6th Canadian Book Challenge (Part II)

In my last post I discussed the 6th Canadian Book Challenge which ended earlier this week. Tonight's post deals with the books read during the Challenge.

The 13 books I read for the Challenge this year were:
 
1.) Before the Poison by Peter Robinson
 
2.) The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton
 
3.) Murder in a Cold Climate by Scott Young (1988)
 
4.) The Legends of the Lake on the Mountain by Roderick Benns

5.)  River in a Dry Land by Trevor Herriot and Reflections on River in a Dry Land
 
6.) Healthy, Wealthy & Dead (1994) by Suzanne North
 
7.) A Murder of Crows by David Rotenberg
 
8.) Redefining Success – Still Making Mistakes by W. Brett Wilson

9.) "C" is for Showdown at Border Town by Caroline Woodward

10.) “H” is for High Chicago by Howard Shrier

11.) The Disciple of Las Vegas by Ian Hamilton

12.) When the Saints Go Marching In by Anthony Bidulka

13.) "M" is for Murder at the Mendel by Gail Bowen (1992)

 I was alittle surprised when I realized that only 2 of the 13 books, Redefining Success and River in a Dry Land were non-fiction.

Three of the books - River in a Dry Land, When the Saints Go Marching In and Murder at the Mendel - were set in Saskatchewan.

Two books - The Legends of the Lake on the Mountain and Showdown at Border Town - were part of the Leaders & Legacies series of the adventures of young future Canadian Prime Ministers.

I liked all the books and would recommend them all to readers. At the same time I would not describe any of them as outstanding.

Out of the group, the pair of books by Ian Hamilton featuring forensic accountant and martial arts expert, Ava Lee, were my favourite finds of the year. Ava is a compelling character and the plots ricocheting around the world are fast paced. Ava reminds me abit of V.I. Warshawski.

My favourite book of the 13 was Murder in a Cold Climate. Matthew “Matteesie” Kitogitak is a fascinating character with an unconventional lifestyle for an RCMP inspector. The mystery set in the winter of northern Canada is a story that is uniquely Canadian in its combination of climate, location, geography, people and snowmobiles.

I am starting on the 7th Canadian Book Challenge next week.

6th Canadian Book Challenge Roundup (Part I)

The 6th Canadian Book Challenge ended on Sunday, June 30. The 7th Canadian Book Challenge began the next day, July 1, which is Canada Day.

I managed to complete the 13 books for the 6th Challenge but it was a cliffhanger with my 13th review published minutes before midnight on June 30 in Saskatchewan. One of the advantages of living in a country with 6 time zones is that I could still have published an hour later and it would have been before midnight in the Mountain time zone of Canada.

The Challenge went well overall. Host, John Mutford, at his Book Mine Set blog set out the following information:


     Let's see what the stats say:
      - We've read and reviewed a total of 1041 books! 
      - The grand total for all 6 years combined is 5179.
      - Of the people 59 who participated, 31 finished (reached 13 or
     more books)
      - Irene read and reviewed a whopping 70 books. Impressive!  
      - The most popular author reviewed was Alan Bradley, with 24
     reviews. Though Margaret Atwood had the most books
     reviewed (11). Bradley's reviews were spread over 5 books (and
     their audiobook versions).
     - The most popular book reviewed was a tie between Will
     Ferguson's 419 and Alan Bradley's Speaking from Among the
     Bones. Each had 8 reviews.

Once again in 2013 I find myself in another circumstance, the Challenge this time, having neither read the most popular two authors during the past year nor the most popular two books. I have not read any Award winners in 2013 as far as I know. For most of the Awards I have barely read any of the shortlists.

I was curious about Irene having read 70 books and went over to her blog site. Irene Roth has a website devoted to Canadian book reviews. It is http://canadianbooksblog.wordpress.com/. On the site she provides short reviews, usually about 3 paragraphs. on a variety of books. Most are picture books or young adult books or poetry.

It is a reflection of our wired and wireless age that the Challenge is hosted by a writer living in a city, Yellowknife, north of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories.

There have been intriguing logos for each of the Challenges but the 6th Challenge picture of a Mountie in his red serge tunic is an iconic Canadian image.

In my next post I will go through the 13 books I read for the challenge.

