Booked to Die

by John Dunning

Thumbs Up.

This is the first in the Cliff Janeway mystery series.  When the book opens, Mr. Janeway is a homicide detective with the Denver Police Department.  He also loves books.  He loves to read and discuss them; he collects first editions.

Janeway has a long running relationship with serial killer, Jackie Newton.   Janeway just can't seem to pin anything on Jackie.  Nothing sticks to the guy.  Janeway is getting a little burned out on the whole following the system thing.  He knows Jackie is guilty, but can never seem to get the evidence he needs in the legal ways.  He becomes increasingly more tempted to go outside the system and take care of the creep the old fashion way.

All this eventually leads to the opening of a new bookstore, several ladies, and several murders.   The murders are all intertwined with the world of book collecting.  It's fun to read about love for books and how that comes through in a variety of ways in different people's lives.

The mystery itself is good and keeps a reader guessing.  I found the characters somewhat remote.  I think it's because of the noir flavor of Dunning's writing.  The attitude is somewhat dark.    The characters have psychoses similar to those of characters in Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe books.  They are not light-hearted murder mysteries, but instead they are somewhat oppressive in their feel. 

I will probably read another at some point to see how Janeway's character evolves.   The subject matter is interesting enough and the plots suspenseful enough to overlook the heavy hearted mood they elicit.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: the True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession

by Allison Hoover Bartlett

Thumbs Up.

After many hours of interviews and research, Ms. Bartlett narrates the stories of book thief, John Charles Gilkey, and rare book seller, Ken Sanders, whose perseverance tracked Gilkey down. Throughout, this tale is a celebration of books and book lovers. Ms. Bartlett describes various kinds of book aficionados and seeks to discover what makes someone who loves books and collecting them, cross the line into thievery.

A reader will learn about the history of collecting books, some of the premier venues for finding rare books, and a little of the terminology of the hobby. It's a great read for anyone who loves books, rare or common.

I could just about smell and feel the books Ms Barlett describes. I'd love to see, for instance, an example of fore-edge painting, in which the gilt edge, when fanned just slightly opened, shows a painting of a scene from the book. Occasionally, this process is done twice, so that when fanned the other way, an alternate scene is portrayed.

I could picture easily the wooden fronts and backs and the various leather and linen covers. I could imagine the aisles of such books in the shops Ms Bartlett highlighted. Mmmm.

The book is filled with the personal stories of books sellers and books. The author draws the reader along on the main two courses, that of Gilkey's world of book theft and Sander's drive to discover the thief.

But Ms Bartlett also meanders into frequent anecdotes showing how both a love of books and the stories within books themselves have effected people throughout time. The book pleases on many levels.