Dunning, John - BOOKMAN'S PROMISE

[LJ Roberts]

BOOKMAN’S PROMISE – VG John Dunning – 3^rd in series (Investigative
mystery)

Cliff Janeway former homicide cop turned antiquarian bookseller, is thrilled with his purchase of a first edition by nineteenth-century explorer Richard Burton, but the book brings more grief than it does pleasure. After an elderly woman arrives in Janeway's store claiming that the Burton belongs to her, Janway finds himself in the middle of a feud between book collectors that stretches back generations and culminates with an all-stops-out climax at Fort Sumter off the coast of Charleston.

What a fascinating book! Not only does Dunning provide a decent mystery, but I learned more about book collecting, publishing houses, Sir Richard Burton, and had a glimpse of the pre-Civil War South. It’s wonderfully written in every detail. It’s not critical to have read the previous two Janeway books, but I highly recommend all three.