It is a beautiful summer evening as I write this post sitting on my deck looking through the darkening trees at the western sky. The pure blue sky is tinged with pink as twilight descends. If only there were no mosquitoes.

"M" is for Murder at the Mendel by Gail Bowen (1992)

22. – 711.) Murder at the Mendel by Gail Bowen (1992) – It is interesting to go back to read an early book in a two decade series. Murder at the Mendel is the second Joanne Kilbourn book. It is the only book in the series where Joanne leaves Regina for another Saskatchewan city and solves a series of murders. Joanne goes to Saskatoon to teach Political Science at the University of Saskatchewan for a year.

Joanne’s childhood friend, Sally Love, has stirred up equal amounts of excitement and controversy with a mural she has painted for the Mendel Art Gallery. The fresco features 100 portrayals of genitalia from the lovers of her life. While Love is undoubtedly a skilled artist the subject matter has stirred strong emotions. There are protests outside the gallery that the fresco should be removed as pornographic.

I was led to wonder what the reaction would be two decades later to a painting of sexual organs being permanently and prominently displayed in a public gallery. I expect there would still be significant controversy. I think there would be less outcry if the artist were a woman rather than a man.

As she goes to Saskatoon Joanne has adjusted to the loss of her husband and her children are doing well. She deals with the issues faced by all parents. Her oldest daughter, Mieka, wants to quit university to open a catering business with her fiancé.

Sally continues to live a turbulent lifestyle. Sally cares little about a conventional life even in her mid-40’s. The beautiful artist has recently left her marriage with Stuart Lachlan, the director of the Mendel, to go to New Mexico with a 17 year old boy. While off on her fling her 4 year old daughter, Taylor, has stayed with Stuart.  Sally's mother, Nina, came from Toronto to help take care of Taylor.

Joanne has had a relationship with Sally since they were children. When the girls were in their mid-teens Sally’s father, Desmond, died from poison after struggling with the aftermath of a stroke. Sally and Nina barely survived the same poison. Sally left shortly after and never responded to Joanne’s letters. Joanne has remained puzzled and troubled about their relationship.

Joanne has always been close to Nina. Joanne had a bad relationship with her mother and. Nina has been a great support for Joanne

Sally continues to casually strew chaos in her wake. She abruptly sells her gallery, womanwork, without even informing her longtime friend and employee, Clea Poole. Sally’s action leaves Clea devastated.

With Christmas near it is a cold Saskatchewan winter. On a bitter night Clea and a protester are murdered at the Mendel. Sally is a leading suspect.

Joanne works to figure out what happened while carrying on her busy personal and professional life.

The relationships between the characters are complex and intriguing. The mystery works it way amidst their personal lives.

My only regret is in the resolution which could be detected long before the ending.

I found I enjoyed the book as much this year as I enjoyed it in the early 1990’s. To truly savour the series it is best read in order so you can appreciate how Joanne and her family mature.

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Murder at the Mendel is my post for "M" in the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme being hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog, Mysteries in Paradise.

My connection to the book is the setting in Saskatchewan. The Mendel is a real art gallery which has had a lovely setting on the South Saskatchewan River in the heart of Saskatoon.

It is also the 13th book I have read in the 6^th Canadian Book Challenge hosted by John Mutford at his Book Mine Set blog. On the last day of the Challenge I have completed the last book needed. I thank John Mutford for continuing this Challenge which has promoted the reading of Canadian authors all around the world.

When the Saints Go Marching In by Anthony Bidulka

29. – 718.) When the Saints Go Marching In by Anthony Bidulka – Adam Saint is a Canadian Disaster Recovery Agent. When trouble finds Canadians outside Canada Saint or another agent is dispatched by the Canadian Government’s CDRA (Canadian Disaster Recover Agency) to deal with the situation. CDRA is a part of the International Intelligence Agency’s (IIA) Canadian operations.

One of the passengers killed in a Siberian plane crash is Canada’s Governor General. With Saint just back from another mission the CDRA sends a senior official, Geoffrey Krazinski, to Russia. The plot quickens when he is murdered but the death is reported as accidental.

Back in Canada Saint is shocked by the news and convinces, actually coerces, his superiors to let him to go to Russia. On Saint’s arrival he finds General-polkovnik Develchko demanding he be satisfied with a quick look around and then return to Canada.

