Say goodbye to the Bookman novels. There may be more novels with Cliff Janeway as the protagonist, but he'll be more cop than bookman. The Bookwoman's Last Fling already leans in that direction.
Missing rare juvenile books are the catalyst for the story, but most of the action takes place at the horse track as Janeway follows up on the long-ago death of a bookwoman that was ruled accidental. It's hinted that the death was murder, and he tracks potential suspects. The actual murderer's reason for committing the crime is more flimsy than the cases built against other persons of interest.
Previous books in this series described the book dealers’ trade; this one chronicles the lifestyle and work of stablehands. There are owners, trainers and vets besides the racetrack crew - and, somehow, there are three bookpeople involved in this community. It seems a bit contrived.
Cliff Janeway, ex-cop turned rare bookseller, is a likeable but rather static guy. The only growth of his character is his regression back into his old cop habits.
The discussions about rare books was the caveat that drew us into this series; Dunning is betting that Cliff Janeway's charisma will keep us hooked. Will I keep reading this series? Well, maybe one more book...