jazz aficionado or a gourmand. In this case, the protagonist is an amateur "bookman", that is, someone with an appreciation of rare and valuable books.

Set in Denver, the story begins with Det. Cliff Janeway in the midst of a feud with his violent and bulky nemesis, Jackie Newton. This beginning is a little choppy, and reads as if there's a chapter or even a whole book of background missing. Things soon settle down as a book scout (someone who pokes around yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, etc. looking for gems to sell to used book dealers) is brutally murdered in a back alley. Janeway and his near-silent partner catch the case, and start looking for a way to tie Newton to it. Janeway's pursuit of Newton doesn't appear to yield anything to do with the murder, but it does land him in enough hot water to resign from the police force. He decides to start his own used book store and so establish himself as the bookseller/hero.

This naturally leads him back to the unsolved murder of the book scout, and he starts nosing around and asking questions of the city's other dealers. It doesn't take long to figure out that the victim was involved in some kind of major score, but just what that was takes Janeway the rest of the book to unravel. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, including a nasty murder which rather takes the wind of the reader's sails by offing two of the book's more likable characters. Which is a shame, because most of the characters are pretty one dimensional. Newton is an over-the-top bully/thug/coward. A love interest is an cool ice maiden with a mysterious past. Janeway's partner is the featureless silent detective. Janeway is a brutish cop who hates computers and modernization in general. Basically, every character is distinguished by a single trait: so-and-so is a wisecracker, someone else is a scruffy but dapper gentleman, another a standard issue goon/bodyguard, etc.

Where the book distinguishes itself is the immersion in the world of collectible books. Dunning guides the reader through the basics of book collecting, used book dealing, scattering tons of detail, and calling out about fifty or so titles for special attention. This is all good stuff, but probably of much greater interest to those who already know a little about such things than the total novice. A decent enough debut, should be interesting to see how this series develops.