The stubborn Saint is not a man to be brushed aside. He is gathering information when suddenly attacked.  He persists and reaches the crash site but finds it sanitized and returns to Canada

Back in Canada Saint, unhappy with the direction of the Agency and having received dire medical news resigns and heads home to the family farm just south of Saskatoon.

Up to this point in the story Anthony has been writing a rather conventional thriller with a classically self-centred hero.

Saint is much too conscious of his appearance and possessions. Every item he owns must carry a prestigious brand name. When I heard Anthony speak of the book last year this was not the hero in my mind. How can this shallow man be from Saskatchewan? Saint reminded me of such cardboard heroes as Dr. Jonathan Ransom in Rules of Betrayal by Christopher Reichs. Had Anthony decided to go for a Hollywood style bestseller?

When Saint returns to Saskatchewan he shifts from the international agent to the prodigal farm son. He sheds his brand name apparel for work wear and starts helping his Dad out on the farm.

He is startled to find his 19year old nephew, Anatole, lives with his grandfather while carrying on a home based worldwide computer business.

Almost as surprising to Saint is that his younger sister, Alexandra, with a self-destructive life history is turning herself into a business woman even if her venture into capitalism is a low class bar.

Saint assesses his life and future back on the farm. Because of his personality and experiences he will not  take over the family farm. At the same time he recognizes his fixation on career has left his family relationships in tatters. For Saskatchewan, he has returned so rarely they barely know him and, in Ontario, his wife is divorcing him and his son is distant.

Trying not to spoil the story by going into details I will say Saint is drawn into a quest that involves the CDRA. The journey requires some suspension of disbelief. At one point I thought Anthony was asking too much suspension but the story remains credible.

The Saint of the second half is the hero I expect from Saskatchewan. While never humble he is more modest and self-effacing and far from the Hollywood hero.

I was glad the story did not stay in Russia, Ontario and other distant locations. It would have been too much the generic thriller. The key setting is Saskatchewan and Anthony does a good job of evoking life on the farm.

Part of the book involves towns in rural Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Anthony effectively describes the real life communities.

Saint is a new form of agent. I do not know any other fictional disaster recovery agents. It does allow Anthony to incorporate almost any location into the plot.

It is a good book. I think the next in the series will be better as Anthony develops Saint as a character and gets more accustomed to the thriller genre. When the Saints Go Marching In is far different from the mysteries of Russell Quant.

Anthony is getting more recognition as a writer. When I returned to Toronto from our cruise there was on prominent display in the airport bookstore copies of When the Saints Go Marching In.

I appreciate Anthony providing me with a copy of the book. (June 20/13)

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When the Saints Go Marching In is the 12th book of 13 I have read in the 6th Canadian Book Challenge hosted by John Mutford at the Book Mine Set blog.

The Disciple of Las Vegas by Ian Hamilton

27. – 716.) The Disciple of Las Vegas by Ian Hamilton – In her second adventure Toronto based accountant, Ava Lee, is called by her “Uncle” from Hong Kong. The wealthy Ordonez family from the Phillippines want to hire them to retrieve over $50,000,000. 

Ava meets Uncle at the Hong Kong Airport and they travel together to meet Chang Wang (the “Sledgehammer”) and Tommy Ordonez (the “Knife”). Ordonez is a Chinoy, a Chinese person using a Flipino name.  

As the nicknames suggest they are hard men angry over the $50 million which has been taken from them through a land fraud in Kelowna, British Columbia. 

Tommy’s brother, Philip Chew, is nominally in charge of their Canadian operations though he has little real power. Any transaction over $5 million must be approved by Tommy. 

Philip has found a way around the limit by structuring a series of land purchases to have individual deals under $5 million. His development plan was to have a new golf course with an adjancent residential community. Documents show they have purchased 1,600 acres near Kelowna through Kelowna Valley Developments (KVD), a local company owned by Jim Cousins. 

The Canadian auditor, Deloitte, is uncomfortable with the manipulation of the investment limit and checks the records at the Kelowna Land Registry Office. They find no titles registered to KVD. The purchase and titles have been forged.

