I was prompted to read the full
shortlist as I only recognized one of the five authors on the shortlist and had
not read any of the books listed. In a post after the shortlist was announced I
took a look at the Canadian fiction I had read in the past year and wondered
what could have been better than The
Gifted and Stranglehold.
The first book I read on the shortlist
was the Presto Variations by Lee
Lamothe. It was a good book and I want to read more in the series set in a
fictional (clearly Detroit to me) American border city with but a river
separating it from Canada. The sleuths, Ray Tate and Djuna Brown, are
intriguing unconventional police detectives.
The second was Walls of a Mind by John Brooke featuring
French Chief Inspector Aliette Nouvelle. The book was set in the Midi of
southern France. I found most interesting the interaction between the Chief Inspector
and Agent Margot Tessier from the French Internal Secret Service (the DST).
Nouvelle and Tessier clash constantly. I had not realized the power of the DST
in contemporary France. They have unlimited power and need not to co-operate
with the local police.
The
most unique aspect of the book was Nouvelle being the first female sleuth of my
mystery reading career to casually sun tan at the beach while topless.
Learning of the Nouvelle series
through the nomination of Walls of a Mind
was my find of the quintet. I will definitely read more in the series.
The third book I read was Miss Montreal by Howard Shrier. I had
previously read two books in the Jonah Geller series and was not sure I would
read another because of what I felt was excessive violence.
I was glad I read Miss Montreal. The violence quotient
decreased and the plot was complex and interesting.
Not many mysteries tackle the
intersection of the Jewish community in Montreal with Afghani immigrants and
the proudly French descendants from Quebec’s earliest settlers. Shrier adds to
the mix by going back several decades to the difficult relationships between
Jewish Quebeckers and French Quebecois.
A reader will gain understanding
of the dynamics of Quebec society as well as reading an excellent mystery.
The fourth was An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone
St. James and it challenged me as a work of romantic suspense. It is a
sub-genre into which I rarely venture in my reading. When ghosts are added in I
have even greater difficulty being objective.
Set during the 1920’s on the west
coast of England the lovely young Jillian Leigh and the handsome Inspector Drew
Merriken investigate the death of her Uncle Toby, a well known ghost hunter.
It is well written. I believe
lovers of romantic suspense will enjoy the book.
The fifth was The Devil’s Making by Seán Haldane. In the late 1860’s newly
graduated British lawyer, Chad Hobbes, sails to Victoria, British Columbia to
make his way in the New World.
It is another book of interacting,
sometimes clashing, cultures. The Victorian English newcomers uncomfortably
deal with the Indian peoples of the West Coast, many of whom are still living a
traditional lifestyle. The Victorians relate little better to the Americans who
have also come to Victoria.
After considering the shortlist I
would rank them:
1.) The Devil’s Making by Seán Haldane;
2.) Miss Montreal by Howard Shrier;
3.) Walls of a Mind by John Brooke;
4.) The Presto Variations by Lee Lamothe; and,
5.) An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James.
I happen to agree with the judges
who chose The Devil’s Making as the
winner of the Award. I appreciated its combination of history, culture and
personalities. While Miss Montreal
explores the same themes I thought they were done better in The Devil’s Making. Haldane did well in
exploring a relationship between a white Englishman and an Indian woman while
credibly working their relationship into the mystery.
I had thought about saying whether
I would have replaced any of the shortlist with books I had read but decided
not to at least this year. I am wrestling with whether it is unfair to say
whether I would have chosen other books for the shortlist when I am not a judge
and do not have time to read the long list. I am glad I read the shortlist and
plan to do it again next year.
Thanks Bill, interesting. I remember your review of Miss Montreal as one that has particularly interested me, so it was good to be reminded of it. I should definitely get it.
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the comment. I hope you are able to soon make a reading trip to Montreal.
DeleteBill - Thanks very much for your thoughtful analysis of the shortlist. I've been wanting to read The Devil's Making; I like historical fiction, and this one sounds like a very good read. I appreciate the reminder of it and the others on the list.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I think you will find The Devil's Making is a book to remember. Each of the books on the shortlist was a good book.
DeleteBill, I think I'd read "Miss Montreal" first because of the cultural mix in the form of the Jewish community, Afghani immigrants, and French descendants, which I find interesting and worth reading.
ReplyDeletePrashant: Thanks for the comment. I think you would appreciate the cultural aspects of the mystery.
DeleteMost of the books sound quite interesting, except I shun romantic suspense, as we've discussed before (hold up the garlic!).
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get to a few but the TBR stacks are truly daunting, almost frightening around here and books keep magically appearing. And there are a slew of library books, too, so I dutifully write down the titles.
Kathy D.: Thanks for the comment. On TBR piles I went to Calgary last weekend to see my sons. I was going to buy one book. I bought four books. Then at supper on Saturday my sons gave me two more as belated birthday presents. On Monday a publisher sent me another. Seven more when one was intended!
Delete