The premise is pretty good here. Book collecting, horse racing, crime solving. But, oh, the editing. It almost seems like something that was self-published, without the benefit of a professional. I haven't convinced myself to continue reading the series. ( )

I had high hopes for this: book collecting and horse racing. But, OMG, it just went on... and on... and on... Has Scribner fired all its editors?

Fans of the series will, of course, want to read this version. Everybody else should wait for the "Reader's Digest Condensed" version.

Another stinker ( )

Fifth and most recent (possibly the last, as I understand the author has had some serious medical problems recently) in the “Bookman” mystery series featuring Cliff Janeway, ex-cop and now bookstore owner/book dealer in Denver. I think this is my favorite Janeway book aside from the first one. I am not a big fan of (nor do I know much about) horse racing, but I learned a lot in this book. Janeway is contacted by an Idaho rancher, who inherited his wealthy boss’ book collection when he died. Or part of it—half went to his daughter, Sharon. But some of the books—hundreds of rare children’s books that were collected by the man’s wife Candice when she was alive—have gone missing and Junior Willis wants Janeway to see if he can figure out how and when. Once Junior and Janeway meet, the horse rancher/racer decides he doesn’t much like Janeway’s terms, but Janeway ends up staying on and working for Sharon—not only to find the missing books, but also to investigate Candice’s (her mother) death, which she has a wild hunch was not an accident as was presumed those many years ago. What a great book! Great storyline, wonderfully rich detail, immersion into the world of horse racing, and a mystery that I didn’t figure out. I was totally blindsided by the solution, which has me worried—two books in a row that I didn’t figure the mystery out. Am I losing my touch? LOL Probably not. More likely, Dunning is just a stellar plotter. ( )

8/08 The voice of the narrator did not match the story - voice was old (60 or more) and the main character was suppose to be in his 30's. Just didn't match. The story was a typical murder mystery, but I finished it because the setting was book collecting and race horses - and there was enough information about both worlds to keep me interested. But I wouldn't recommend it as an audiobook. ( )