Booked to Die by John Dunning (1993, Paperback, Reprint)

John Dunning writes a good mystery abounding in books, book sellers, and even tips of the trade in his first novel involving Dr. J, an ex-cop turned bookseller. When the novel is first picked up it reads almost like a noir detective thriller with the language and the feel created by Dunning. The reader may find the need to remember the story takes place in 1987, not 1950.

The characters catch you quickly though and the subtle mystery begins to build suspense as the life of Dr J becomes more civil than cilvilian and less peaceful than it should be. Several characters are built up quite a bit only to be dispatched at a convenient moment to move the plot of the story on, but this might be a quirk unique to Dunning as an author. If so, it is interesting.