Book Review: Booked to Die by John Dunning

I know what you are thinking, and I agree. A horrible, exceptionally tired title. That being said, I loved this book. Cliff Janeway, the sleuth in the Bookman series, of which this is the first--I hate to start in the middle of a series--is damaged and lonely, inveterately unethical but goodhearted. I feel a kinship with the character, for reasons I'll keep close to my chest.

The book is older, a 1992 copyright, but the mix of detective novel and literati-in-the-know, holds the readers interest. This combination has come into vogue recently with such titles as:

• Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
• The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (series)
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

…and to a lesser degree, as the book is not a mystery, The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Fowler. I'm impressed with the writer's abilities to make connections to books through their character's action and story plotting. I'll definitely be reading Dunning's The Bookman's Wake, I've already got a request in at the library (see initial blog).

The next book review - The Keep by Jennifer Egan