Rating: 
Summary: Clumsy writing technique is a book closer
Review: A new John Dunning book, one to take its place next to Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake, had been much anticipated for a number of years. I bought, and read it, as soon as it was available. The best I can say about The Bookman's Promise is that it's as good as many mystery books being published today. Yet it falls short of Dunning's other two Cliff Janeway novels, especially Booked to Die which I consider the best Dunning work. If you've not read Dunning, maybe you shouldn't start with Booked to Die and/or The Bookman's Wake. These two are much better reads, and might ruin The Bookman's Promise for you. But why read an inferior Dunning book considering his best two books are available as a package?
There is one section, Burton and Charlie, in Promise that is a roadblock for the reader. Much of the book is set in the present, told in first person. But in the middle, Dunning shifts to Civil War days, and allows another character to take over the book narrator's first person voice -- rather jarring, a clumsy way to write fiction, and a reason to put down The Bookman's Promise.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bookman Is Back
Review: After an eight year wait, John Dunning returns to his Bookman character, Cliff Janeway in a new novel that catapults the reader into a variety of worlds. First, there is the world of the book scout where the author describes finding and collecting valuable books. Janeway is now a bookstore owner and his purchase of a first edition of 19th century daredevil, linguist and explorer Richard Francis Burton leads to a radio interview, which gets picked up by newspapers on a slow news day and the publicity attracts a woman in her 90s who claims that the book was part of a collection scammed away from her family by an unscrupulous family of book sellers. A bookperson will be interested in the author's description of writers, collectors, and publishers. The woman introduces the second world, the United States in the 1860s where Burton and her grandfather travel the south and Burton may or may not be a spy for the British. On her deathbed she gives another signed first edition to Janeway on the condition that he will promise to try to find the collection, which has been missing for 80 years. Janeway promises and enters a dangerous world of murder, mobsters and crooked booksellers where nobody is quite what they appear to be. Cracking wise and living dangerously, Janeway follows the clues and his own moral compass to find the collection, track down the murderer of a friend and, he hopes, get the girl. If it is at times difficult to suspend disbelief at some of the plot twists and turns, it is in the end well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Exploration of a Time and Place Long Lost
Review: After an eight-year hiatus, author and antiques book collector John Dunning has returned Cliff Janeway --- the tough guy, Denver ex-cop turned bookstore owner and hero of two prior novels, BOOKED TO DIE and THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE --- to his fans.Janeway is plunged into a new mystery when Josephine Gallant, a frail and dying old woman, is brought to his shop. She had heard Janeway on a radio interview about a rare first edition he had acquired by 19th century explorer Richard Francis Burton. She contends that the book is rightfully hers and was part of a vast collection of her grandfather's. The collection mysteriously disappeared shortly after her grandfather's death, and she has always suspected that a crooked Baltimore bookstore dealer was responsible. None of the books had surfaced in almost 80 years, but she is certain Janeway's new acquisition was part of that collection. She tells Janeway and the people with whom she is staying that her grandfather traveled the American South with Burton for three months just before the outbreak of the Civil War and that Burton kept a journal of that expedition, which he left with her grandfather. She owns only one pristine book from the entire collection, for which Janeway offers her $25,000. On her deathbed she gives it to Janeway with two stipulations: that he split the value with her hosts and that he will promise to track down the journal and the rest of Burton's writings, which she claims were her birthright. After a friend is murdered and another's life is threatened over the possible existence of this collection, Janeway's promise leads him to Baltimore and South Carolina in search of the missing journal. Janeway collects two women and encounters a large cast of colorful characters in the search. Was Burton a British spy or did he play some role in the early part of the American Civil War? What was the connection between the unscrupulous Baltimore bookstore owners and their current owners? Is one of his female companions somehow involved with the murder? 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. He reveals Burton's mysterious journey through a flashback to Gallant's grandfather's narrative of the trip. The narrative method used is a little tricky, but it manages to overcome incredulity with a fascinating exploration of a time and place long lost. --- Reviewed by Roz Shea
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Dunning Gives The Reader a Cliffhanger
