Booked to Die: A Mystery Introducing Cliff Janeway [Hardcover]

John Dunning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 1992

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 bookscout 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.

Includes information on John Dunning's new Cliff Janeway novel, The Bookman's Promise, coming soon in hardcover from Scribner

Editorial Reviews

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons; 1st edition (January 23, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684193833
• ISBN-13: 978-0684193830
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Although I have been writing fiction since childhood (and publishing novels since 1975), it was BOOKED TO DIE (1992) that gave me the freedom to write full time. I have always written out of my own life. My Bookman novels came from my ongoing experience in the used and rare book trade, coupled with my life as a Denver Post police reporter in the 1970s. I have written five novels about my book detective, Cliff Janeway, including THE BOOKWOMAN'S LAST FLING, to be published by Scribner in May 2006.

We have lived in Denver, it seems, forever, though I am a refugee from Charleston, SC. I have also been a glass cutter, a groom at Santa Anita and other racetracks, a publicist for political candidates (which is the same general thing)and did a radio show for more than 20 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Booked To Win!, April 10, 2004

By 

H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Booked to Die: A Mystery Introducing Cliff Janeway (Hardcover)

Cliff Janeway starts out as a Denver cop who loves books and winds up in this page-turner as an owner of a rare bookstore who doesn't forget his policing skills. The murders here all have to do with people in the book collecting business so booklovers get a double treat here. Although they are treated to a first class mystery, just as important is page after page of valuable information about collecting first editions. Ms. McKinley, whom Janeway has the hots for, remarks that when you buy "something unique, and pay twice what it's worth, it's a great bargain." And one of my favorite passages is about the worth of a good book. Ruby, a store-owner says: "A book has always cost about what a meal in a good restaurant costs. . . I get sick of hearing how expensive books are. Which would you rather have, a good book or a tender steak? I know what I'd take, seven days a week." I do not know one book lover who would disagree with that statement.

Mr. Dunning wastes no time in weighing in on the ongoing debate of "popular" fiction (Stephen King novels) versus the works of writers like Faulkner and Hemingway. (Remember the controversy over King's being given an award at last year's National Book Award Awards?) Janeway opines: "What the hell do I know? I sure can't explain it when a book like SALEM'S LOT goes from $10 to almost $1,000 in ten years. That's half again what a near-perfect GRAPES OF WRATH will bring, if you neeed a point of reference."

Oh, back to the story-- the plot twists and turns with surprise after surprise, right up to the last sentence of the novel.

I believe this one is a collectible.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Bibliomystery, May 10, 2002

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Booked to Die (Cliff Janeway Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a lot of talk among bibliophiles about this book and its subject matter. Rare books and their values are instrumental in its plot. What they leave out, however, is that this is a cracker of a good 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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written mystery should appeal to book lovers, March 12, 2001

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Booked to Die (Cliff Janeway Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dunning crafts an intriguing plot set in the world of used and rare books. His characters are quickly three dimensional, the dialogue is realistic, and the mystery is genuinely puzzling. The protagonist is a homicide detective on the Denver Police Department -- at least for a while -- and is immediately sympathetic and complex.

I thought the ending was a bit jumbled, but eventually all strings are tied up. This is a worthwhile read, and should be particularly interesting to book aficionados or those familiar with Denver.