Customer Reviews

The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The following exchange between Cliff Janeway and Erin, his significant other, takes place near the end of "The Bookwoman's Last Fling." Erin speaks first:

"This is probably not something we want to do on the phone," she said. "But we do need to talk.... Oh, it's the same old stuff. We made some big and glorious plans for our life together in books. I still think it would be a great life, except for one thing. You don't really want it. It took me a while to understand that."

I didn't know what to say, probably because I was afraid she was right....

"What you really want is to be a cop again," she said.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. It'll never happen."

"Oh, my dear, it has [italicized] happened. You're never going to be a bookman in the upper tier. You don't have it in you. You want to be a cop; you're still a cop at heart."
[Pages 456-7, paperback edition]

Now if you reframe that passage slightly, it becomes a dialogue between John Dunning and his readers. Dunning, I think, doesn't really want to be the major figure in crime fiction that his first two books suggested he might be. He doesn't have it in him. He wants to be an ordinary, hard-boiled detective writer; he's still a hard-boiled detective writer at heart.

And when he says that'll never happen. We readers are bound to declare, "Oh, John, it has [italicized] happened."

Consider this book. Dunning obviously wanted to write about a hard-boiled guy snooping around a racetrack. On the other hand, he, his agent and his publisher, were fully aware that his paying fans wanted a story about books and bookmen. So Dunning wrote his racetrack story, but he perfunctorily bracketed it with the beginning and the end of a bookman story. The end bracket is particularly obvious. Cliff Janeway moves from the track world to the book world at the beginning of Chapter 31, page 446 of the paperback edition. (The story ends at page 507, after the apprehension of a villain. The arbitrary ending of the book almost equals "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" in generating disbelief, but without Agatha Christie's stunning skill in overcoming it.)

Dunning bends a dutiful knee towards things bookish by muttering about bibliomania. But what he is really talking about is collecting-mania. Books are a mere McGuffin in "The Bookwoman's, Etc." With only cosmetic changes, the mania could have involved paintings, Tiffany cigarette cases or any other collectible. If P.G. Wodehouse had written this book, he might have called it "The Creamer-Collector's Last Fling"--books out, silver cow creamers in.

I'm giving this book just two stars, not because it is bad, for it is all right in the sense that any run of the mill product is all right. No, I'm downgrading the rating because the book is only all right. Dunning once demonstrated that he could be something quite out of and above the herd. This book denies that potential and his promise as a true artist. It fails, not so much the readers as Dunning himself.

Two disappointed stars.

John Dunning wrote a couple of my favorite quiet mysteries with the first books in this series. If he had left it as a trilogy, I think that these books would have gone down as classics of their era. However, Dunning has persisted in turning this into a series that just has no legs what-so-ever. I have noticed while reading all of Dunnings work that Characters are not one of his strong points. Dunning tells a great story, and has the ability to incorporate an archetype that he has used in every one of his novels. The archetype is not a bad one, and it suffices to push along what is usually a pretty darn good yarn. The reason I am pointing this opinion of mine out is that for the first time ever, I have noticed a devolution of a character in the hands of an author. From the first book in this series, to Bookwomans Fling, Janeway has lost a lot of his allure. I dont think that we been given any insights at all into the make-up of this man, and because of that this book suffers.

You might disagree with me in what I just said, however I urge you to go back and flip through "Booked to Die", notice the depth of character beyond what you might have pulled in if you have watched many Noir flicks or the 50's or read books such as Maltese Falcon. Theirs not much to Janeway. But its ok in that book because the story is so original. Now look at Bookwomans Last Fling and you have exactly the same character. Janeway has not grown, and Dunning has not given us anything to feed upon.

Lastly, I think that the point I am trying to make here is best observed when you take a look at Dunnings female characters. Every single one of them is as thin as a gust of wind. They are all pretty much the same. Compare Janeways growth over these books and then look at Matt Scudder who appears in some of Lawrence Blocks books. Night and Day.

The reason I am so engrossed with the unconcern Dunning has over the development of Janeway is that his stories feel more and more boxed in as time goes on. How many stories about old collectible books can you write. Heck I love to collect first editions myself, but I dont want to read Dunnings attempts to tie a clever series into them anymore.

I sort of think of Dunnings Janeway series as being a little like Dick Francis' racetrack books. Francis constantly has the same theme and same character from one book to the next. He has the same problem as Dunning. Only Francis has found a way around this by putting that character into a different form with every book. Each time he turns him into a stock-broker or a detective, or something and then the reader has the joy of watching a good story unfold while learning a bit of the characters new back story.

This book felt forced through-out. I would like to read something more like "booked to die" again from Dunning. I want the great story that starts in one place and ends somewhere totally unexpected. I dont want to read the story told here that is as stale as can be. Enough Dunning. Your a gifted story teller. Start telling stories again.

Denver book buyer Cliff Janeway has been called to Idaho to assess the estate collection of H.R. and Candice Geiger, both deceased. But of course, the task is not that simple. The estate manager's demeanor runs the gamut from vague to downright surly. H.R.'s books are at the main house, while Candice's are with her daughter Sharon. Someone seems to have been stealing selected volumes from some series runs over the years. The three Geiger brothers are each crazy in their own way, or worse. Oh, and then there's that little matter about whether or not Candice was murdered so long ago. Janeway approaches it all with his usual calculating manner, using his ex-cop intuition to decide how to best be involved with the books, the loose ends, and with this seemingly dysfunctional family.

And since the Geiger business is racehorses, Janeway gets his foot in that barn door, too. He follows the investigation to a racetrack in California, where he takes on work as a hot walker. Here he (and we readers) learn more about the scene behind the races. Before too long, we're all comfortable with hanging out with the ginny and the bug boy and tackling the endless duty of mucking out the stables. Cliff's girlfriend, bookstore partner and lawyer Erin, joins him for part of the investigation and is accidentally put into harm's way. The true identity of the perpetrator remains a mystery to us until the last 23 pages, when most savvy readers will get a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs, and no one will be able to warn Cliff of the danger ahead. We just have to hang on and hope that the good guy prevails.

Granted, this might not be the strongest episode in the Cliff Janeway series, but it's still an enjoyable read and is heads above many other contemporary mysteries available today. The dialogue advances the plot, the description of the racetrack venue is fresh and intriguing, and the mystery and its action keep us turning pages. I heartily recommend new readers to the series to delve into other Dunning books. It's always a treat to spend time with Cliff Janeway. He's the West Coast answer to Bernie Rhodenbarr.

I loved the four previous "Bookman" books and was eagerly anticipating this latest novel. I was seriously disappointed and could barely get through the first chapter- it was excrutiating to make myself plod through to the end. I had been excited about the premise- a dead woman who collected rare children's books- but other than Janeway occassionally exclaiming- "Wow, this version of such and such children's book in really rare and in great condition," I did not feel like Dunning included much on the rare book angle. I don't think that these are particularly great mysteries as a whole, but I love reading about and learning about various aspects of the rare book world and that is why I like(d) the Bookman books.

Anyway, give it a shot if you are already a fan, just to stay current with what is going on in the series, but if you rae new, start with the first, "Booked to Die."

I was excited to find a nice first edition hardcover copy of John Dunning's The Bookwoman's Last Fling at a bargain table price a few weeks ago. Knowing how popular the previous four Cliff Janeway novels had been with book collectors did make me wonder at the time why such a nice copy of this 2006 novel was still available in mid-2008. Now I think that I can answer that question.

Cliff Janeway, bibliophile ex-cop turned bookstore owner/detective, finds himself in Idaho at the behest of the executor of the estate of H.R. Geiger, a wealthy racehorse owner, in order to appraise the dead man's book collection. Geiger's wife, who has been in her grave for two decades, had been an avid collector of juvenile fiction and she left behind a collection of some of the finest first editions of their type known to exist.

Janeway is quick, however, to notice that the collection is not what it appears to be at first glance. Rather, it is a combination of beautiful first editions set along side much more common later printings of other books of the genre. This is no surprise to the man who has asked him to appraise the collection because he already knows that many of the books have been stolen from the shelves and replaced by much less valuable editions. Janeway also realizes almost immediately that he and Junior Willis, the estate executor, have a tremendous personality conflict and that there is little chance he will ever be able to work for the man despite how badly he wants to study the collection's finer books.

While waiting around to see if he and Junior can come to an agreement about the job, Janeway makes a fateful visit to the deceased woman's daughter who is in possession of fifty percent of her mother's books. There he learns that the daughter has long suspected that her mother had been murdered and he agrees to work for her, not only to discover who has been stealing from the collection, but also to determine whether or not her mother was murdered and, if so, who did it.

