'Lively, seductive.John Dunning deserves to win an Edgar for this Denver cop-turned-bookman tale.' Booked to Die joins the select ranks of specialist crime fiction that works on all levels.' 'Dunning is an amazingly assured writer, willing to head off down narrative side streets, secure that his readers will follow. 'Crisp, direct prose and nearly pitch-perfect dialogue enhance this meticulously detailed page-turner.' Intelligently written the action is bafflingly logical the reader learns something, and it's got a sucker punch of a finale.' A suspenseful, well-crafted mystery that should keep readers guessing right up to the closing paragraph.' The payoff, in pleasure, is for the reader.' Very cannily and creepily, Dunning shows how quiet men with civilized tastes can turn into killers. can fail to be delighted by the sort of folkloric advice Janeway carries with him.' 'I am an unabashed admirer of John Dunning's Booked to Die. One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.' It is “a standout piece of crime fiction…Compelling page-turning stuff” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer). “One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read” ( The Denver Post), Booked to Die is the first in the Cliff Janeway series. Now Janeway’s life is about to change in profound and shocking ways as he attempts to find out who’s dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains. When prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies.

Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop-all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. 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. When Bobby is murdered, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect’s spine. Bobby Westfall is a local bookscout, a gentle and quiet man who has sold enough valuable books to keep himself and his cats fed and housed. Booked to Die, the first book in John Dunning’s bestselling, award-winning Cliff Janeway series, is “a joy to read for its wealth of inside knowledge about the antiquarian book business and its eccentric traders” ( The New York Times Book Review).ĭenver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he’s an avid collector of rare and first editions.

Cliff janeway