The bookwoman's last fling: a Cliff Janeway novel

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Scribner
Publication Date
2006.
Language
English

Description

As a young man, New York Times bestselling author John Dunning earned his living for several years working behind the scenes on the racetrack circuit. Now he brings his memories of the horse world and his expertise in collectible books to this mesmerizing new Bookman novel rich with the lore of both books and horses. . . .

Denver bookman Cliff Janeway would have liked Candice Geiger. She loved books with a true bookwoman's passion. Her collection of first-edition children's books is the best that Janeway ever hopes to see. Sadly, Janeway and Candice Geiger will never meet. She died much too young. Now, twenty years later, her books remain a testament to an extraordinary woman's remarkable vision.

Janeway first learns about the juvenilia collection when Candice's elderly husband, H. R. Geiger, passes away and Janeway travels to their Idaho home to assess the collection. The estate can't be distributed until the books are valued, so there's pressure on Janeway to do the job quickly. But one look at the books tells Janeway something's wrong. Valuable titles are missing, replaced by cheap reprints. Other hugely valuable pieces remain. Why would a thief take one priceless book and leave an equally valuable volume on the shelf?

The answer may lie in Candice's story. The daughter of a wealthy industrialist, she married horse owner and trainer H. R. Geiger at a young age. They traveled the racetrack circuit with some success, as evidenced by winner's-circle photographs -- in which Candice is always a mysterious background figure dressed in white.

Two decades after Candice's strange death, Janeway finds himself deep in a book mystery that may turn out to be much more than a cataloging exercise. It may even involve murder. Candice's daughter, Sharon, may be one of the few people who can help Janeway discover the truth. Sharon has her own Idaho ranch where she takes in sick and injured horses. Janeway worries that her house contains something that could make her very vulnerable: half of her mother's fabulous book collection.

The trail of Candice's shadowy past leads Janeway to California's Golden Gate and Santa Anita racetracks, where he signs on as a racehorse hot walker. A novice at racetrack life, he tries to remain inconspicuous while listening to the chatter among the hands. He doesn't like what he hears. And when he goes to the house where Candice died to look for answers, he finds more than he bargained for.

With its rich mix of books and horses, The Bookwoman's Last Fling is a classic entry in John Dunning's acclaimed Bookman series of suspense novels, sure to bring this superbly talented author even more accolades.

As a young man, New York Times bestselling author John Dunning earned his living for several years working behind the scenes on the racetrack circuit. Now he brings his memories of the horse world and his expertise in collectible books to this mesmerizing new Bookman novel rich with the lore of both books and horses. . . .

Denver bookman Cliff Janeway would have liked Candice Geiger. She loved books with a true bookwoman's passion. Her collection of first-edition children's books is the best that Janeway ever hopes to see. Sadly, Janeway and Candice Geiger will never meet. She died much too young. Now, twenty years later, her books remain a testament to an extraordinary woman's remarkable vision.

Janeway first learns about the juvenilia collection when Candice's elderly husband, H. R. Geiger, passes away and Janeway travels to their Idaho home to assess the collection. The estate can't be distributed until the books are valued, so there's pressure on Janeway to do the job quickly. But one look at the books tells Janeway something's wrong. Valuable titles are missing, replaced by cheap reprints. Other hugely valuable pieces remain. Why would a thief take one priceless book and leave an equally valuable volume on the shelf?

The answer may lie in Candice's story. The daughter of a wealthy industrialist, she married horse owner and trainer H. R. Geiger at a young age. They traveled the racetrack circuit with some success, as evidenced by winner's-circle photographs -- in which Candice is always a mysterious background figure dressed in white.

Two decades after Candice's strange death, Janeway finds himself deep in a book mystery that may turn out to be much more than a cataloging exercise. It may even involve murder. Candice's daughter, Sharon, may be one of the few people who can help Janeway discover the truth. Sharon has her own Idaho ranch where she takes in sick and injured horses. Janeway worries that her house contains something that could make her very vulnerable: half of her mother's fabulous book collection.

