From Publishers Weekly
In Nero Wolfe Award winner Dunning's third literate entry in his Cliff Janeway series (after Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake), 90-ish Josephine Gallant persuades the former Denver cop turned antiquarian bookseller to try to recover a rare collection of the works of Richard Burton, "the explorer, not the actor," that once belonged to her grandfather, a faithful traveling companion of Burton. Eager to fulfill his pledge to Ms. Gallant, who expires soon after their meeting, Janeway begins an investigation that takes him to a seedy used bookshop and other strange haunts in Baltimore, where he runs into a shady writer and a gang of thugs who are obviously looking for the same literary treasures. Midway through the often rambling narrative, a flashback to 1860 steps up the pace when Burton undertakes a possible espionage mission to the South for the British prime minister and encounters Captain Abner Doubleday, who solicits his advice on the defense of Fort Sumter. Two well-intentioned women join Janeway for the final search through historic Charleston, with the inevitable romantic interludes. Too many extraneous characters and some tedious dialogue slow the action, but the book-collecting background is sure to appeal to a wide range of mystery readers. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
Listeners will welcome the return of John Dunning's "bookman," introduced ten years ago in BOOKED TO DIE. Ex-detective turned rare book dealer Cliff Janeway is a minor cult figure among book-lovers. Based in Denver, Janeway travels in pursuit of rare books that have mysterious, murderous, and fascinating histories. Writings by nineteenth-century explorer Richard Burton are the object of Janeway's attention here. George Guidall knows this series well--having recorded the unabridged versions of Dunning's work. Guidall matches the engaging narrative style with his master's skill with pace and characterizations. Only complaint--Dunning's books are full of marvelous detail and minor characters--the abridgment just makes this listener long for the full text (available from Recorded Books in June 2004). R.F.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
It's been eight long years since the last Cliff Janeway mystery, starring Denver's only tough-guy antiquarian bookseller. The former homicide cop 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, our bibliophile-sleuth finds himself in the middle of a nasty feud between book collectors that stretches back generations and culminates with an all-stops-out climax at Fort Sumter off the coast of Charleston. The text jumps between Janeway's search for answers and the story of Burton's undocumented trip to America just before the Civil War. Is there, Janeway is determined to discover, an unpublished journal that documents the explorer's whereabouts during his so-called lost years? Devoted fans of this series have been craving a new installment, and they won't be a bit disappointed by this compelling mix of hard-boiled action and exquisitely musty book lore. Like Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy series starring the rough-hewn Cockney antiques dealer, the Janeway novels avoid the wussy, Masterpiece Theatre-like decorum that too often sinks bibliophile crime stories. Along with plenty of muscle-flexing, there's also enough sex here to remind us that the antiquarian's life can still be robust. The combination of Burton the adventurer-author and Janeway the cop-bookseller is a match made in crime-fiction heaven. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
This third installment in John Dunning's imaginative and engaging Bookman series (following The Bookman's Wake) is centered on a book that could change the face of American history: an inscribed edition of a travel journal by 19th-century British explorer Richard Burton.

Cliff Janeway, former Denver homicide cop turned antiquarian bookseller, discovers that the rare Burton book he's just won at auction may in fact be owned by Josephine Gallant, an elderly woman whose grandfather accompanied the explorer on his little-known journey through the pre–Civil War South. Gallant informs Janeway that her grandfather owned a priceless collection of Burton's works that remained in the family for years before falling prey to a pair of conniving booksellers. As the old woman lies dying, Janeway sets off to recover the books -- but not before a close friend is murdered and a mysterious figure begins to stalk everyone connected to the collection.

A heady mix of historical intrigue and contemporary suspense, Dunning's tale draws us into a unique world inhabited by fascinating and believable characters. Bibiliophiles, and mystery lovers alike will find The Bookman's Promise a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The Bookman's Promise juxtaposes past and present as Denver ex-cop and bookman Cliff Janeway searches for a book and a killer." "The quest begins when an old woman, Josephine Gallant, learns that Janeway has recently bought at auction a signed first edition by the legendary nineteenth-century explorer Richard Francis Burton. The book is a true classic, telling of Burton's journey (disguised as a Muslim) to the forbidden holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The Boston auction house was a distinguished and trustworthy firm, but provenance is sometimes murky, and Josephine says the book is rightfully hers." "She believes that her grandfather, who was living in Baltimore more than eighty years ago, had a fabulous collection of Burton material, including a handwritten journal allegedly detailing Burton's undercover trip deep into the troubled American South in 1860. Josephine remembers the books from her childhood, but everything mysteriously disappeared shortly after her grandfather's death." With little time left in her own life, Josephine begs for Janeway's promise: he must find her grandfather's collection. It's a virtually impossible task, Janeway suspects, as the books will no doubt have been sold and seperated over the years, but how can he say no to a dying woman?

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

Two sudden deaths spur Janeway's hunt for the lost library, which is exciting in an erudite way but overshadowed by the remarkable narrative (introduced midbook) of Charles Warren, a Baltimore bibliophile who was befriended by Burton during his visit to America in 1860 and accompanied the explorer on a history-altering trip to Charleston on the eve of the Civil War. Despite its fanciful premise, this ''discovered'' account of Warren's eventful journey into the Deep South should inspire book hounds to keep sniffing through those musty libraries. — Marilyn Stasio

The Washington Post

The Bookman's Promise itself is a volume that fans of the "Bookman" series will be delighted to add to their crime libraries. In addition to serving up the familiar trademarks of this series -- Janeway's rueful worldview and the enlightening tidbits about rare books scattered throughout the story -- the novel ambitiously conjures up a lost journal about Burton's rumored espionage work in the American South on the eve of the Civil War. As gilding on the pages here, Janeway even finds romance in this latest outing -- with a woman who can quote James M. Cain, no less! — Maureen Corrigan

Publishers Weekly

In Nero Wolfe Award-winner Dunning's third literate entry in his Cliff Janeway series (after Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake), 90-ish Josephine Gallant persuades the former Denver cop turned antiquarian bookseller to try to recover a rare collection of the works of Richard Burton, "the explorer, not the actor," that once belonged to her grandfather, a faithful traveling companion of Burton. Eager to fulfill his pledge to Ms. Gallant, who expires soon after their meeting, Janeway begins an investigation that takes him to a seedy used bookshop and other strange haunts in Baltimore, where he runs into a shady writer and a gang of thugs who are obviously looking for the same literary treasures. Midway through the often rambling narrative, a flashback to 1860 steps up the pace when Burton undertakes a possible espionage mission to the South for the British prime minister and encounters Captain Abner Doubleday, who solicits his advice on the defense of Fort Sumter. Two well-intentioned women join Janeway for the final search through historic Charleston, with the inevitable romantic interludes. Too many extraneous characters and some tedious dialogue slow the action, but the book-collecting background is sure to appeal to a wide range of mystery readers. (Mar. 9) FYI: Dunning's last novel was Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime (2001), about old-time radio. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Denver cop-turned-antiquarian book dealer Cliff Janeway promises a dying woman he will recover books stolen from her family 80 years earlier. This material by Sir Richard Burton was collected by her grandfather, who traveled the American South with the famed British explorer in 1860. Cliff's investigation takes him to Baltimore and Charleston, SC, as he encounters a duplicitous Pulitzer Prize winner and a gang of vicious thugs. Among the many highlights of this engrossing mystery are the local color of Charleston, where Dunning grew up, and a flashback to Burton's meeting with U.S. Army Captain Abner Doubleday and his possible contribution to the start of the War Between the States. George Guidall is one of the greatest readers of audiobooks, but the folksy approach that works so well with Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" series clashes somewhat with Dunning's much harder edge. Recommended, nevertheless, for popular collections. Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile