The Bookman's Wake (1995)

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

The Bookman’s Wake is the second in John Dunning’s Cliff Janeway series. Cliff is approached by a former colleague from the Denver PD to bring back a skip from Seattle. The only reason he agrees is that he’ll be paid $5000 and there’s a book angle: the skip, Eleanor Rigby, has stolen a rare edition of Poe’s The Raven, published by the famous and now deceased Darryl Grayson. Of course, nothing is as it seems: Eleanor is being stalked by a dark figure and Cliff soon realises he is really meant to find the elusive book. After he manages to “lose” Eleanor on his way to the airport, he joins forces with Trish Aandahl, the journalist who chronicled the life if the Grayson brothers after their deaths in a printery fire, which seemed suspicious at the time, to try to track down Eleanor and solve the mystery surrounding the Graysons and their books. Filled with fascinating tidbits about book publishing, book scouting, book binding and what makes a book rare and valuable, this novel has a great plot with plenty of twists, as well as some interesting characters and realistic dialogue. This was a great read and I look forward to the next in the series, The Bookman’s Promise. ( )

This is a mystery that makes the reader think. There are multiple players and it takes awhile before Janeway is able to rearrange all the pieces into something that makes sense. I enjoyed seeing Janeway acting the cop again, gathering the clues and making the connections. ( )

The Cliff Janeway series has quickly become my favorite detective series. This is the second book in the series, although I haven't been reading them in order. (I've found that reading these books in order isn't necessary for the plot lines, nor does it detract from the enjoyment of the books). This series is more of an intellecutal detective series. I love exploring the world of rare books and seeing/feeling the passion of the characters for book collecting. Although Janeway seems eager to form sexual relations, the scenes are brief and are handled well. This book left me feeling exhilirated and wanting more Janeway and more collectible books! ( )

Clever plot winds through lurid history of fine press publisher Grayson. Detective turned bookman Janeway follows arcane printing clues yielding bodies at every turn. Largely set in soggy Seattle to further darken the tone. Book collectors who like mysteries will enjoy immensely. ( )