2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Shortlists

Today the Crime Writers of Canada announced the shortlists for this year's Awards of Excellence. Congratulations to those listed. In previous years I read the short list for Best Crime Novel or Best Crime Novel Set in Canada. I am not sure if I am going to read a shortlist this year.

I am very excited that Going to Beautiful by Anthony Bidulka, No. 1 on my Bill’s Best Fiction of 2022 list, is on the shortlist for Best Crime Novel. Unabashedly I am hoping it will be the winner. It is a remarkable book.

I am excited that A.J. Devlin’s book, Five Moves of Doom, is on the shortlist for Best Crime Novel set in Canada.

Winners will be announced in May.

It was also announced that Jack Batten, author and reviewer, was chosen to receive the Derrice Murdoch Award. I will have more on his selection in a subsequent post.

Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize Linwood Barclay, Take Your Breath Away, HarperCollins Canada Anthony Bidulka, Going to Beautiful, Stonehouse Publishing Nicole Lundrigan, An Unthinkable Thing, Viking Canada Catherine McKenzie, Please Join Us, Simon & Schuster Canada Shelly Sanders, Daughters of the Occupation, HarperCollins Canada Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Melodie Campbell, with a $1000 prize T. Lawrence Davis, The Pale Horse, Friesen Press Bill Edwards, Killer Time, Friesen Press Adam Frost, The Damned Lovely, Down and Out Books Sam Shelstad, Citizens of Light, TouchWood Editions M.Z. Urlocker, The Man from Mittlewerk, Inkshares, Inc. The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada sponsored by Charlotte Engel and CWC, with a $500 prize A. J. Devlin, Five Moves of Doom, NeWest Press S. M. Freedman, Blood Atonement, Dundurn Press Joanne Jackson, A Snake in the Raspberry Patch, Stonehouse Publishing Maureen Jennings, Cold Snap, Cormorant Books Amy Tector, The Foulest Things, Keylight Books The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize Alice Bienia, Knight in the Museum, Cairn Press Anne Emery, Fenian Street, ECW Press Thomas King, Deep House, HarperCollins Canada Mary Jane Maffini, Death Plans a Perfect Trip, Beyond the Page Iona Whishaw, Framed in Fire, Touchwood Editions Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $200 prize M.H. Callway, Amdur's Ghost, In the Spirit of 13, Carrick Publishing Hilary Davidson, Dangerous to Know, A Grifter's Song Vol. 8, Down & Out Books Julie Hiner, Dead End Track, Julie Hiner Matt Hughes, The Emir's Falcon, Shadowpaw Press Premiere Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, The Man Who Went Down Under, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $300 prize Craig H. Bowlsby, The Girl Who Was Only Three Quarters Dead, Mystery Magazine M.H. Callway, Must Love Dogs - or You're Gone, Red Dog Press Blair Keetch, To Catch a Kumiho, In the Spirit of 13, Carrick Publishing Sylvia Maultash Warsh, The Natural Order of Things, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine donalee Moulton, Swan Song, Cold Canadian Crime, Crime Writers of Canada Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) Geneviève Blouin, Le Mouroir des anges, Éditions Alire Isabelle Lafortune, Chaîne de glace, Éditions XYZ Guillaume Morrissette, Le dernier manège, Saint-Jean éditeur Suzan Payne, Modus operandi, Éditions Perce-Neige Richard Ste-Marie, Monsieur Hämmerli, Éditions Alire Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) sponsored by Shaftesbury, with a $500 prize Natasha Deen, Lark Steals the Show, Orca Book Publisher Marthe Jocelyn, Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse, Tundra Books H.N. Khan, Wrong Side of the Court, Penguin Teen Wesley King, Butt Sandwich & Tree, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Jo Treggiari, Heartbreak Homes, Nimbus Publishing Limited The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm, Hamilton, with a $300 prize Michael Arntfield, How to Solve a Cold Case: And Everything Else You Wanted to Know About Catching Killers, HarperCollins Canada Sharon Anne Cook and Margaret Carson, The Castleton Massacre, Dundurn Press Ltd. Harley Rustad, Lost in the Valley of Death, Knopf Canada - Penguin Random House Canada Rosemary Sullivan, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation, HarperCollins Canada Sarah Weinman, Scoundrel, Knopf Canada - Penguin Random House Canada The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript sponsored by ECW Press, with a $500 prize Jan Garnett, No Safe House Mary Keenan, Snowed Joanne Kormylo, Two Knots Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective Michael Pennock, The Peaks

Dominion Voting v. Fox - $787,500,000

Over the years I have written a number of posts on defamation actions setting the facts of historic events. Just over 2 years ago I wrote about the defamation action Dominion Voting Systems had filed against Sidney Powell, one of Donald Trump’s lawyers. Among her statements she had falsely claimed that Dominion voting machines had manipulated and changed votes costing Trump the 2020 Presidential election.

