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This sequel to the bestselling Booked to Die combines masterful suspense, bullets, and booklore in one of the best contemporary whodunits on the shelves. When rare book collector Cliff Janeway is offered a lucrative bondsman job, he can't refuse, especially since the bail jumper might have a priceless copy of The Raven. This is a must listen for mystery buffs and especially those who love booklore.Tags
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benjclark If you like John Dunning, allow me to reccomend Marco Page's Fast Company. Out of print, but that shouldn't stop you. It's in a similar vein to Dunning's Bookman series, but set in 1938. Well, it was written in 1938.
Member Reviews
Once again, here’s one for the dedicated, one for the book devotee – a second enthralling chapter in Denver ex-detective Cliff Janeway’s illuminating world of the bibliophile. At the same fast-paced, high-octane level as his first, John Dunning delivers another intriguing murder-mystery; embroiling our book-loving Cliff, in this instance, in the little-known sphere surrounding the peculiar vagaries of the printing, binding and publishing of rare first-editions.
So highly-prized and priced, so sought after and obsessively-hunted, is one small publishing house's creations from a master book designer – The Grayson Press; and yet someone is killing off all identified owners of these precious works; in particular the pressing, twenty show more years previous, of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Initially unbeknownst to Janeway, he becomes enmeshed in this torrid tale when, against his better judgement, he is contracted, for a tidy sum, by a former police colleague to collect bond-skip, Eleanor Rigby, from rain-soaked Seattle; the girl charged around the alleged theft of one of these books. Primarily interested due to the book angle, Janeway’s cop-radar is elevated to extreme danger when Eleanor is kidnapped out from under him and her trail continually uncovers a plethora of dead bodies, demonstrably linked to Grayson Press. And as Cliff Janeway attempts to liberate Eleanor from what he perceives as a life-threatening situation, he is drawn inexorably into the tangled web of the Grayson brothers and their ignominious legacy.
This really was an absorbing story in so many ways. Against the suitably miserable climate of sodden Seattle Janeway is allowed to slowly but shrewdly unveil the dismal truths behind this altogether sad and sorry tale. Reading more as an intelligent analysis of the foibles of the bibliophile-addict rather than a mere crime novel, in this book John Dunning cleverly captures the core of any book aficionado’s delight through his distinctive handle and elucidation of this world. But the noticeable pleasure materialises fully within an essence, concerning the many layers of book appreciation, purposely-built into the story-line; opinions, as this, utterly delightful: “Why is a book the only gift that the giver feels free and often compelled to deface before giving?"; and interspersed with absolute wit:
”You see anything?” Eleanor asked from the far corner.
“Four computer books, two copies of The Joy of Sex, and five million Stephen King derivatives.”
She sighed. “Put ‘em all together and what’ve you got?”
“Desk-top breeding by vampires.”
All told, this book worked for me on numerous levels. Again, I learnt so much. The ‘whodunit’ was dense enough to retain interest; the why and the wherefore, at times, mesmerising. But, to my mind, it is to the true book-enthusiast that the author connects effortlessly with. There is an adherence, a belief, behind this tale, seamlessly in accord with the actions of Janeway’s well-crafted character, which resonates impeccably with the thoughts of like-minded readers. On balance, you can take the detective out of the police force, but you can’t take the detective, or the bibliophile, out of Cliff Janeway. Nor would you want to. It’s a rather complementary, and very entertaining, correlation after all!
(July 15, 2009) show less
So highly-prized and priced, so sought after and obsessively-hunted, is one small publishing house's creations from a master book designer – The Grayson Press; and yet someone is killing off all identified owners of these precious works; in particular the pressing, twenty show more years previous, of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Initially unbeknownst to Janeway, he becomes enmeshed in this torrid tale when, against his better judgement, he is contracted, for a tidy sum, by a former police colleague to collect bond-skip, Eleanor Rigby, from rain-soaked Seattle; the girl charged around the alleged theft of one of these books. Primarily interested due to the book angle, Janeway’s cop-radar is elevated to extreme danger when Eleanor is kidnapped out from under him and her trail continually uncovers a plethora of dead bodies, demonstrably linked to Grayson Press. And as Cliff Janeway attempts to liberate Eleanor from what he perceives as a life-threatening situation, he is drawn inexorably into the tangled web of the Grayson brothers and their ignominious legacy.
