Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booked to Die | 1992 | John Dunning | Buy |
| 2 | The Bookman’s Wake | 1992 | John Dunning | Buy |
| 3 | The Bookman’s Promise | 2004 | John Dunning | Buy |
| 4 | The Sign of the Book | 2005 | John Dunning | Buy |
| 5 | The Bookwoman’s Last Fling | 2006 | John Dunning | Buy |
The Cliff Janeway series opens with Booked to Die (1992), in which Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway kills a suspect, leaves the force, and opens a used bookstore on East Colfax Avenue. His knowledge of rare books and first editions draws him into murder cases that revolve around the value of old and scarce books. The Bookman’s Wake follows, taking Janeway to Seattle on the trail of a stolen rare edition.
John Dunning’s experience as a real rare book dealer gives these mysteries a level of insider knowledge that book collectors appreciate. The Bookman’s Promise, The Sign of the Book, and The Bookwoman’s Last Fling continued the series through 2006, each centering on a different corner of the book world, from a legendary collection of Civil War-era correspondence to the library of a horse racing family.