I thought Dominion had a very strong case and wondered how she could mount a credible defence. A trial would establish whether or not there had been massive election fraud involving Dominion.

At the time I thought it likely Dominion would pursue the probably deep-pocketed Trump. They have not yet sued him. On reflection I can see their hesitation. Trump is crafty in getting others to utter his claims. 

What I had not foreseen in 2021 was Dominion suing Fox News. They were the primary means by which the outlandish voter fraud claims were made. Observing how willing Fox programs and personalities were to present and repeat the allegations was breathtaking. Powell appeared multiple times.

Today the consequences came home to Fox. It settled Dominion’s claim for $787,500,000. It did not make a formal apology. In a curious press release it stated:

We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.

What the press release omitted was any reference to the amount of the settlement.

Showing they have, at least temporarily, learned a painful lesson about claims concerning the 2020 election the Fox article, in which the press release was contained, went on to say:

Then President Trump and his allies fiercely challenged Joe Biden’s victory in the weeks following the election. Some of them, including members of his legal team, made false and unsubstantiated claims against Dominion Voting Systems and are the subject of separate defamation lawsuits.

I had been following the action against Fox since it was filed.

Fox tried mightily but failed to dismiss the claim. It unsuccessfully sought to limit which Fox business entities could be sued. It could not stop owner, Rupert Murdoch, from having to be deposed. 

Fox was further restricted before the trial.

Trial judge, Eric M. Davis, limited Fox in a pre-trial application deciding:

“... the evidence does not support that FNN conducted good-faith, disinterested reporting.

Most important was the decision by Davis a couple of weeks ago that gutted Fox’s best defence by ruling:

“The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that it is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true.”

I cannot remember the last time I read a judgment where the judge used the combination of italics, bolding and capitalization to emphasize the conclusion.

That decision does mean a defamation action has once again settled a historical issue. The quote will resonate for decades to come.

After the “CRYSTAL clear” decision I told my sons I thought Fox would settle.

What defendant would dare to go to a jury knowing the jury would start deliberations from the position that Fox had broadcast fake news.

Its remaining argument was they were neither deliberately nor recklessly malicious. Trying to win a jury trial on a pure legal argument is daunting.

While the settlement is a staggering amount Fox can write a cheque to pay it. The Los Angeles Times reported Fox has $4,000,000,000 in cash.

Major news organizations have consistently had defamation lawyers checking their content against defamation. I do not know if Fox had such a filter. If there were defamation lawyers monitoring Fox content I expect we will never know their advice.

Going forward I expect some caution on Fox reporting and opinions.

Their 2020 election exposure is not yet over. Smartmatic, another voting technology company, has a $2.7 billion case pending against Fox.

Its lawsuit opened with bravado:

“The Earth is round. Two plus two equals four. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wond the 2020 election for President and Vice President of the United States.”

It is a good thing Fox still has billions of dollars in cash.

As for Dominion it will move on with its lawsuits against Powell, Rudy Giuilani and Mike Lindell, the Minnesota pillow manufacturer.

Powell started her defence by evading service for some time. You can run for a time from court but reckoning is coming for her.

Giuilani has short pockets compared to Fox but his defence took a hit when, as stated in the Guardian, it came out in the Dominion v. Fox evidentiary disclosure that he was recorded before an on-air Fox broadcast stating:

“.... he did not have any evidence to back up the false allegations of election rigging by Dominion in the 2020 race that are at the heart of the lawsuit.”

It is Mr. Lindell, whose pockets are deeper, that is at the greatest risk. His net worth, depending on the internet source you choose, is between $50 million and $300 hundred million.

Lindell, the owner of MyPillow, may actually be the defendant to reach trial. He continues to preach there was election fraud. 

