Booked to Die

Dunning, John. Booked to Die. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1970. Print

First Sentences: 

The phone rang. It was 2:30am.

Normally I am a light sleeper, but that night I was down among the dead. I had just finished a thirteen-hour shift, my fourth day running of heavy overtime and I hadn't been sleeping well until tonight. A guy named Jackie Newton was haunting my dreams. He was my enemy and I thought someday I would probably have to kill him. When the bell went off, I was dreaming about Jackie Newton and our final showdown.

Description: 

These first sentences may sound like a million other cheap thriller detective stories chronicling the inner thoughts and actions of a hard-boiled cop, but hold on a minute. Cliff Janeway, the Denver police homicide detective in Booked to Die, is quite a different breed. 

While he may look and occasionally act like a Clint Eastwood-style cop, demonstrating early on that he is not someone to be messed with, Janeway has another side that separates him from other cops. He reads. And he collects rare books.   

OK, now you got me. A murder mystery involving books is catnip to me. And Booked to Die delivers the goods. Solid action, memorable characters, interesting location, and of course lots of references to books, book collecting, and books worth reading. I am in heaven!   

Booked to Die is the engrossing first book in the "Bookman" mystery series by John Dunning which introduces the complex figure of Cliff Janeway, a homicide detective working for the Denver police. 

Here is a man torn between his tendency towards violence against law-breakers and his intelligence as a book-lover. He harbors a secret desire to quit his police job and open up a rare book store. So, when Janeway's investigation and eventual showdown with a local thug does not exactly go according to police procedures, he quits the homicide division to enter the world of rare book dealing.   

Now the fun starts. Opening his own store proves a challenge as he deals with fellow book dealers and book scouts, those odd characters who rummage around Goodwill stores and other locations with cheap used books in hopes of discovering hidden gems to sell to bookmen like Janeway.

But he cannot leave his past behind. When one of these book scouts turns up murdered, Janeway reluctantly gets involved.

In the twisting course of his investigation, Janeway uncovers a world of suspicious characters: rival dealers, seedy book scouts, and a reclusive rare book owner, each with a unique life and idiosyncrasies based on a passion for books. Of course, Janeway must seek information and answers from all of them.

Author Dunning, himself a rare book dealer, skillfully weaves into the plot the ins and outs of the bookseller's world. He shows Janeway learning how to evaluate and price books, sell items he would rather keep for himself, the "points" (mistakes) in certain editions that make them more valuable, the war between libraries and book dealers, and how not to woo a woman. Heady stuff for book fanatics like me!

Booked to Die details Janeway's two separate hunts: one for a killer and one for valuable books. The thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of discoveries along the way for both pursuits makes this a thoroughly compelling experience for any mystery fan and book lover who enjoys a gripping story with crisp writing and unique characters. 

And the best part? There are four more books in the "Bookman" detective series. Bet you cannot stop with reading just one!

Happy reading. 


Fred 
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you and you want to read more Cliff Janeway bookdealer/detective mysteries in order (more enjoyable in my opinion, but not required), be sure to check out:

Dunning, John. Bookman's Wake 

(Second book in the series.) Former cop turned book seller Cliiff Janeway explores the twisting, dangerous trail of a mythical rare book, the people who will pay anything for it, and the mysterious deaths of the book's creators.

Bibliography of all of John Dunning's works