A review by crafalsk264
Booked to Die by John Dunning

adventurous challenging funny informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Cliff Janeway has been a cop for 10 years with a very expensive and complicated hobby—collecting rare books. As a detective he is  assigned to the murder of Bobby the book scout who had recently left hints around that implied he had a “find” that would surprise everyone. Janeway is also juggling a long term feud with a career criminal bully named Jackie Newton. Newton attracts his dog and his date on a day when Janeway is trying to interview him regarding Bobby’s murder. When Jackie’s date, Barbara, turns to Janeway for protection, things begin to heat up resulting in  Janeway bullying the bully. When the  inevitable complaint comes, Janeway resigns and begins to become a book dealer.

Janeway leaves the force and opens a rare book store. Now he is managing space renovation, gathering stock, hiring employees, and dead bodies which crop up on a regular basis.

I have been aware of this series for years but never read any of Dunning’s work. But I like this one so I plan to read the next soon. The plot line was interesting the characters were enjoyable so I would recommend to mystery fans.