Between the Johnny Depp v. Amanda Heard trial, the English Wagatha Chrisie trial beween soccer wives, ENRC v. Burgis (Central Asian oligarchs suing an English writer) and the Dominion Voting cases, actions for defamation have dominated court media coverage the past couple of years. They are entertaining for the public but hugely expensive for the participants.

Exchange with Anthony Bidulka on Livingsky

After finishing my review of Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka and my post on its sleuth, Merry Bell, I wrote Anthouy. My letter and his reply are below. I always appreciate his candour and prompt response to inquiries. I believe the book is going to sell well.

****

Anthony

Thank you for forwarding the ARC for Livingsky. I put up my review today. A post about Merry will be posted in a couple of days. They are below. This letter and, hopefully your reply will be posted early next week.

All the time I was reading Livingsky I was wondering why you changed the name of the city from Saskatoon to Livingsky. There can be no doubt from all sorts of references that it is Saskatoon. Other books, especially the Russell Quant series and Going to Beautiful were set in Saskatoon.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time considering the pronunciation of the surname of Merry Bell’s office landlord, Alvin Smallinsky. Is it the Ukrainian version where “sky” is pronounced “ski” or is it the Anglo “sky”? Were you playing with a name based on the title or were you drawing on your Ukrainian heritage? I did not notice a hint in the book. It should not matter but the pronunciation has become a verbal burr.

In my post on Merry I was aghast that you had her wearing Christian Louboutin boots in a Saskatchewan winter. She was doubly fortunate when she slipped while wearing those stiletto heeled boots. She was saved from injury by falling into a snowbank. The quality craftsmanship of the boots kept the heels from breaking in the fall. I trust you will have her in some sturdy Sorel boots for her next winter on the prairies. She can reserve the Loboutins for her next trip to Vancouver.

I was surprised that there were neither friends nor family awaiting Merry when she returned home to Livingsky. I have enjoyed the inclusion of family and friends in other books you have written. Whether the relationships are good or bad she would have connections in Livingsky. Are you saving those relationships for the next book or was there another reason for their absence in Livingsky?

As noted in my review I did not think the Vancouver murder added to the plot. Was it integral to your plot or was it added to make it easier for booksellers to classify it as a mystery? If you would like to pass on this question I understand.

I raise the issue as I had an email exchange with American author Paul J. Heald concerning his book Courting Death. The book was originally about law clerks for a U.S. Federal Court of Appeal Justice in Georgia. They spent long days and nights reviewing and researching, especially death penalty cases. He subsequently included an investigation by a clerk into the death of a former clerk. I equally thought that the investigation did not work well in the book. Heald advised “I could not find a publisher for a book that wasn’t genre driven. So, I added the plot and suddenly publishers knew where the book would go on the shelves of Barnes and Nobles and the rest is history. Sigh.”

As with Going to Beautiful I think you are at your best writing about the people of Saskatchewan, especially the under-represented.

All the best.

Bill

****

Hi Bill,

Thanks so much for your time and interest in reading and reviewing Livingsky.

You wondered about why I set the novel in the fictional city of Livingsky, Saskatchewan instead of Saskatoon where I've set many of my previous books. The reasoning is complex and I hope I do them justice in these few words.

First, the simple answer is this: Freedom.

Let me preface the rest of my explanation by saying my decision to write about a fictionalized version of Saskatoon has been wonderful for me and given me great joy in the writing process.

One of the nice things about being a writer of fiction is that you get to be creative as you build characters. Whether they are based on someone you know, an amalgamation, or completely drawn from thin air, they remain fictional, entirely under your control, and you do not risk hurting anyone's feelings. Imagine writing a character that is unabashedly meant to be based upon a real person. A tweek of description, an untoward adjustment to character or personality, an unappreciated physical description, and suddenly there exists potential to sour your subject's reception and your relationship with them. The same can be said for place, most especially when you are a writer, as I am, who thinks of place as another character. It is simply safer to keep characters as purely fictional.

