Earlier this week I posted a list of
the 19 books I had read for the 8th Canadian Book Challenge which
ended on June 30. There were 18 books of fiction and one work of non-fiction.
Of the 18 there were 13 set in
Canada, 2 in China, 2 in the U.S. and 1 in Europe. Of the Canadian locations
there were 5 different provinces. I am glad that 3 of the books were set in
Saskatchewan.
The non-fiction book, Tough Crimes, is close to my heart as it
features stories from top Canadian criminal lawyers of memorable cases in their
careers. I continue to believe it will be a good resource for Canadian fiction
writers in the next decade.
From the fiction list my favourite
for the year is Cool Water by Dianne
Warren. It is not a work of crime fiction. It is a wonderful evocation of contemporary
life in rural Saskatchewan. I could relate to the characters, the setting and
the plot. All were credible. As well the book was special as it was given to me
by a young lawyer, now practicing in Vancouver, who is from rural Saskatchewan.
I chose to write my review in the form of a letter to him.
Second on the list would be Silver Totem of Shame by R.J. Harlick.
Since it was No. 1 on Bill’s Best of 2014 it would be hard to exclude from the
top 3 of the Challenge. Set in B.C. the plot involved an iconic Canadian image,
the totem pole, and wove a fascinating mystery from the death of the carver.
Third will be The Long Way Home by Louise Penny. The 10th Armand
Gamache was a return to the form of earlier books in the series. I was relieved
the series no longer involves the story line of internal Surete corruption and
violence. In The Long Way Home the
sources of inspiration for artists are explored as Gamache and Clara Morrow
search for Peter, her separated husband.
While I was glad to see the return
to brilliance of Penny I was disappointed in Michael Redhill and Ian Hamilton.
I have thought Hazel Micallef a
powerful character but Redhill’s book, A
Door in the River, had her embark on a strange unbelievable quest that
involved an underground manmade cave in a farmer’s field. It ventured into the
bizarre.
I continue to have high regard for
Hamilton’s sleuth, Ava Lee, but I was unhappy with the direction of series. I
summed up my thoughts in my review of The
Red Pole of Macau:
I do regret that Ava has
moved from a skilled forensic accountant who must occasionally use her martial
arts training to a predictable hero using violence to right wrongs.
I
expect to read another in the series this year with the hope Hamilton returns
to Ava relying on her mental skills. There are enough violent action heroes.
Of
the newcomers I thought Sam Wiebe is off to a fine start with his book, Last of the Independents. I think the
crime fiction world will be seeing him as a talented new writer.
The
8th Challenge is behind me and I am off to a good start on the 9th
Challenge.
Thanks, Bill, for your perspective on these books. The more you mention Tough Crimes, the more interested I am in it. It sounds fascinating on its own merits of course. But it also sounds like a very helpful resource for people who write crime novels and for those who want to understand the genre better, actually. As to the Hamilton and the Redhill, I notice that some books do have their main characters change like that. They seem to go more towards 'action heroes,' if I can put it that way, than real characters. I'm not sure if that's because publishers think it will sell more books, or for another reason. Either way it's disappointing. I hope those authors won't continue that trend.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I think you would dive into Tough Crimes. On sleuths developing during a series I hope for more complex characters rather than simple action figures.
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