This really was an absorbing story in so many ways. Against the suitably miserable climate of sodden Seattle Janeway is allowed to slowly but shrewdly unveil the dismal truths behind this altogether sad and sorry tale. Reading more as an intelligent analysis of the foibles of the bibliophile-addict rather than a mere crime novel, in this book John Dunning cleverly captures the core of any book aficionado’s delight through his distinctive handle and elucidation of this world. But the noticeable pleasure materialises fully within an essence, concerning the many layers of book appreciation, purposely-built into the story-line; opinions, as this, utterly delightful: “Why is a book the only gift that the giver feels free and often compelled to deface before giving?"; and interspersed with absolute wit:
”You see anything?” Eleanor asked from the far corner.
“Four computer books, two copies of The Joy of Sex, and five million Stephen King derivatives.”
She sighed. “Put ‘em all together and what’ve you got?”
“Desk-top breeding by vampires.”
All told, this book worked for me on numerous levels. Again, I learnt so much. The ‘whodunit’ was dense enough to retain interest; the why and the wherefore, at times, mesmerising. But, to my mind, it is to the true book-enthusiast that the author connects effortlessly with. There is an adherence, a belief, behind this tale, seamlessly in accord with the actions of Janeway’s well-crafted character, which resonates impeccably with the thoughts of like-minded readers. On balance, you can take the detective out of the police force, but you can’t take the detective, or the bibliophile, out of Cliff Janeway. Nor would you want to. It’s a rather complementary, and very entertaining, correlation after all!
(July 15, 2009) show less
If you're one of those people like me who love real books, savoring their smell when cracked open for that very first time, here is something special for you. John Dunning's follow-up to Booked to Die is a novel of intrigue and murder amidst the book world, or more to the point, those who love books and spend hours searching the shelves of used book stores for a rare first edition.
Cliff Janeway is the Denver bookman and part-time detective who goes looking for a girl who may have in her possession a rare Grayson Press edition of Poe's, "The Raven," a book worth a fortune to those who know about such things. But Janeway soon discovers everything is not as it first appears when he attempts to help the young and frightened Eleanor.
A bit show more more complex than the first very good entry in the series, Dunning's second mystery is exciting and compelling, peppered with insights and observations about books from a writer who loves and respects them as much as we do. We are treated to keen observations about humanity while Dunning uses rain in Seattle and snow in Denver for atmosphere, creating a wistful feel to the ending.
The Bookman's Wake is a smart read that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves books. If you like an intelligent mystery with sharply drawn characters and keen observations on our society as well, then this book is definitely your cup of tea. Dunning took a break for many years before writing another in this series, and in my opinion, they do not live up to the magic found in such abundance here in the first two, though they do have their merits. Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake, however, are both stellar entries, and anyone who loves books and mysteries, will probably enjoy this series. show less
Cliff Janeway is the Denver bookman and part-time detective who goes looking for a girl who may have in her possession a rare Grayson Press edition of Poe's, "The Raven," a book worth a fortune to those who know about such things. But Janeway soon discovers everything is not as it first appears when he attempts to help the young and frightened Eleanor.
A bit show more more complex than the first very good entry in the series, Dunning's second mystery is exciting and compelling, peppered with insights and observations about books from a writer who loves and respects them as much as we do. We are treated to keen observations about humanity while Dunning uses rain in Seattle and snow in Denver for atmosphere, creating a wistful feel to the ending.