Let me share two examples. In one of my first books an early draft contained a passage about a Saskatchewan lakeside resort described in a way that was not entirely positive. I believe my words may have been along the lines of "...mosquito-infested bog...". I thought I was creating atmosphere with a visual, auditory and olfactory component. An early reader thought otherwise. They felt I'd maligned their beloved getaway destination. Some years later, I'd painstakingly researched a Saskatoon building I wanted to use as the locale for a murder in order to change the details (apartment number, room orientation) just enough to avoid identifying a specific apartment as a murder site. Apparently my description of what the victim saw from the window in the seconds before they were slain was enough for the real-life occupant of that apartment (who it just so happened was a reader of my books) to identify it. I know this because they confronted me at a book launch. Fortunately, they were thrilled. But it might have gone another way.

By all of this I mean to say that there is a certain level of restriction that an author faces when writing about real things, be they people or places. You are not entirely free to be creative. Over many books I have greatly enjoyed writing about Saskatoon. Doing so has helped me in my goal as a writer to tell stories of underrepresented people and places. Creating and writing about Livingsky (a city in Saskatchewan that in many ways mirrors Saskatoon, but isn't) has allowed me many freedoms while still giving me the opportunity to write about my home province and aspects of a place that I feel are underrepresented in Canadian genre writing.

Additionally, it allows me to stretch my muscles as a writer. I'm the kind of writer who does not want to be or do the same thing throughout my career. If I was, I would still be writing the Russel Quant books. In writing about Livingsky I can delve into a level of world-building that I haven't done before. It's fun, it's a bit strange, challenging, and wildly freeing. I can write anything good, bad, complimentary or derogatory about Livingsky in a way that I simply cannot about Saskatoon. The fact that some readers might conclude (right or wrong, that's up to them to decide) that Livingsky is a faintly shrouded Saskatoon is, I think, a good thing and maybe a little fun in the process.

I know a thing or two about verbal burrs. A classic for me is the pronunciation of Beauvoir in Louise Penny's Three Pines mysteries. I had high hopes with the TV series and maybe it's my ears but I never heard a clear version of his last name being said out loud in any of the episodes. Cool side note: I've only just learned the actor who played the character (well cast I thought) is a son of Donald Sutherland. As to your verbal burr, Smallinsky, despite the similarity to Livingsky, is pronounced with a -ski not -sky.

Merry indeed takes her life in her own hands wearing Christian Louboutin boots in a prairie winter. But these are more than just boots to her or some misguided proclamation of womanhood. These were a gift from pre-transition Merry to the post-transition Merry. They are a symbol of change. The more she spent on the symbol, the more commitment and permanence she assigned it. They would not be easily given up, even when faced with the realities of a Saskatchewan winter. And still, Merry is a practical woman. She might have laid them aside after falling on her butt a time or two, but one other matter keeps her from it. Poverty. She simply could not afford another pair of good boots.

You are correct that I enjoy writing about family and friends. I believe the presence - or absence - of family and friends, and who those people are, goes a long way in defining a character. I will say this about Merry's situation in Livingsky. Merry Bell was not Merry Bell when she left Livingsky. She left for a reason. And she returns for a reason. That reason is not because she wanted to. Family and friends, keeping them, finding them, can be a complex matter for transgender people.

One of the challenges I have always faced when I write mysteries is finding the balance between development of characters and plot. I love writing characters and revealing backstory, but I also have a duty to present a mystery. Too much of one and you risk losing your reader. There is much to be revealed about Merry and her family background and I hope we have the opportunity to get there. In my plan, book one, Livingsky, revolves around the theme of coming home, book two, From Sweetgrass Bridge, the theme of loneliness, and book three moves into family. If we get there is up to the reading public.

Lastly, you mention feeling the Vancouver murder did not add to the plot. For me, one of the challenges in writing the first book of series is the amount of set-up one must do to introduce characters and place. At the same time I am keenly aware of paying heed to the fact that I'm also meant to be presenting a mystery. It's that pesky balance thing again. Pulling out the Vancouver murder leaves a big hole at the front end of the book and too much time passes before we really get into the arson mystery. That being said, the murder plot is not plopped in there as filler. It provides what I hope for some readers is a pretty juicy did-she-or-didn't-she scenario that sticks with you until the end. It also helps me present Merry in her Vancouver life, in her pre- and post-transition life, and in her pre-Livingsky professional life without actually having to spend a great number of pages on it. Additionally, the Vancouver scenes are vital in beginning to paint pictures of two very important relationships for Merry, with Nathan Sharpe and Sergeant Veronica Greyeyes.

