“P” is for Edward O. Phillips

Moving through the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at Mysteries in Paradise we have reached the letter “P”. I am profiling another Canadian author, Edward O. Phillips.

Phillips was born in 1931.

Good Reads summarizes his life:

Phillips is a Canadian who has lived most of his life in Westmount, Quebec. He earned a law degree from the Université de Montréal in 1956, but decided against legal practice. He subsequently graduated from Harvard University with a Master's Degree in Teaching, and later earned a second Master's Degree in English Literature from Boston University

.

I am always alittle sad when someone completes law school but does not practise law. I have no good reason beyond regretting someone went through the challenges of law school but did not become a lawyer.

After completing his multiple degrees Phillips taught school for 7 years before becoming an artist. There are conflicting reports on his artistic career.

Wikipedia says:

“His work was exhibited in five one-man and numerous group

shows.”

The Quebec Writers Federation Literary Database of English Quebec Authors has another view:

“After teaching in both public and private schools, he embarked on a brief, undistinguished career as a painter. After he had sold pintings to his family and friends, he tried his hand at writing fiction.”

He started writing in 1981. He has 11 books with his mystery series featuring Geoffry Chadwick, a Montreal corporate lawyer.

Chadwick is a gay man with a more complex lifestyle than most gay sleuths. He has been married to a person of the opposite sex. With gay marriage now legal in Canada I need to be clear on marital gender when discussing marital status.

I have read one book in the “Sunday” series of Chadwick books. It was Buried on Sunday which won the Arthur Ellis Award.

In the book Chadwick gets personally caught up in a hostage situation with fleeing bank robbers. It is cleverly written.

I found Phillips a witty and humorous writer. In an interview at Cormorant books Chadwick observed humour is more fuzzy than wit. He quoted Noel Coward saying Oscar had wit but no humour.

After reading the book I wrote Anthony Bidulka saying I saw Chadwick as fictional uncle to Anthony’s sleuth, Russell Quant. Anthony said he had Chadwick books to read but had not reached them.