As a lawyer the means of the fraud were possible but not quite credible. The land titles system in B.C. is electronically based and no one needs to travel to an office to examine titles. More improbably, there is no mention in the story of realtors and lawyers. Such a series of transactions would proceed through realtors and transfers would be handled by lawyers. Even if KVD were handling the transactions the corporate lawyers would have been dealing with KVD”s counsel not simply handing money over to KVD. Readers who are not lawyers will have no quibbles with the method of fraud. 

A private detective had been ineffective. Ava, drawing on the worldwide Chinese contacts of herself and Uncle starts tracing the money. 

She determines the money has gone through David (the “Disciple”) Douglas, a famous Las Vegas poker player. Ava applies all her powers of persuasion to the Disciple. 

During the process she again needs to use her skills in bak mei, a Chinese martial art. In her willingness to use violence Ava reminds me of another salvage expert, Travis McGee, though their fees are 30% rather than McGee’s 50% of funds recovered. 

The book explores the powerful addiction of gambling. Financial disaster can occur within only a few months for an addicted gambler. As I have seen while practicing law, no addiction leads faster to the destruction of the addicted. Drugs and alcohol will cause deterioration in your health but usually over years. Gambling can bring ruin before friends and family recognize there is a problem. 

Ava joins Jill Edmondon’s sleuth, Sasha Jackson, also Toronto based, as Canada’s tough girls. As with most Canadian sleuths they do not tote guns routinely but they can be as hard as needed for the case.

It is a jet age thriller as Ava moves swiftly around the world after the money. She travels from Toronto to Hong Kong to Manila to Vancouver to Victoria to Las Vegas to London to Toronto. With every flight in business class and every stay at a 5 star hotel her expenses require multi-million dollar recoveries. 

Hamilton writes smoothly flowing narratives. It is an entertaining contemporary thriller. I acknowledge that I find the pursuit of $50,000,000 more interesting than chasing $50,000.  

Ava continues to change the image of accountants. (May 6/13)

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I have now reached 11 books read of 13 in the 6th Canadian Book Challenge hosted by John Muford at the Book Mine Set blog.

 

“H” is for High Chicago by Howard Shrier

18. – 707.) “H” is for High Chicago by Howard Shrier – My review of High Chicago will be this week’s post for “H” in the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog, Mysteries in Paradise.

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The second Jonah Geller mystery has the action divided between Toronto and Chicago. In the series Shrier has established a pattern splitting each book’s location between Toronto and an American city. 

Geller and Jenn Rendsepp are the struggling partners in the investigative agency called World Repairs. (Geller insisted on the name drawing on his Jewish heritage from “tikkun olam, the Jewis concept of repairing the world, making it a better place wherever you can.”) 

Geller’s brother, Daniel, has referred the grieving Marilyn Cantor to the agency. She is heartbroken over her daughter, Maya, dying from a fall from her apartment. The police and coroner have concluded it was suicide. Marilyn has to know what happened to cause the fall. 

As the investigation begins Geller re-establishes contact with Daunte Ryan, the former contract killer Geller had helped escape the killing profession. Now an Italian restauranteur Ryan is happy to provide with good food and other assistance. 

Katherine Hollinger, a Toronto homicide detective, invites Geller out for supper. When she suggests Italian, he replies: 

“Of course I do,” I said. “Scratch a Jew, find an Italian. Except on Sunday evenings, when we all convert to Chinese.” 

 

As Geller looks into Maya’s life he meets her father, Rob Cantor, a developer with a new trophy wife who replaced Marilyn. Cantor is coping with the multitude of issues involved in constructing a huge new building complex on the Toronto harbor front. There are some expensive problems and his partner Chicago billionaire, Simon Birk, is not known for his patience. 

Bodies start dropping and the answers are in Chicago. Geller, lacking any specific means of examining Birk’s businesses, resorts to the Spenser approach of deliberately goading Birk. Geller, trained in the Israeli army in the self-defence techniques of krav magna is ready to deal with the consequences. 

Geller is unlike any American hard boiled detective I have read. He does not carry a gun. Maybe there is a developing sub-genre of unarmed Canadian hard boiled detectives. Jill Edmondson’s Toronto sleuth, Sasha Jackson, also travels the streets unarmed. 

Canada is certainly changing in who can be a sleuth’s assistant. Not only is Jenn a woman she is a proudly out lesbian. I am not sure if America is ready for a tough guy’s sidekick to be gay. 

In the first book, Buffalo Jump, I found the level of violence a concern. I have the same issue with this book. I am finding myself less interested in reading hard boiled detectives because of the amount of blood. I like Jonah as a character. He is multi-dimensional. He has natural wit. He is clever. I wish he had a solution to mysteries that was less graphically violent. I was ambivalent about reading this book because of the violence quotient in Buffalo Jump. I may change my mind if I want to learn more about Geller but I doubt I will

read the third in the series. If you are a reader who enjoys a tough hard boiled mystery with lots of bodies the Geller series is a good choice. (Apr. 24/13)

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High Chicago will be the 10th book I have read in the 6^th Canadian Book Challenge. I need to read 3 more to reach the 13 books to be read in the Challenge.

"C" is for Showdown at Border Town by Caroline Woodward

"C" is for Caroline Woodward in the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme being hosted by Kerrie Smith at her excellent blog, Mysteries in Paradise.

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17. – 706.) Showdown at Border Town by Caroline Woodward – The third Young Adult book in the Leaders & Legacies series of the adventures of young future Canadian Prime Ministers features a 12 year old Paul Martin in an adventure in and near Windsor, Ontario in 1950.   

Paul is spending the long lazy days of summer with his parents, Paul Sr. and Nell, and his younger sister, Mary Anne, at their cottage on Lake Erie at Colchester. In that pre-electronic era Paul joins his friend, Abby, and other neighbourhood kids in ball games and other outdoor activities. 

While his father, the local MP and Federal Minister of Health, spends time each day on government business it is a relaxing time by the lake. 

In nearby Windsor an investigation has begun into police corruption and an increase in crime. 

Paul’s summer takes an unexpected turn when Tom Whitehawk, a 15 year old Indian, from Walpole Island on the other side of Windsor finds work on a Lake Erie fishing boat. Because it is too far from home to commute and he cannot afford to rent a place Paul Sr. and Nell invite him to stay with them and share Paul’s bedroom. A sense of social responsibility was imparted to Paul by his parents. 

There is something unusal about Tom’s employer, Bud Brunner. His catch is modest but he is driving a new Cadillac. How can he afford such an expensive car? 

When Tom makes an overnight trip home to the reserve to see his sister, ill with polio, Paul goes with him. Paul is struck by the poverty of the reserve and the lack of economic opportunity. 

On their return Paul, aided by Abby, starts probing into what is happening around Brunner’s place. 

The young John Diefenbacker in The Mystery of the Moonlight Murder displays the oratorical skills that were to serve him well as a lawyer and politician. The young Paul Martin is not an orator but he does display a quick understanding of ledgers and accounts. In real life he becomes a very successful businessman and Federal Minister of Finance before being Prime Minister. 

In a scene forecasting his determination as Finance Minister to balance Canada’s budget, Paul watches his father talk to a constituent facing personal economic hardship because he borrowed too much money. After the conversation Paul Sr. explains to Paul the dangers of excessive debt and the cost of interest. 

Woodward evokes the economic promise of the early post-WW II years in Windsor and Detroit. 

She develops well the Martin family. While Paul Sr. is Cabinet Minister they do not live lavishly. They have a nice home and good relations with neighbours of all backgrounds. 

Woodward passes on a wonderful Martin family story about the independent spirit of Nell. Shortly after Paul Sr. was elected to Parliament Nell met the Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. She told the P.M. her husband thought he was a great man. The P.M. asked what she thought of him. She said she would “take some convincing”. The P.M. took up the challenge and took her for a walk the next day. 

While I enjoyed the plot I especially enjoyed the characters. All the kids are credible Canadian young people.   

What made the book special is that the author is a teenager. Winning a contest at 15 to write the book Woodward had it finished it by the time she was 17. Showdown at Border Town is an impressive accomplishment for a writer of any age.  

With each new book in the Leaders & Legacies series young Canadians get an opportunity to see that future leaders of our nation at 12 - 13 were a lot like them. I look forward to future books in the series. (Apr. 1/13)

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The first two books and my reviews are TheMystery of the Moonlight Murder and The Legends of the Lake on the Mountain.

I anticipate in my next post some Q & A with Caroline.

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I have now reached 9 of 13 in the 6th Canadian Book Challenge at the Book Mine Set blog.

