Bookscout
By John Dunning
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
For a rare book, a desperate buyer turns to violence.
Six days a week, Joel Beer hunts for books in Denver. He stalks them in bookstores and thrift stores, at yard sales and estate sales, his eyes scanning spines quickly and ruthlessly, searching for the $0.25 gem that he can resell for $250. If he were the only scout in town, he might be able to make a living, but there are close to a dozen full-timers now -- including his archrival, Popeye Lamonica -- and Joel is having trouble paying his rent.
Facing eviction, Joel and his partner -- a slow-witted vagrant named Lacy -- go on the hunt. They are about to give up when they find an estate sale offering a $0.50 copy of Walter Behr's Something for Nothing that is worth $500. But Popeye sees it, too. To make this treasure his, Joel will do whatever it takes -- even if it means sacrificing his career.
John Dunning
John Dunning (1942–2023) revealed book collecting’s most shocking secrets in his bestselling series of crime novels featuring Cliff Janeway: Booked to Die, which won the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award; The Bookman’s Wake, a New York Times Notable Book; and the New York Times bestsellers The Bookman’s Promise, The Sign of the Book, and The Bookwoman’s Last Fling. He also wrote the Edgar Award–nominated Deadline, The Holland Suggestions, and Two O’Clock, Eastern Wartime. An expert on rare and collectible books, he owned the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver for many years.
Read more from John Dunning
The Bookman's Promise: A Cliff Janeway Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Booked to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bookman's Wake Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bookwoman's Last Fling: A Cliff Janeway Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bookscout Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Denver: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deadline Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sign of the Book: A Cliff Janeway "Bookman" Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holland Suggestions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Looking for Ginger North Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Bookscout
8 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have to admit that I read this short story about a man who spends six days a week hunting for books in Denver simply because I miss John Dunning's books. A lot of the things I learned about the value of first editions, etc., I learned from reading Dunning's superb Cliff Janeway mysteries, and if you haven't read them, I do hope you'll give them a try. (The first one is Booked to Die.) Joel Beer could make a good living as a bookscout if he were the only one in Denver, but he's not. He's got stiff competition, especially from Popeye Lamonica. But when Joel and his partner Lacy-- a slow-witted vagrant-- are facing eviction, Joel is determined to find that elusive book that will pay all the bills and set them up.What happens is all about truth, the human spirit, and the magic of books. As a rule, I am not a re-reader, but I may have to make an exception for John Dunning. The man is Good.