Reading the Author Challenge Finished!

Verbivore issued this fun challenge and it gave me the chance to read more works by John Dunning. At the time I took on this challenge I had only read Booked to Die. I liked it a lot and wanted to read more in the Cliff Janeway/Bookman series, so that's why I chose John Dunning as the author to read.

I read and enjoyed:
The Bookman's Wake
The Bookman's Promise
The Sign of the Book

Thanks, Verbivore for the fun challenge. I loved every minute of it. My favorite so far in the series was The Bookman's Promise.

The Sign of the Book

by John Dunning

I am enjoying this mystery series immensely. The Sign of the Book is number four in the Cliff Janeway/Bookman series. The well-read and articulate Jenclair directed me to this series and I will always be grateful.

Cliff Janeway is a former cop turned used book dealer. He has a relationship with Erin D'Angelo who is a highly respected lawyer. Together they are called upon to help solve the mystery of who killed Erin's former boyfriend. All signs point to Erin's high school best friend who had an affair with Erin's boyfriend, Bobby, and ended up marrying him.

As with the previous books in this series, there are unexpected twists in the plot and there are fun tidbits about book collecting. Someone commented on one of my earlier reviews of a Janeway novel that these sounded like good cozy mysteries. I wouldn't classify them as typical, light cozy mysteries. This series is a little more hard-boiled and well-crafted.

Only one more book's left in the series and that makes me sad. I wish there were lots more. I guess I'll be looking into some of Dunning's other work when I finish the Janeway series.

The Bookman's Promise

by John Dunning

This is book #3 in The Bookman/Cliff Janeway crime series and it is my favorite, so far. Luckily there are 2 more in the series that I'm looking forward to reading.

Janeway combines his antiques collector knowledge with his muscular tough guy cop persona in hot pursuit of the ultimate dream of every book collector: the undiscovered handwritten copy of a prolific and famous author.

The Bookman's Promise is part book collector's paradise, filled with Dunning's unquestioned knowledge of musty book dens and collector's facts, and part mystery buff's delight as his sleuthing skills go on the hunt for clues that span a century.

I liked this passage about writing and think it could apply to life itself:

I think it was Doctorow who said that about the writing process - it's like driving a car across country at night and all you can ever see is what's immediately in your headlights, but you can make the whole journey that way.

Another insight, this time dealing with books and the internet:

A book is a mirror: If an ass peers into it, you can't expect an apostle to look out. That was written two centuries ago by a German wit name Lichenberg, but I think the same applies today to a computer screen.

A few other passages that struck me is some way:

"I know it's tough, I said, and felt stupid saying it. She confirmed my stupidity with a frigid look. "You don't know anything," she said, carving me into a Mount Rushmore of dunces.

Bad language is just bad manners, it's a symptom of a bankrupt mind.

Give an idiot a microphone and he's just a louder version of the same old idiot.

No one could have imagined that he'd do this to himself. It only proved that even a great poet like John Donne could be wrong. Every man is indeed an island, and deep personal torments can coexist with all the ingredients of a happy life.

The Bookman's Wake

by John Dunning

I read Booked to Die earlier in the year and really liked the writing, the mystery and the main character. I knew then that I would want to read more books in the Cliff Janeway series. When Verbivore came up with the Reading the Author Challenge I didn't have to make any hard decisions on which author I would read.

The Bookman's Wake was the New York Time's notable book of the year in 1995 and was even better than Booked to Die, which makes me even more excited to read the other 3 books in the series.

The lead character is a Denver policeman who retired to open up a used book store. He's also a book scout who becomes embroiled in murder cases. This time he is coaxed into going to Seattle to track down a young book thief and possible murderer.

A few passages that stood out at the time I read them:

"Forget what you thought you knew and maybe you'll learn something."

"I read somewhere that fiction's the only way you can really tell the truth."

"Lighter fluid is one of the book scouts's major tools, used for removing stickers from book jackets safely and without a trace. Paper can be soaked in it without getting stained, wrinklet, or otherwise damaged, unless someone remembers what lighter fluid's really for and sets it on fire."

I like the references to books and the interesting tidbits about book scouting. Of course, if that's all these books promised I probably wouldn't read anymore. Dunning does a wonderful job of building his characters and developing a thoughtful mystery. I look forward to book 3, The Bookman's Promise.

Reading the Author Challenge

Another delightful challenge which I am looking forward to is sponsored by Verbivore at Icurable Logophilia.

• The rules are to choose one author and read at least 3 books by that author.
• The time period is between Sep. and Dec. 2007
  

I'm choosing to read more books by John Dunning, the author of the Cliff Janeway series. Earlier in the year I read the first in the series, Booked to Die. I liked it so much that I shared it with my mother and brother and they have both read 3 more in the series. Not to be outdone, I need to catch up! So my 3 books will be...
1. The Bookman's Wake
2. The Bookman's Promise
3. The Sign of the Book