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Booked to Die: A Mystery Introducing Cliff Janeway
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About Booked To Die: A Mystery Introducing Cliff Janeway
Product Description First in the Cliff Janeway series from national bestselling author John Dunning. Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he is an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local book scout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect’s spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway’s wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge. Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop—all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now, Janeway’s life is about to start a precarious new chapter as he attempts to find out who’s dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains. From Publishers Weekly Denver cop and rare book collector Cliff Janeway is introduced in this engrossing whodunit from two-time Edgar nominee Dunning. A sensitive and introspective sort, Janeway chafes in the hard-edged role of law enforcer so often demanded of him. When a down-on-his-luck book scout named Bobby Westfall is murdered, Cliff at first suspects local thug and personal nemesis Jackie Newton. Newton's girlfriend, a victim of physical abuse, makes Cliff more determined than ever to nail Newton. Sensitivity notwithstanding, he goes after his quarry with both fists cocked and both barrels aimed, neglecting any semblance of correct police procedure. This ironic twist shapes the plot as Janeway delves further into his city's antiquarian book trade, whose practitioners display an expertise exceeded only by their greed. Crisp, direct prose and nearly pitch-perfect dialogue enhance this meticulously detailed page-turner. Mystery Guild alternate; paperback rights to Avon. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Dunning, twice nominated for the Edgar (a pair of paperbacks), deserves to win one for this Denver cop-turned-bookman tale--a lively, seductive primer on how to open a bookstore, spot a first edition, warehouse it, price it, and enjoy it for its own sake. Cliff Janeway quits the force when he is suspended pending the outcome of brutality charges brought by his nemesis, Jackie Newton. Long a collector and frequenter of Denver's Book Row, Janeway rents space, hires the charmingly efficient Miss Pride as his assistant, and opens Twice Told Books. And, on his own time, works on a case that the Denver force has no leads on: the murder of book scout Bobby Westfall. As Janeway goes deeper and deeper into the book business, he manages to pinpoint Bobby's last day--the book dealers he sold to, the collector he bought from, and the big score he was double-crossed out of. Then a book-scout friend of Bobby's and the estimable Miss Pride are executed at Twice Told Books, and Janeway ups his investigative pace, which involves meetings (and romance) with a highly secretive rare-book dealer; scrutiny of a collection appraisal; and schmoozing with the owners along Book Row, until an alibi, like some book spines, cracks. Janeway, who can be tough, sensitive, and passionate, is a credible hero, both as cop and as book-lover. Moreover, the mystery holds its own with the atmospherics. Happily for fans, Dunning, a rare-book dealer himself, plans further Janeway books. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Review "Boston Sunday Globe" I am...an unabashed admirer of John Dunning's "Booked to Die." No one...can fail to be delighted by the sort of folkloric advice Janeway carries with him. "Mystery Scene" Memorable...Compellng...Vivdly realistic...Fascinating and utterly convincing...A suspenseful, well-crafted mystery that should keep readers guessing right up to the closing paragraph. This novel, friends, is a keeper. "New York Times Book Review" A joy to read...[A] whodunit in the classic mode. "Publishers Weekly" (star