Redefining Success – Still Making Mistakes by W. Brett Wilson

1. – 690.) Redefining Success – Still Making Mistakes by W. Brett Wilson – An inspirational autobiography by Brett who was born 5 years later than myself 300 km away in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He graduated with a degree in Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and moved to Calgary at the beginning of the 1980’s.

He soon entered the world of finance and, in the early 1990’s set up FirstEnergy, a merchant bank for the oil industry. Unlike traditional regular and merchant banks it concentrated on helping small oil companies be financed and raise money.

Brett was immensely successful in business but at an equally great cost to his personal life. He recounts his limited involvement with his children and the erosion and collapse of his marriage. As his personal life faltered he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

As the 20^th Century ended he re-evaluated his life and priorities. Too late to save his marriage he re-established good relationships with his children. He took the time needed to treat his cancer. He re-balanced the time spent on work, family, friends and community.

Brett is among the few writers of business autobiographies and biographies to emphasize integrity is at the heart of his business deals. Striving for good deals he is not desperate to extract the last dollar out of every transaction.

Brett lives by prairie ethics. He says:

Ask anyone in the Calgary corporate community and they’ll tell you: if you want to hire a trustworthy person who understands that a hard day’s work earns a fair wage, just hire someone from Saskatchewan.

In his investments he hearkens back to an earlier era of business. He invests more with the people seeking his money than the numbers they present to him. I was reminded of famed American banker J. Pierpoint Morgan who said character was the most important asset in considering a loan.

In Canada he is best known for the 3 years he was a panelist on the Canadian edition of the T.V. series, Dragon’s Den, where real life business moguls evaluate pitches for investment from fledgling businesses and sometimes invest in those businesses. During his years on the show Brett was the most positive about ventures and made more investments than any other Dragon.

It can hard to evaluate whether a writer is truthful about their life. I do know one of the businesses in which Brett invested as a Dragon. He did make a fair deal. In his description of the investment in the book he did not over-state the facts. He provided an accurate picture of the investment and what has happened since he made the investment.

Even rarer is his business commitment to philanthropy. When Brett and his partners set up FirstEnergy they decided to donate 2.5% of the firm profits to charitable organizations. They have maintained that principle through the years.

In his personal life he has creatively raised millions of dollars. One of his favourite means to raise money is to host a party for which he pays all the expenses and then invites friends, colleagues and other members of the community to provide a cheque at admission for his charity of choice for the event. He asks them to provide what they would pay for a good meal and consider adding something more. Individual parties have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I was probably more impressed by his personal commitment. He travels almost every year to Mexico to physically help build houses for poor Mexicans in the Baja region.

Brett believes all students should be taught classes in:

1.) Marketing – “Understanding the value of brand, goodwill and the purchasing decision-making process is an invaluable competitive advantage over others, even when it comes to preparing your own resume and business card”;

2.) Entrepeneurship – “Studying examples of great Canadian entrepreneurs can plant seeds that will bear fruit decades later”; and,

3.) Philanthropy – “I fundamentally believe that giving back is an opportunity to change the world you and your family live in, to improve the brand of your business, to invest in the future”.

My only regret in the books is the lack of examples of business mistakes from which he has learned. He provides significant illustrations of his personal mistakes. I wish he would write another book on his business mistakes and what he learned from them.

Few people can match his passion and energy. All readers could benefit from a personal re-definition of success. (Jan. 6/13)

A Murder of Crows by David Rotenberg

13. – 702.) A Murder of Crows by David Rotenberg – The second book in The Junction Chronicles triology starts with Decker Roberts, a synsasthete, in Las Vegas applying his special talent of being able to tell if someone is telling the truth.

In upper New York State Ancaster University is getting ready for spring graduation. The elite private university is science focused. Its graduates will become leading scientists in America.

In Washington the NSA (National Security Agency) is keeping a close eye on Roberts as they plot how they can use him in the battle against terrorism. Special Agent Yslan Hicks is continuing her program monitoring synaesthetes.

Crazy Eddie, Roberts computer genius friend, and Roberts share a great loss. Each is separated from their only child. Roberts remains estranged from his son, Seth. Crazy Eddie is constantly scheming on how to gain custody of his daughter.

At Ancaster Assistant Professor Neil Frost is a dangerous man. He is aggravated by a university system that pays him modestly and ever more frustrated at being denied a full professorship. In his fury he contemplates a terrible act of violence.