Review: Cliff Janeway is back with a fury. Mr. Dunning begins this novel in 1987 in Denver, the home of Janeway's bookstore. Then the policeman-turned-bookseller travels to Baltimore, Charleston and then back to Denver in his quest to find the murderer of Denise Ralston, who Janeway believes was murdered because the assailant thought she had a rare book by Sir Richard Burton, the l9th Century English writer, not the 20th Century actor, as Dunning would say. To paraphrase Faulker, "once a cop, always a cop" as Janeway's sleuthing skills come back to him. He sets about to solve the several mysteries here in a deliberate, meticulous fashion. As we have come to expect from Dunning's two previous novels, Janeway's relationship with a woman he pursues is rocky. And THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE ends on a cliffhanger! This novel flows more easily than the first two mysteries, I thought; apparently Mr. Dunning has found his stride. The reader learns a lot about Richard Burton; and for those who want to know more about this interesting individual, the author gives a list for further reading at the end of the book. I must say I missed all the referenes to book publishers and first editions and prices that were so entertaining in the first two books of this series and for the most part are absent here, although Mr. Dunning does make a couple of digs at St. Martin's Press.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Engaging
Review: For my first John Dunning novel, *The Bookman's Promise* was a great place to start. Coming in on the latest book in a series can sometimes be daunting. The characters have an established history, set up in previous books as it were, that is often referred back to and sometimes it just makes you feel like you're missing something. But that is not the case with this series. Janeway obviously has a very involved past, but I was given enough to feel as though I knew the character and didn't need to worry about what I missed by starting at the end of the series. Aside from the infinitely interesting world of rare or "unique" books, this novel focuses on one historical persona in the shape and scars of Richard Burton. Now, I had heard the name, but knew little about the person. Where some may have found the emphasis on this one particular man distracting or not as engaging as booklore, I thought just the opposite. I love learning about people like Burton, and being introduced to him as I was in this novel motivated me to learn more. When a book makes you want to go right to your local library to get a better understanding of history (or whatever it may be), well, that's fantastic. And it makes me appreciate the work of fiction all the more. And the interlude between Charlie and Burton that has been mentioned in other reviews was quite refreshing. Charlie has a lovely voice, which makes his story so enjoyable and readable. To me the book would have been missing something without it. I must say that *The Bookman's Promise* was thoroughly entertaining and I'm very glad to have read it. The day I finished it I went and purchased the other two books in the Janeway series. And even though it has its flaws (I wasn't thrilled with the ending and some of the characters had annoying tendencies, but overall that's being relatively picky) I would recommend it to anyone--whether they've read the other ones or not.
Rating:
Summary: john dunning's newest left me sad
Review: I am a fan of Mr. Dunning's character Cliff Janeway, but I found this book a bit more maudline than past tomes. It was well written and interesting as always but the over all tone of the book was what really struck me. It was a "sad" book to me. The death of his friend's wife and the duty to the book owner, it was all a little too heady for me at the time i read it.
This in no way deters me from awaiting the next Janeway adventure.
Rating:
Summary: FINNALLY, ANOTHER "CLIFF JANEWAY" NOVEL!!!
Review: It's been almost a decade since the last "Cliff Janeway" novel by John Dunning, but the wait was well worth it. Mr. Dunning's newest book, THE BOOKMAN'S PROMISE, brings back our ex-Denver homicide detective/book dealer in rare form as he seeks to find the murderer of a new friend and information concerning Sir Richard Burton's (legendary Nineteenth Century explorer and author) trip to the United States just before the start of the Civil War. It all begins when Janeway purchases a rare book by Richard Burton in pristine condition and inscribed by Burton to someone named Charlie Warren at an auction. Within weeks, an elderly woman appears at Janeway's bookstore, claiming to be the granddaughter of Charlie Warren and asking Janeway to help her find the missing library of Burton books that were stolen from her family after her grandfather died. As proof of her claim, she presents Janeway with another book by Burton, also in pristine condition and inscribed to her grandfather. This leads Janeway to a book dealer in Baltimore and a dangerous thug who's more than willing to kill in order to stop Janeway in his search. Janeway then heads to Charleston, South Carolina where Richard Burton and Charlie Warren spent several days, supposedly causing the start of the War Between the States. What will Janeway discover and how many people will have to die because of something that happened over 150 years ago? As in the previous two "Janeway" novels (BOOKED TO DIE and THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE), Mr. Dunning creates a marvelous mystery filled with strong character development, suspense, and bare-knuckles action, while at the same time delving into the intriguing world of rare books and what makes one book more valuable than another. Any "Janeway" novel is certainly a special treat for lovers of well-written mysteries and the world of antique books. John Dunning definitely knows his subject matter and manages to make it quite vivid and entertaining. I can't highly recommend this novel enough, or the two previous ones in the series. I sincerely hope Mr. Dunning won't wait as long before presenting his growing legion of fans with his next "Janeway" novel.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Context Improves This Mystery
Review: John Dunning's Cliff Janeway series is a reliable fare of mysteries set in the world of book-selling and collecting. This one is middle of the road for the series or mysteries in general.
Janeway buys a Richard Burton (19th century explorer, not the actor) book at auction, is interviewed on NPR and then is confronted by an elderly lady who tips him off to a valuable Burton collection "stolen" from her family. He promises to recoup it and the chase is on leading him from Denver to Baltimore to Charleston. Along the way he crosses paths with a psychotic henchman who follows him and his allies.
The mystery is not a terrific one. The solution, sadly, is packed in the end with superpowers of deduction that the reader is not able to share. The muscleman who chases him adds needed tension to the plot, but when all is said and done, he really was not part of the plot in chief - only there to add the tension and some violence.
What improves the book is the historical context of Richard Burton and a diary account of his trip south right before the Civil War. Evidently there were some months missing in biographies of his life when he was in the United States. Dunning has put him in the south with a suspicion that he was spying for England. I wish Mr. Dunning would have given us more on what was historically accurate, theorized and full fiction in his historical note at the end of the book.
All in all this was a pretty good book. As always, the tidbits on book collecting were interesting. Most of the supporting characters to Janeway were good, although the mobster type was a cardboard cutout. An enjoyable read, although not one of Dunning's better efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Cliff Janeway returns!
Review: Leave it to John Dunning to remind modern readers that there was more than just one Richard Burton...not just the 20th century award-winning thespian (and husband to Liz Taylor), but also a fascinating, 19th century explorer, knighted by the British for his anthropological discoveries, his books, and his work as a linguist as he traveled the globe. Dunning weaves flashbacks of Burton's tour of the American south just before the Civil War into his modern-day tale about a hero we've been waiting to see again, rare bookseller and ex-policeman Cliff Janeway.
Janeway, as you may or may not recall, is the centerpiece of two of Dunning's earlier works, which established a mini-cult for readers, proving, once and for all, that there is nothing booklovers love more than reading about books. It has been eight years since Dunning followed the success of Booked To Die, Janeway's first outing, with The Bookman's Wake. Mystery readers around the globe waited somewhat impatiently for Dunning's alter-ego (he, too, sold rare books) to reappear. The wait was worth it.
In The Bookman's Promise, Janeway has purchased a first edition of Sir Richard Burton's, and the rare book leads him on a quest to find a missing collection of Burton's works, and, it's hoped for, a never-published journal about his travels in America with the relative of the woman who claims the books were stolen from her family. Dunning weaves slices of today's quest with exerpts from the old journal, as the men, separated by time and reason, travel the same paths in the American southeast.
Along the way, Janeway gets involved in the struggle between powerful families, suffers the death of a friend, and begins a love affair. With the exception of traveling companions Erin, and Koko - both of whom are somewhat mediocre characters, Dunning populates Janeway's quest not only with fascinating places and glimpses into the past, but with well-drawn supporting characters.
The Bookman's Promise educates as well as entertains, and was well worth the wait!
Rating:
Summary: Bookish but not too
Review: Perhaps it was because I was expecting a disaster--after all, an ex-cop turned antique book dealer! Come on! But what I found instead of a joke was a remarkable book with enough twists and turns to keep you busy on a Saturday night! This thing is just fantastic and I have to say that I was mightly impressed with John Dunning's talent as a writer. How does he come up with this stuff? As a crime/mystery novel, the story is good. Janeway is an interesting character, and you quickly become wrapped up in his quest. For me, the element that makes it a special read is the backdrop of book selling. I love books, and I love readingThe writing is great--on the same level as Jackson McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood" or Boyle's "Water Music," and the plot, pacing, and characters are amazing. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book! Also recommended: McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood--A Tour of Southern Homes and Gardens."
|