Bill, I hope I've addressed your questions sufficiently. I appreciate your interest in kicking the can and finding out what lurks in the minds of writers and their process.

Best to you and Sharon.

Tony

****

(2021) - Anthony Bidulka and Hesitation Over the Cover Photo

Russell Quant books - (2004) - Amuse Bouche (Most
Interesting of 2004 – fiction and non-fiction); (2005) - Flight of Aquavit (2nd Best fiction in 2005); (2005) - Tapas on the Ramblas; (2006) - Stain of the Berry; (2008) - Sundowner Ubuntu;   (2009) - Aloha, Candy Hearts; (2010) - Date with a Sheesha; (2012) - Dos Equis; Paperback or Hardcover

Adam Saint books - (2013) - When the Saints Go

Marching In and (2015) - The Women of Skawa Island

Merry Bell books - (2023) Livingsky and Merry Bell - Saskatchewan Transgender Sleuth

Standalones - (2017) - Set Free; (2022) - Going to Beautiful and Stellar Book Launch for Going to Beautiful

Merry Bell - SaskatchewanTransgender Sleuth

Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka introduces Merry Bell. She is the first transgender woman private detective I have encountered in crime fiction. 

Merry grew up in Livingsky, a barely disguised Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She moved to Vancouver where she worked as a private detective. Transitioning to a woman took place in Vancouver. With surgeries completed she has now completed the process of transition.

She is a striking woman at 5’10” before putting on heels.

While the physical transition is done I was struck by all the other changes to which she must adjust. Merry is struggling with all the social changes to being a woman.

Makeup is more than a challenge for Merry. She is left exposed looking in the mirror, unsure how to enhance her appearance. She makes a deal with Brenda Brown from Designs by Brenda to guide her.

Buying clothes is just as difficult as makeup. She started with the assumption that expensive is best. Unable to afford expensive, she looked to bright and tight being second best. As her finances further decline she becomes a Value Village shopper buying comfortable and practical clothing. I was surprised she did not seek out a sales clerk in a good woman’s clothing store. From years of helping Sharon, I have learned that finding a knowledgeable and frank clerk is invaluable. The eyes of a male might also have been useful.

Merry can be impulsive. She has cherished Christian Louboutin boots. From their description she has purchased the Louboutin knee length boots with stiletto heels. A photo is above.

For some years I have commented on Moira Redmond’s blog, Clothes in Books, on the impracticality and even dangers of women’s fashion winter wear when design has outweighed functionality. When I looked up online the Christian Louboutin boots that Merry is wearing in a Saskatchewan winter I was appalled. She is risking her life donning those boots in our harsh weather. No woman, no matter how determined, could walk an icy Saskatoon ….er Livingsky street in Merry’s spike heeled boots. She had another Louboutin option (a photo to the
right). The clunkier heels of these boots are less beautiful, but would give her a chance at survival. I have written to Anthony setting out my concern for Merry wearing the high risk Louboutin stiletto boots. (From online ads I note Merry did get a bargain paying under $2,000 for her boots.)

Merry could be Russell Quant’s city cousin. (Anthony wrote an earlier series of books with Russell, a gay Saskatchewan man, as his sleuth.) I was glad to see the wit that infused the Quant series has returned. Merry has a deft sense of humour though her landlord, Gerald Drover, has more wit.

Merry is a vulnerable woman feeling her way into her new life. I felt her uncertainty, her desire to be a good woman. How to be what she wants to be as she nears 30.

Anthony seeks out the under-represented of society in his books. In his email inviting me to get an ARC he said “again I teeter on the edge of something different but, I hope, important”. I say he succeeded. Merry lives in a personal world of which I have little knowledge. Beyond reading a good story I learned about a positive transgender life. Anthony should feel proud of his Merry. 

