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Published May 2006
352 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
When wealthy horse trainer H. R. Geiger dies, Denver bookman Cliff Janeway encounters the legacy of the man's wife, Candice, a true bookwoman who left behind an assortment of rare first-edition children's books. Sent to assess the collection, Janeway soon finds that several titles are missing, replaced by cheap reprints -- while other hugely expensive pieces remain. Why would a thief take one priceless book and leave an equally valuable volume on the shelf? Suspecting foul play, Janeway follows the trail of Candice's shadowy past to California's Golden Gate and Santa Anita racetracks, where he signs on as a racehorse hot walker. Eavesdropping on the chatter among the hands, he doesn't like what he hears. And when he goes to the house where Candice died to look for answers, Janeway finds much more than he bargained for.
"Starred review. Dunning's exceptional gifts at plotting and characterization should help win him many new readers, while the horse-racing angle is sure to lure Dick Francis fans." - Publishers Weekly.
"A tough man in the action scenes, Janeway becomes as tender as a lamb when he's holding "Winnie the Pooh" in his big mitts." - New York Times.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rykken Johnson
John Dunning was the Nero Wolfe Award-winning author of Booked to Die; The Bookman's Wake, a New York Times Notable Book of 1995; and The Bookman's Promise. An expert on rare and collectible books, he owned the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver for many years. He was also an expert on American radio history and the author of a novel about old-time radio, Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime, and a nonfiction book, On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio.
His other works include The Holland Suggestions, Denver, Deadline, The Sign of the Book and The Bookwoman's Last Fling.
He was for many years host of the weekly Denver radio show Old-Time Radio. John Dunning lived with his wife, Helen, in Denver, Colorado. He died in May 2023.
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to John Dunning's Website
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