The trail of Candice's shadowy past leads Janeway to California's Golden Gate and Santa Anita racetracks, where he signs on as a racehorse hot walker. A novice at racetrack life, he tries to remain inconspicuous while listening to the chatter among the hands. He doesn't like what he hears. And when he goes to the house where Candice died to look for answers, he finds more than he bargained for.

With its rich mix of books and horses, The Bookwoman's Last Fling is a classic entry in John Dunning's acclaimed Bookman series of suspense novels, sure to bring this superbly talented author even more accolades.

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ISBN
9780743289450
9781416523390

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Dido Hoare and Cliff Janeway are both antiquarian book sellers who find themselves sleuthing in connection with their trade. While Hoare is a young single mother and Janeway is a retired male cop, both mystery series feature compelling, tension-filled plots while providing fascinating details about the antique books trade. -- Katherine Johnson
The cozy 'Antique print mysteries' and the darker 'Cliff Janeway mysteries' expose the murderous world behind antiques and rare books, respectively. Insider knowledge about these areas of focus enriches both series. -- Victoria Fredrick
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful and fast-paced, and they have the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful and fast-paced, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "amateur detectives" and "women amateur detectives."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "antiquarian booksellers," "rare books," and "book collectors."
Countdown - Ramsay, Frederick
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, richly detailed, and intricately plotted, and they have the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "murder," and "amateur detectives."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "murder," "amateur detectives," and "women amateur detectives."
These Denver-based mysteries find their bibliophile protagonists unexpectedly investigating cold case crimes. Though Midnight at the Bright Ideas is more intricately plotted and Bookwoman's Last Fling veers slightly into hardboiled crime, both feature complex, likable protagonists. -- Mike Nilsson
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, richly detailed, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "antiquarian booksellers," and "rare books."
These books have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "antiquarian booksellers," "rare books," and "book collectors."
These books have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "murder," "amateur detectives," and "women amateur detectives."
These books have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "antiquarian booksellers," "rare books," and "book collectors."
These books have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the subjects "fraud," "antiquarian booksellers," and "rare books."
These books have the subjects "antiquarian booksellers," "rare books," and "book collectors."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "antiquarian booksellers," "rare books," and "book collectors."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful and fast-paced, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "fraud," "cold cases (criminal investigation)," and "former police."

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Robert B. Parker and John Dunning write mysteries featuring street-smart but erudite and romantic male leads. Parker's plots are less complicated than Dunning's, but both write fast-moving, first-person stories. -- Katherine Johnson
These authors write fast-paced, carefully plotted mysteries that allow the reader to learn about a specific profession -- book collecting (Dunning) and horse racing (Francis). Both feature flawed, romantic lead characters doing the best they can. -- Katherine Johnson
John Dunning and James Lehrer use deft plotting to keep the reader interested in their mysteries. Both give readers an inside look at specific professions. Dunning sticks to book dealers; Lehrer writes about a variety of specialties, including politics, archaeology and history, and espionage. -- Katherine Johnson
Marianne Macdonald and John Dunning write mysteries featuring antiquarian booksellers who find themselves sleuthing in connection with their trade. While Macdonald's Hoare is a young single mother and Dunning's Janeway is a retired male cop, both authors create compelling, tension-filled plots while providing fascinating details about the antique books trade. -- Katherine Johnson
Both provide crisp plotting, surprise twists, and clear, elegant writing as their moody detective characters tackle complex crimes. John Dunning's fans may also enjoy Kate Atkinson's more literary novels. -- Katherine Johnson
John Dunning's and Felix Francis' mysteries feature flawed, romantic loners who specialize in a particular field which often draws them into investigating a murder. Dunning's protagonist PI deals in books while engaged in sleuthing, and Francis' novels portray the world of horse racing. -- Katherine Johnson
These authors' works have the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "amateur detectives."
These authors' works have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "booksellers," and "antiquarian booksellers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors richly detailed, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "rare books," "antiquarian booksellers," and "amateur detectives."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Sure, Dunning's Cliff Janeway series, starring the Denver rare-book dealer and former homicide cop, appeals to bibliophiles, but don't pigeonhole these surprisingly muscular novels into that wimpy PBS drawing room where murder is merely an excuse for intellectuals to talk fancy. Not only does Janeway bash heads with the best of the hard-boiled guys, he also solves cases that venture into decidedly unliterary venues. This time, for example, he agrees to examine the children's-book collection of the long-dead wife of a horse trainer, now also dead, but soon winds up working as a hot walker at Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco, hoping to discover who has been stealing the dead wife's books and who killed the trainer's disagreeable son. It's a long trail to the answers, but along the way, we're treated to enough backstretch detail to satisfy the horsiest of Dick Francis fans. Don't worry, bibliophiles, there's also this aside about some copies of A. A. Milne's Pooh books: Oh, my pounding heart, the jackets, it made my scrotum tingle just to touch them. --Bill Ott Copyright 2006 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestseller Dunning scores another triumph with his fifth mystery (after 2005's The Sign of the Book) to feature Cliff Janeway, a former homicide detective who has found a second career as an antiquarian book dealer but who hasn't quite lost his taste for police work. Janeway receives an invitation from wealthy horse trainer H.R. Geiger to come to Idaho to appraise his book collection, but by the time Janeway arrives, his host is dead. He winds up tracking down some rare volumes that have vanished and probing the decades-old death of Geiger's wife, a wealthy heiress who collected valuable juvenile fiction. When a fresh body turns up and Janeway himself almost falls victim to a killer, the bibliophile detective finds that his decision to pursue the truth puts him at odds with his longstanding significant other. Dunning's exceptional gifts at plotting and characterization should help win him many new readers, while the horse-racing angle is sure to lure Dick Francis fans. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Library Journal Review

Before becoming a writer, Dunningworked as a groom in Idaho and California. He uses this experience as cop-turned-book-dealer Cliff Janeway leaves Denver to appraise the collection of a recently deceased Idaho horseman. The first editions of classic children's books belonged to H.R. Geiger's late but much younger wife. When H.R.'s daughter reveals suspicions about her mother's death, Cliff goes undercover in the stables to find the killer. Perhaps the weakest of Dunning's excellent series owing to Cliff's frequent confrontations with similarly irritable characters, Bookwoman's Last Fling is nonetheless entertaining for this glimpse into a different environment for the bibliophile detective. The inestimable George Guidall again makes Cliff a pleasantly grumpy hero. Recommended for collections where Dunning is popular.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Booklist Reviews

Sure, Dunning's Cliff Janeway series, starring the Denver rare-book dealer and former homicide cop, appeals to bibliophiles, but don't pigeonhole these surprisingly muscular novels into that wimpy PBS drawing room where murder is merely an excuse for intellectuals to talk fancy. Not only does Janeway bash heads with the best of the hard-boiled guys, he also solves cases that venture into decidedly unliterary venues. This time, for example, he agrees to examine the children's-book collection of the long-dead wife of a horse trainer, now also dead, but soon winds up working as a "hot walker" at Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco, hoping to discover who has been stealing the dead wife's books and who killed the trainer's disagreeable son. It's a long trail to the answers, but along the way, we're treated to enough backstretch detail to satisfy the horsiest of Dick Francis fans. Don't worry, bibliophiles, there's also this aside about some copies of A. A. Milne's Pooh books: "Oh, my pounding heart, the jackets, it made my scrotum tingle just to touch them." ((Reviewed May 1, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Bestseller Dunning scores another triumph with his fifth mystery (after 2005's The Sign of the Book ) to feature Cliff Janeway, a former homicide detective who has found a second career as an antiquarian book dealer but who hasn't quite lost his taste for police work. Janeway receives an invitation from wealthy horse trainer H.R. Geiger to come to Idaho to appraise his book collection, but by the time Janeway arrives, his host is dead. He winds up tracking down some rare volumes that have vanished and probing the decades-old death of Geiger's wife, a wealthy heiress who collected valuable juvenile fiction. When a fresh body turns up and Janeway himself almost falls victim to a killer, the bibliophile detective finds that his decision to pursue the truth puts him at odds with his longstanding significant other. Dunning's exceptional gifts at plotting and characterization should help win him many new readers, while the horse-racing angle is sure to lure Dick Francis fans. (May)

[Page 60]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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