Janeway's search leads him into the world of California horseracing and the bulk of the story takes place inside the racetracks where he is convinced the killer will be found. John Dunning has lived and worked in that world and he writes comfortably and capably about the experiences of those who work behind the scenes to make sure that all of that expensive horse flesh is ready to run when the gates fly open. He writes about it so well, and so comfortably, in fact, that The Bookwoman's Last Fling reads far more like a Dick Francis novel than it does the next Cliff Janeway novel, ensuring disappointment for Dunning's bibliophile fan base, especially those of us who are not particularly fans of Dick Francis mysteries even when they are penned by Dick Francis himself.

But even more irksome to me, personally, was what appears to be Dunning's decision to play unfairly with his readers. This is, after all, a mystery and mystery writers know that their readers try to solve the mystery along with the fictional detective working the case. When all the provided clues end up leading nowhere because the murderer turns out to be a minor character thrown into the mix near the end of the book and the detective has nothing more to go on himself than a "feeling" about that character, the covenant between mystery writer and mystery reader has been broken. Such is the case here.

Cliff Janeway is an interesting character and I probably won't let my disappointment with The Bookwoman's Last Fling keep me from reading the next installment of his story, if there is one. But now I will definitely come to that one a little more skeptical about what I might find within its pages.

As a fan of this series I always look forward to the next book. This latest did not disappoint. The change of location was interesting, and there was a great sense of place. What I like most about this series, though, is the characters, and not just the main character. John Dunning creates characters in his books that you will long remember; if you read "The Bookman's Promise," you'll know what I mean. The character "Rick" from this book, and even "Candice," who is present only in memory, will remain with you. Even the personality of the horse comes through. A great addition to the series.

Fans of previous "Bookman" novels by John Dunning will be equally captivated by The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel (Cliff Janeway Novels). This offering is just as witty, literate and informative a tome as his previous ventures. This time out the reader not only gets a lesson in the appraisal and valuation of rare juvenile books (from Winnie the Pooh to Nancy Drew) but we are also treated to an inside look at the racing game (seems Dunning worked behind the scenes at a few racetracks in his youth and is more than will to share his knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes at the track).

Once again, former cop turned rare bookseller/appraiser, Cliff Janeway, becomes embroiled in a fascinating mystery when he is hired by the majordomo of one H. R. Geiger (noted horseman who has recently passed on) to evaluate the a rare and valuable collection of first edition children's books that had belonged to Geigers late wife, Candice. Janeways job is to determine not only the value of the collection but also to ascertain if any of the collection is missing or has been tampered with. The missing book angle of the mystery turns out to be just the tip of this iceberg.

There are a multitude of questions to be answered and horses to be tended. There is the question of what really happened to Geigers late wife (was her death an accident as had been reported, or was she cleverly murdered?). Is Geiger's daughter Sharon, a protector of abused horses, in imminent danger (since she is the owner of one half of her mothers valuable book collection). Are Sharon's half-brothers as unprincipled and dangerous as they appear?

This mystery has as many potential suspects as a purple onion has layers but Janeway is up to the task of following the clues and peeling away those layers. There are book collectors, horse trainers, stablehands, horse owners, and dysfunctional family members to choose from and Janeway discovers that the culprit will do anything (including turning Janeway into a "crispy critter") to achieve his (or her) ultimate goal.

Readers will find Janeway a hard character to forget, and Bookwoman's Last Fling an engrossing page turner. So saddle up and get ready for a great ride.

I WAS so enthralled with Cliff Janeway's character, his love of books and all that good, good knowledge...that this fifth endeavor of Mr. Dunning's just left me dazed with disappointment.
It doesn't matter that I never knew anything about horses and the racetrack (I found that a very interesting aspect) but this entire novel left a lot to be desired on so many levels. I, too, was glad not to have spent any money on this having borrowed it from the library.

I can only hope that the next Janeway novel is a vast improvement on all levels over this one. PLEASE! Susan

Wow -- what a huge disappointment. John Dunning is such a great story teller. I have all his books on my shelf, but this was a huge dud. I was really looking forward to reading it -- but it was so incredibly boring that I had to put it down. I just couldn't trudge through it. It felt REALLY contrived. Very sad. :(

Reading over the reviews here I see that many people are disappointed in this book. I'm surprised because I liked it better than some of his other books and I'm kind of glad he got rid of that girlfriend. Her character just didn't work for me. I won't be surprised if his next girlfriend is from Idaho.

I know nothing about horse racing so reading about some of what goes on in the stable area was new and interesting to me.

And I think the person who said that the author didn't play fair in giving clues as to who the killer was soon enough is wrong. I thought there were plenty of good clues. I figured it out long before I usually do.

All-in-all I liked it. I liked the characters, the settings, and the ending. No, it doesn't deserve 4 or 5 stars, but it is a nice read.