This is the story of a dead man, how he got that way, and what happened to some other people because of his death.He was a gentle man, quiet, a human mystery.He had no relatives, no next of kin to notify. He had no close friends, but no enemies either.His cats would miss him.No one could think of a reason why anyone would kill Bobby. Who would murder a harmless man like that?I’ll tell you why. Then I’ll tell you who. John Dunning qualifies as a Goodreads discovery, as I never heard of him before joining here, and he turns out to be right up my alley with his slick combination of classic noir tropes and bookworm enthusiasm. The third selling point is location, as I have Denver and the Colorado Mountains higher up in my bucket list than New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, in the event I will someday visit the States.The protagonist of this crime mystery is Cliff Janeway, a tough cop in the Denver Police Department who grew up on the mean streets swinging his fists with the best of the underworld, but who later in life developed a passion for books. Surprisingly, most of his extensive personal library is not for reading : he collects first editions and rare books and derives more pleasure from ownership than from the stories within. It's a strange world we are introduced to : a very competitive business of small shop owners usually on the brink of faliment ('The good, the bad, the ugly') , bookscouts that are only one step ahead of homeless bums, living in poverty and forever hunting for a lucky gold strike in a garage sale or Goodwill pile of old books, buyers who pay top price without delving too deeply into provenance. The victim that starts the police investigation is one such bookscout, found with his head bashed in in a dark alley. No suspect, no clues, nothing but a personal vendetta Cliff Janeway is having with Jackie Newton - a bad apple known to have engaged in random killings in the past. The book has two distinct sections : one the hard-boiled duel of wills between Cliff and Newton, with the obligatory female interest thrown in, and a second one dealing mostly with the book trade and a new set of killings that are apparently related to the first one. I enjoyed both of them, but I consider the book angle as the one that gives particular flavour to what would have been otherwise a standard criminal whodunit. Here's a couple of passages about the joy of reading and about the thrills of hunting for rare books: “We had a lot to talk about, Stan and I. We had been around the world together many times, without ever leaving this block, if you know what I mean.”“I sure do,” I said. “It’s a wonderful hobby.” --- "Every day is like a treasure hunt,” Neff said. “You never know what might walk through that door five minutes from now." Some readers may have been turned off by the long passages discussing how overpriced are the first editions of modern authors (King, Koontz) compared with the classics (Faulkner, Steinbeck) , but I loved how most of the books involved in the case are a homage to the noir masters (Chandler, Hammett, Goodis, Thompson, etc.). I picked up quite a few titles to add to my wishlist from here, and I look forward to track them, maybe in a second hand bookstore like the ones described in the text.Cliff Janeway as a first person narrator is a great voice, passionate and witty in an effortless, casual way, really making me believe it is possible to be both a tough cookie and a bookworm. ( I sat at the phone with a Yellow Pages and began to work. This is what police work is all about: your trigger finger always gets more action on the telephone than in any gunplay. ). At the end of this case I feel confident he is a strong enough character to carry the series forward to new installment, equally thrilling.So, why not go all in and give it five stars? Well, the plot is so clever that it actually strains credibility, and one of my favorite characters draws the short straw. (view spoiler)[ I really loved the young Scott assistant in Cliff Janeway bookstore, and I understand why her death was important in the book economy, but I still wish there was a way for her to remain a charming presence in later books. Secondly, there's a love interest introduced about halfway through that got Cliff to fall head over hills too abruptly, more like a teenager than a middle-aged hardman. And thirdly, the whole mystery swings on one witness withholding information, even as the bodycount grows: Stan's neighbor knew about the book swap between the cheap and the collectible libraries. (hide spoiler)]
Cliff Janeway is a rough and tough cop with his own set of morals that blend with his heart and sense of right and wrong. He's likeable, witty, edgy, and more than ready to take risks no matter what direction they may take him. And best of all...this book is about books! So no wonder I very much enjoyed Dunning's first book in his Cliff Janeway series. "Booked to Die" is one of those books that reads like a dream...it flows naturally through both plot and dialogue. This is one of those mysteries that is well constructed...no twists and turns that make some mysteries so unbelievable. I like my crime and mysteries to be plausible and credible. Dunning delivered this.Jacket notes: "Denver cop and book collector Cliff Janeway is trying to put the nasty, arrogant murderer Jackie Newton behind bars, but he can never find enough hard evidence. When a local bookscout is beaten to death in an alley, Janeway suspects Jackie, but some puzzling clues, like a stash of pricy vintage books, seems to point elsewhere. Det. Janeway decides to take matters into his own hands with Jackie Newton, which costs him his badge. Opening his own bookstore, Janeway continues to search for evidence in the case. But more people are turning up dead, along with more valuable books that once belonged to them. Cliff Janeway has to find out if Jackie Newton still getting away with murder, or if someone else is trying to build the ultimate library."