There is another angry man on campus. Janitor Walter Jones considers himself the equal or better of anyone at the university. He deeply resents the sense of superiority in the students and faculty and is ready to listen to a wicked idea of Frost.

Bombs explode at the graduation ceremony killing over 200 of the faculty and graduating students. It is a chilling, frighteningly real event. Two emotionally unstable men have committed mass murder.

All the security forces of the United States, led by the NSA, descend upon Ancaster. The Agency reaches out all the way to Africa to get Roberts. They want his special talent evaluating the truth of hundreds of video statements.

Immediately they learn the limitations of Roberts’ gift. He can determine if someone is not telling the truth. He cannot determine if a person is lying. He cannot tell if an untruth is deliberate. With almost everyone not telling the truth about something it is hard to determine who may have been involved.

Roberts does consider why people make statements. Roberts draws on his primary job of teaching actors. He emphasizes to actors that to be a good actor it is not enough to learn the lines well. A skilled actor works to understand what led the character to say those words.

Joining Roberts is another synasthete. Her gift complements Roberts. When they work together there are elements of the supernatural. As with the first book the supernatural fits rather than detracts from the book.

The strength of the book is in the fascinating characters of the synaesthetes. Their special talents make them among the most unusal of investigators.

As with the first book, I found the plot disjointed at times. Still it flows well. I was drawn through the book.

It would be a hard book to read without having read The Placebo Effect, the first book. A Murder of Crows is a true second book in a triology. It proceeds directly into the new plot with not a lot of back story.

I did miss that little of the story is in Canada. Where the first book moved between Canada and  the United States this book is an American story. I hope the third book returns to Canada.

 

The title is brilliantly related to the plot. I will now associate crows with university graduations.

I am looking forward to the final book. Rotenberg has created a unique form of sleuth in Roberts. I say “form” for, while he is not seeking to solve the crime, it could not be resolved without him.

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I received an advance reader copy of the book from Simon & Schuster. More information on the book can be found at http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Murder-of-Crows/David-Rotenberg/9781439170137.

David Rotenberg’s website is http://www.davidrotenberg.com/.

A trailer on the book can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU6WrYvlDOc.

This review is part of the blogger tour for the book organized by Simon & Schuster. It will be published on March 19.

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My past posts on The Placebo Effect and Q & A with the author, including information on synasethetes, are The Placebo Effect; Questions and Answers with David Rotenberg and Thought on Questions and Answers with David

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A Murder of Crows is my 7th book read in the 6th Canadian Book Challenge at the Book Mine Set blog.

Update on 6th Canadian Book Challenge

Over half the year of the challenge, July 1 to July 1, has passed and I am just over half way on the reading challenge. After 7 months I have read 8 of the 13 books I plan to read to meet the challenge which is hosted by John Mutford at his blog, The Book Mine Set. A year ago I was reading at at the same pace. I had 8 books read by the end of February

The seven I have read to date are:

1.) Before the Poison by Peter Robinson - Chris Lowndes has returned to England after a successful 35 years in America. When he finds out that the former owner, Grace Fox, was hanged for killing her husband in the house he feels compelled to find out why she was executed. There is an excellent trial sequence from her trial;

2.) The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton - Ava Lee may ben the most aggressive forensic accountant in crime fiction and real life. Following in the footstpes of Travis McGee she joins in the recovery of property and money from skilfull thieves when all other means have failed. The books takes her around the world;

3.) Murder in a Cold Climate (1988) by Scott Young - One of Canada's most prolific authors delved into crime fiction with this very interesting investigation led by the RCMP's first inspector. It was my favourite find of the seven to date (Fish and Brewis);

4.) The Legends of the Lake on the Mountain by Roderick Benns - The second in the Legacy and Leaders Young Adult series sees our first Prime Miniser, Sir John A. Macdonald, as a teenager near Kingston investigating a water monster (Caesar);

5.) Healthy, Wealthy & Dead (1994) by Suzanne North - The first mystery in the Phoebe Fairfax series sees the television camera woman dealing with murder in a modern "rustic" resort in the foothills of the Rockies just outside Calgary (Donair);

