John Dunning | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1942-01-09)January 9, 1942 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 2023(2023-05-23) (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genre | Detective fiction,mystery |
| Spouse | Helen Rose Korupp |
John Dunning (January 9, 1942 – May 23, 2023) was an American writer of non-fiction anddetective fiction. He was known for his reference books onold-time radio and his series of mysteries featuringDenver bookseller and ex-policeman Cliff Janeway.
Born inBrooklyn,New York, in 1942, Dunning moved to his father's hometown ofCharleston, South Carolina, at the age of three. In 1964 he left his parents' home and moved toDenver, Colorado, where, after a time working as a stable hand at ahorse racing track, he got a job atThe Denver Post. In 1970 he left the newspaper and took up writing, while pursuing a variety of jobs. Partly because of trouble with his publishers, in 1984 he stopped writing and opened a store specializing in second-hand and rare books called the Old Algonquin Bookstore.[1][2] At the urging of fellow authors, he returned to the world of writing and in 1992 his first Cliff Janeway mystery novel,Booked to Die was published. In 1994 he closed the store and with his wife continued it as an internet and mail order business called Old Algonquin Books.[3]
In addition to compiling encyclopedic reference books about the history ofradio programming, Dunning hosted a long-running weekly radio show,Old-Time Radio.[4]
Dunning received his first award nomination in 1981, whenLooking for Ginger North received anEdgar Award nomination for "Best Paperback Original".[5] The following year,Deadline was nominated for this same honour.[5]
Dunning's novelBooked to Die won theNero Award and was nominated for the1993 Anthony Award in the "Best Novel" category.[6][7] The follow-up to this novel,The Bookman's Wake, was nominated for the 1996 Edgar Award in the "Best Novel" running.[8]
On May 30, 1969, Dunning married Helen Rose Korupp.[9]
Dunning died on May 23, 2023, at the age of 81, after a long period suffering from dementia, stemming from a brain tumor diagnosed in 2006.[10]