What do You think about Booked To Die (2001)?
There is a lot of talk among bibliophiles. Rare books and their values are instrumental in its plot. This is a wonderful mystery.Cliff Janeway is a cop with a problem. He knows who is pulling a string of derelict murders--his old nemesis Jackie Newton--but he can't pin the crimes on him. Up comes a new victim, a local bookscout that Janeway recognized from the street, and Janeway thinks he has Newton cold--except that Newton has an alibi in one Barbara Crowell, who was with him from 3:00 the previous afternoon.To say much more would give too much away. But this is definitely a mystery worth reading. All the information on the book world is simply a bonus for bibliophiles.Janeway is a very interesting character--a cop, and a book lover. The author also owned a book shop for ten years and still runs a first-edition-only business from his home. I would recommend this book to people interested in books, but also to anyone who likes a good mystery. For once, I was satisfied with an ending.
—Terry
Appropriately enough, I bought this novel at a used book sale. Set in Denver, this mystery features Cliff Janeway, a police detective cum bookman. The murder of a book scout, Bobby Westfall, is a case assigned to Janeway, but things soon go awry. Only the murder of two more people kicks the investigation into overdrive. This is the first of five Janeway mysteries so this book introduces him. He makes an interesting protagonist. He is tough and determined, but has difficulty with authority and is known to break the rules. Sometimes he acts impulsively and recklessly and ends up in trouble. I most enjoyed his intelligence and wit. He is very knowledgeable about books; a competing book dealer says, “Janeway is the best bookman I’ve ever seen outside the trade” (144). His witty comments lighten the tone throughout. He derides a bookseller who specializes in Stephen King books: “He specialized in King and his followers – Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, et al., the little Kinglets. Behind every big ship you’ll find a dozen little ships atrailing. Most of their plots make absolutely no sense, but again, they stand tall where it really matters in today’s world, at the damn cash register. . . . The stupidity of some of these plots that sell in the billions is the scariest thing about them” (46). He admits his penchant for one-liners: “’Miss McKinley, I’m wasting a helluva lot of great one-liners on you. I’m starting to think you’ve got no sense of humor at all’” (197). The mystery is a standard whodunit. What makes the book stand out is its examination of the antiquarian book trade. The ins and outs of this often cut-throat world are detailed. Janeway’s specialty is first edition fiction. Who knew that The Grapes of Wrath with a doodle by Steinbeck could be worth $2,000? Of course, this book was first published over twenty years ago, so much has changed with the used book business with the advent of the internet. At one point, Janeway comments, “There’s nothing wrong with writing detective stories if you do it well enough” (14). Dunning’s detective story is written well enough and will certainly appeal to any bibliophile. I’m not sure I’ll read another book in the series, but should I come across it in a used book store, I’ll probably pick it up.
—Doreen
Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway lets his personal feelings drive him and it costs him his job. But his passion also helps him create a new career: that of a rare book dealer. And because he's like a bulldog, he can't stop thinking of the case he was working on when he spiraled out of the force. He continues to follow and get involved in the case that seemingly is leading him deeper into the quagmire.I don't like Cliff Janeway as a character -- I think he is a bit cold, a bit sadistic and a lot selfish -- and it has colored my whole opinion of this book. I didn't always like the dialogue either, it didn't quite feel right, and therefore, I can't really recommend this book.
—Pamela Mclaren