6.) River in a Dry Land by Trevor Herriot - The Saskatchewan naturalist travels the length and breadth of the Qu'Appelle producing a book rich in history, observation and reflection (Moosehead Beer);

7.) Redefining Success by W. Brent Wilson - The Saskatchewan born investment banker made a fortune in Calgary while losing his wife and drifting far from his children. He advocaes a lifestyle that encourages participation in community events. I will be posting the review later this month (Double Double); and,

8.) Sleep While I Sing by L.R. Wright - The second book in the Karl Alberg series set on the B.C. Sunshine Coast in Sechelt sees the RCMP officer investigating a gruesome death just off the main highway. It is a good book but not of the quality of the first in the series, The Suspect. The only one for which I do not yet have a review is Sleep While I Sing by L.R. Wright. I plan to write a review later this month (Yellow Pea Soup).

 

The names at the end of each book description is that of  a classic Canadian food or drink. They mark each level reached in the Challenge.

I expect I am going to meet the challenge but I will probably not read more than the 13 needed for the challeng.

Healthy, Wealthy & Dead (1994) by Suzanne North

Healthy, Wealthy & Dead (1994) by Suzanne North - In the foothills of the Rockies just outside Calgary Phoebe Fairfax is back at The Ranch, a health spa set located in an old ranch. On her last visit she had leapt into the pool to recover the body of Janet Benedict who had drowned during the night. Phoebe returns to The Ranch to film scenes for an episode in A Day in the Lifestyle, a daytime program on Calgary television. Phoebe shoots the film for the series.

While Phoebe makes a living by working part-time for the T.V. station her real passion in life is making personal films. Where a conventional cinematic artist would be making “arty” movies to satisfy creative urges Phoebe is a Canadian who loves the land. She makes nature films. In the book she is completing a film about the iconic Canadian beaver. She has been filming members of a beaver colony located within walking distance of her home.

While Benedict’s murder is months in the past many, including the RCMP and Phil Reilly, the manager of The Ranch, believe Benedict was murdered but there is no proof she was actually murdered rather than committing suicide.

Phoebe is joined at The Ranch by the producer of the show, Ella, and the beautiful Candi, the interviewer. Candi’s striking blonde beauty leaves men distracted. Yet she is not an an empty airhead. She has a talent for skewering those men and women who underestimate her intelligence. I was glad to see Candi is not made into a stereotype.

Filming proceeds slowly at The Ranch. Everyone wants to be a director. Eventually arrangements are made to return another day.

The film crew is invited to stay for formal supper. Hungry appetites stand no chance of fulfillment at The Ranch. Meals are carefully calculated to meet the caloric minimum of the guests. The Ranch’s attitude toward food is best illustrated by its medical director, Dr. Morrison, who rejoices over the beautiful place settings and décor rather than the food.

Portions are minute to promote weight loss among the guests. When Phoebe takes a guest to savour the pleasures of cakes and scones in a café located at the ranch formerly owned by the abdicated King Edward VIII he exclaims:

            “There’s no calorie like an empty calorie.”

The Ranch is an unlikely setting for the weekly formal meals featuring sushi prepared by a master Alberta chef, Ben Sugamoto. Yet even desperately hungry guests hesitate to eat the sushi at The Ranch. Several of the guests and Phoebe are reluctant to eat raw fish when they are warned there is a risk of being infected with parasites. (I have not seen the issue raised in real life for at least a decade.)

The evening is drawing to an especially hungry end for Phoebe as she has been dragging heavy film equipment around all evening. The rather mundane evening for Phoebe is turned upside down when the body of Reilly is found dead on a path with one of Ben’s knives plunged through his heart. Complicating matters Ben has fled The Ranch for Calgary.

In the morning the irrepressible Phoebe starts trying to figure why Reilly was killed. He was certainly not alienating people by driving hard up the corporate ladder. He had been assigned to The Ranch because the job had less pressure for a man with fragile health.

The investigation proceeds to a credible ending.

The title is clever but does not really fit the plot.

Phoebe is an engaging character. Independent in spirit and speech she has a light wit that reminded me abit of Russell Quant in the series by Anthony Bidulka.

The book makes good use of the Alberta foothills, Albertan personalities and Canadian culture.

Healthy, Wealthy & Dead was the 6^th book I have read in the 6^th Canadian Book Challenge. (Jan. 31/13)