****

(2021) - Anthony Bidulka and Hesitation Over the Cover Photo

Russell Quant books - (2004) - Amuse Bouche (Most
Interesting of 2004 – fiction and non-fiction); (2005) - Flight of Aquavit (2nd Best fiction in 2005); (2005) - Tapas on the Ramblas; (2006) - Stain of the Berry; (2008) - Sundowner Ubuntu;   (2009) - Aloha, Candy Hearts; (2010) - Date with a Sheesha; (2012) - Dos Equis; Paperback or Hardcover

Adam Saint books - (2013) - When the Saints GoMarching In and (2015) - The Women of Skawa Island

Merry Bell books - (2023) Livingsky

Standalones - (2017) - Set Free; (2022) - Going to Beautiful and Stellar Book Launch for Going to Beautiful

Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka

(13. - 1152.) Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka - Merry Bell is coming home. Vancouver housing has become so expensive she is sleeping on a friend’s couch. She asks her former employer, private investigator Nathan Sharpe, if he will allow her to open a satellite office of Sharpe Investigations in Livingsky, Saskatchewan. Unconditionally her friend, Sharpe agrees and Merry goes back to Livingsky. He does not mention to Merry that he has been told that she killed her physician, Dr. Elliott Vanstone.

Merry is welcomed back by an “arctic wind”. Winter in Saskatchewan is for the hardy.

Livingsky, with over 300,000 people and being set on the South Saskatchewan River, is clearly inspired by Saskatoon.

While Livingsky is cheap she can afford no more than two small rooms for her business in a converted downtown house. The realtor described her view as “urban chic”. The view is of a back alley. With money scarce, Merry sneaks in her modest belongings and makes her office her home. Lacking clients. the filing cabinets become her closets.

Unfortunately, the phone does not ring at Livingsky Sharpe Investigations (LSI).     

Searching for the least expensive housing in the city she meets Gerald Drover. The Drover name is widely despised in Livingsky. His father was infamous as a slum landlord. (Grover rhymes with the surname of a real life notorious Saskatoon landlord.) 

The book is set in Alphabet City, the area of Livingsky defined by the streets that run from A to Z. Most of its residents are poor and the buildings reflect that harsh reality. Gerald tells Merry that he rents to those who have no choices.

Merry is familiar with discrimination. Despite authorial clues I had no inkling she was transgender and had completed her transition to being a woman. It was Gerald who figured out she had transitioned.

Gerald wants her to investigate a fire in one of his apartment buildings. He is suspected of causing the fire. Gerald denies involvement. He wants her to find out what happened as it is bad for business for him to be an arson suspect. 

As with Merry, Gerald surprised me. His unusual appearance is defined by an orange mullet. Merry hopes he is a man of integrity. Gerald, while politically incorrect in conversation with Merry, likes and respects her.

When Merry tries to elicit some information about the fire from Detective Sergeant Veronica Greyeyes of the Livingsky police services she is startled when Greyeyes asks her questions about Vanstone.

I was hooked, though mentally off-balance from the succession of surprises.

For the first time in my reading experience a true crime podcaster plays a role. Roger Brown became a credible, unique in his own way, sidekick to Merry. He would prefer to call himself an intern.

The Vancouver murder investigation is an ever present distraction for Merry. It was also a distraction for me. There was more than enough excitement and tension in Livingsky.

The story is crisply told in 258 pages. The only other mystery under 300 pages I have read this year was What’s Past is Prologue by another Saskatchewan writer, Gail Bowen. 

As with his last book, Going to Beautiful, Anthony challenges the book industry. Livingsky is not a classically structured mystery.

Merry is a great character. She so intrigued me, my next post is all about Merry.

Livingsky is an excellent opening book in the Merry Bell series. I remember the delight with which I read Amuse Bouche, the first Russell Quant mystery. Livingsky is more reflective than delightful. I am anxious to read Merry Bell’s next adventure. (April 3, 2023)

****

** Bidulka, Anthony – Russell Quant series and Adam Saint series and standalone:

(2021) - Anthony Bidulka and Hesitation Over the Cover Photo

Russell Quant books - (2004) - Amuse Bouche (Most
Interesting of 2004 – fiction and non-fiction); (2005) - Flight of Aquavit (2nd Best fiction in 2005); (2005) - Tapas on the Ramblas; (2006) - Stain of the Berry; (2008) - Sundowner Ubuntu;   (2009) - Aloha, Candy Hearts; (2010) - Date with a Sheesha; (2012) - Dos Equis; Paperback or Hardcover

Adam Saint books - (2013) - When the Saints GoMarching In and (2015) - The Women of Skawa Island

Standalones - (2017) - Set Free; (2022) - Going to Beautiful and Stellar Book Launch for Going to Beautiful