The Bookman's Wake is a smart read that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves books. If you like an intelligent mystery with sharply drawn characters and keen observations on our society as well, then this book is definitely your cup of tea. Dunning took a break for many years before writing another in this series, and in my opinion, they do not live up to the magic found in such abundance here in the first two, though they do have their merits. Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake, however, are both stellar entries, and anyone who loves books and mysteries, will probably enjoy this series. show less
John Dunning was for many years a used book dealer in Denver, Colorado. His protagonist is a police detective who was once a finder and seller of rare books. The appeal - the unique hook used here - is that you will be taken not only on a mystery story, but an exploration of the book trade. Not the internet thing we have now, where you want it, you click it, you got it. Nooo... Once upon a time, somehow almost yesterday, you had to go Outside and Search for stuff. Yeah, like the animals. If you were interested in getting a book, you had to leave your house, however tentatively, and comb through Bookstores (buildings that sold actual books, usually cluttered, a bit smelly in a nice way). For this, I can recommend what is otherwise a show more competent mystery written by a book lover for book lovers. Specifically, if you're the kind of person who loves to burrow, mole like, all day in used book stores, drooling, delighted, oblivious to the time, something of that comes across within this novel and therefore, you might find something to enjoy in it. I did. And the killer is – haha, just playing with you. show less
I did enjoy this one more than the first in the series (Booked to Die), Janeway was less of a bully-boy, and the plot was good and thick and twisting. I did guess whodunnit before the end, but I think that's always rather fun, knowing (or guessing) stuff ahead of our protagonist. Murder mysteries are best read with some involvement from the reader!
The very GOOD sequel to Booked to Die For. Fascinating information about book collecting wrapped into a good mystery story.
I decided to try Dunning again after many years, just to see if there is still anything attractive here. Dunning's strength is displayed when Janeway and Eleanor go shopping in bookstores and thrift shops and they are able to use their knowledge points and recent history to make off with some incredible bargains. Knowledge is power, as they say. His weakness is the faux dramatic buildup toward the end of the novel and the anti-climax when Gaston turns out to be the villain. Janeway's methods seems disjointed and reactive rather than organized and skillfully planned. Putting aside the real life drama of Doves and its famous typeface losing itself in the Thames, it is hard to believe that there could be this much drama over a series of show more private press books. As a bookdealer, it is still easy to enjoy this book overall. show less
Cliff Janeway is a former Denver cop turned antiquarian bookseller. The mystery in this, the second in the series, revolves around the defunct Grayson Press, a small press that published limited editions. The owner was a brilliant book designer who even designed and made his own type. The press became defunct when he died in a fire twenty years before the book begins. Now Grayson's beautiful limited editions are extremely valuable. The most valuable being his edition of [The Raven]. When a Grayson book is stolen from a home in Taos, the young woman charged with theft and attempted murder fails to show up in court. When she's found in Seattle, Janeway gets involved by accepting the job to escort her back to Taos. It didn't turn out to be show more the simple job he expected.
John Dunning was an antiquarian book dealer in Denver for many years. His knowledge of the collectible book business is evident as is his knowledge of how a small press making limited editions works. Unfortunately those two things cause the greatest flaws with the book, he goes into excruciating detail that isn't really necessary to the plot and tires, even bores the most interested reader. I liked the complex mystery and the characters are well done as is the setting. And yes, I really do like the collectible book business angle, I would just like stronger editing. show less
John Dunning was an antiquarian book dealer in Denver for many years. His knowledge of the collectible book business is evident as is his knowledge of how a small press making limited editions works. Unfortunately those two things cause the greatest flaws with the book, he goes into excruciating detail that isn't really necessary to the plot and tires, even bores the most interested reader. I liked the complex mystery and the characters are well done as is the setting. And yes, I really do like the collectible book business angle, I would just like stronger editing. show less
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- Canonical title
- The Bookman's Wake
- Original title
- The Bookman's Wake
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- Cliff Janeway; Clydel Slater; Eleanor Rigby; Bobby Westfall; Richard Schofield; Trish (show all 9); Rigby; Crystal; Pruitt
- Important places
- Seattle, Washington, USA; Taos, New Mexico, USA; Denver, Colorado, USA
- Dedication
- To Jack Kisling of Hairline Press, who navigates
with a steady hand the eddies and shoals
of the printshop. - First words
- Slater wasn't my kind of cop.
- Quotations
- The young endure and hope, until suddenly they're forty and time isn't what it once was. The old suffer and save their hopes for the real things in life --- a high, dry present and a quiet place to die.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In the yard behind the store I look at the black sky and wonder what books tomorrow will bring.
- Blurbers
- Stokes, Geoffrey
- Original language
- English US
- Disambiguation notice
- John Dunning (1942- ), an American writer of detective fiction
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