A Murder Solving Book Collector

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: This one started out a little slow, but soon got interesting enough to encourage further reading. I like Cliff Janeway, with his wonderful book addiction, and tough guy appeal. It's an unusual combination that really drew me into his story. There was a great mystery to be solved, and I liked that I had no idea who the killer was until the end. There was a weird section in the book, where Janeway opens a book store, which didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. It was fun reading about it, but I was thrown off a little bit from the murder mystery. Once the investigation picked back up again, though, I was hooked. The ending was a bit abrupt, however. While there didn't seem to be any lose ends aside from his relationship with Rita, I felt a little let down for some reason. I do plan on reading more in the series, though.

Book Description: Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he is an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local bookscout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway's wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge.
Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop — all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now, Janeway's life is about to start a precarious new chapter as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains.