Dunning’s ‘Last Fling’ has much to offer

  If you’re an avid book collector, or just a lover of fine books, then I think you would thoroughly enjoy the “Cliff Janeway” series (“Booked To Die,” “The Bookman’s Wake,” “The Sign of the Book,” etc.) by John Dunning.
  Dunning used to own a store in Denver that dealt in collectible books, and he always includes a great deal of his knowledge in every “Cliff Janeway” novel, making the information about book collecting and rare editions fun to read and never boring. I inevitably learn something new with every book.
  Regarding “The Bookwoman’s Last Fling,” I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it as much as the earlier books because a large part of it had to do with horse racing (think Dick Francis). To my surprise, I got caught up in the novel within the first few pages, enjoying the new subject matter. This is what great storytelling is about. If an author is good enough, he/she can make any subject matter interesting to the reader. Dunning clearly managed to do this with his newest novel. I read this 500-page novel in just under four days, which is pretty fast for me. In order for me to do something like that, there has to be a really interesting story line and well-drawn out characters as well as a satisfying ending. “The Bookwoman’s Last Fling” gave me everything that I could’ve asked for from the author, plus a lot more.
  In this novel, Cliff Janeway is lured to Idaho by a $5,000 check and the promise of a library filled with thousands of rare children’s books. The lady who originally owned the library, Candace Geiger, mysteriously died in 1975. Since then, many of her first editions have strangely disappeared, only to be replaced by second and third printings. It wasn’t until years later that Candace’s husband, Harold, discovered this troubling fact but was unable to find out who was stealing these priceless editions. Now that Harold has died and the estate is to be divided among his three sons and one daughter, the representative for the family wants Janeway to solve the mystery of the missing books and figure out who murdered Candace Geiger. Janeway will have his hands full as the remaining members of the family, except for the daughter, Sharon, do everything they can to block his progress. It makes Janeway think that maybe one of the sons might have killed Candace out of spite, or for the opportunity to get his greedy hands on the books.
  Because the family had a lifetime of being involved in horse racing and still are, Janeway’s journey eventually will take him to the California racetracks. That’s where he’ll suddenly realize that not only is he hunting the killer of Candace Geiger, but that the killer is now hunting him. Janeway then immerses himself into the life of horse walkers and ginneys as he attempts to flush out the killer. When Janeway is nearly killed, his girlfriend in Denver, Erin, comes down to nurse him back to health and to try and help him with the case. Unfortunately, this only creates more stress and tension in their already strenuous relationship because Janeway discovers that he loves to solve murder cases; and, of course, this always brings danger into their lives.
  Before the case is over, Janeway will find himself filled with a mixture of emotions about his own life and what he really wants. He’ll have to come up with some hard answers one way or another, while trying to stay one step ahead of an unknown killer who has his sights on the bookman. One of the main things that captured me with “The Bookwoman’s Last Fling” is the character of Candace Geiger. I fell in love with this fictional character in the same way that many of the male characters in the book did. The way Dunning describes her reminded me of someone I used to know, and I found myself, along with Janeway, wanting to track down the killer of this wonderful, smart and breath-taking woman, and to nail the killer to a cross. In my opinion, that’s good character development. I found myself caring about Candace Geiger and even her daughter, Sharon. There were also other characters who came alive, such as Rick, the alcoholic who grew up with Candace and lost his chance to marry her, plus Gail, Candace’s closest female friend. These added a wonderful touch to the story. Dunning has a way of writing that’s as smooth as silk, yet fast paced with a number of twists and turns that keep the reader desperate to learn more. The chapters in this book are 20 pages long with hardly any breaks; yet, I’d finish one chapter and then want to go on to the next. It takes damn good writing to do this.
  I personally hope that John Dunning will continue writing the “Cliff Janeway” series, while incorporating the craft of book collecting into each plot. That’s what makes this fabulous series so different. I’ve loved all of the books so far, and I’m ready for more in the immediate future.
  Lastly, there is one thing I have to say about the author that’s unrelated to his novels. The photograph of John Dunning on the inside rear cover of this novel reminds me a great deal of Anthony Hopkins at the end of “Silence of the Lambs” when he tells Clarice Sterling that he’s getting ready to have an old friend for lunch. He then puts on his Panama hat and follows casually behind Dr. Chilton. Does anybody else think that Dunning looks a little bit like Hannibal Lector?