After posting my review of Call of the Void by Jeremy Siemens I wrote to Jeremy. He promptly responded. I appreciate his willingness to reply to my observations and questions. He is a thoughtful guy. **** Jeremy Thanks for sending me a copy of the ARC for Call of the Void. Even before opening the book I was drawn into the story by the amazing cover of a reflective, even haunted, Sloane. The forest background was perfect. In the covers for Call of the Void and To Those Who Killed Me you have a pair of books that grab any book buyer who sees them. With this email I include a link to my review ..read more

(19. - 1202.) Call of the Wild by J.T. Siemens - What an opening: For a long time, I believed that if I ran fast enough, the dead couldn’t catch up with me. I was wrong. But it didn’t stop me from trying. Sloane Donovan, whose restless mind is constantly troubled, sees dead family and friends as she nears the end of a race. She wonders if ghosts follow you through all eternity. Forest fire smoke fills the British Columbia skies and sets the mood of the book. A “heavy set” woman, Maddy Pike, intercepts Sloane as she enters the building which houses the office of Hardknocks Investigations and S ..read more

After reading From Sweetgrass Bridge I wrote to Anthony Bidulka about the book and he replied with his customary candour. In what might be a surprise to readers our discussion took us to poetry by football players in fiction and real life. **** Anthony, Thank you for the ARC. I was hoping a copy would make it my way. I liked From Sweetgrass Bridge better than Livingsky. The murder is directly integrated into the plot. Roger/Stella forming a team with Merry is brilliant. They are perfect. As I indicated in my review posted tonight, your examination of the emotional psyches of the characters wa ..read more

My real life induction into the Football Reporters of Canada Wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2013 Ever since Anthony Bidulka asked me if I was willing to be a character as a sportswriter in From Sweetgrass Bridge, the second Merry Bell book, - I instantly agreed - I have been eagerly awaiting my debut in fiction. I was not disappointed. Being described as “a local journalist renowned for his decades-long no -nonsense coverage of the Roughies” was gratifying. Readers of my columns over the past 46 years can decide if the portrayal is accurate. Anthony’s recitation of what ..read more

(20. - 1203.) From Sweetgrass Bridge by Anthony Bidulka - Merry Bell is broke and despondent after 6 months as P.I. in Livingsky (Saskatoon), Saskatchewan. Feeling sorry for herself on a late Friday summer afternoon, she is sort of enjoying a bottle of Prosecco and a small charcuterie platter in her office when she gets an email. Trying not to appear too desperate she answers in less than a minute.  Merry meets the emailer, Ruth-Anne Delorme, Saturday morning. Delorme retains Merry to find the most important person in Saskatchewan, Dustin Thomson, the starting quarterback for the Saskatc ..read more

My previous 2 posts have been a review of August Into Winter by Guy Vanderhaeghe and a discussion on how Vanderhaeghe, Anthony Bidulka and Nelson Brunanski, all of whom grew up in rural Saskatchewan, described life in the countryside of our province in their works of crime fiction. Vanderhaeghe’s book is set in the late summer and fall of 1939. The murder took place in Connaught which, in location and appearance, appears to be the fictional equivalent of the real life Esterhazy where Vanderhaeghe was raised. The murder in August Into Winter was inspired by a murder that took place in 1939 in ..read more

(17. - 1200.) August Into Winter by Guy Vanderhaeghe - Connaught, Saskatchewan, is a peaceful small town near the Qu’Appelle Valley. The late summer heat of August of 1939 is heavy upon the town. Ernie Sickert is a 21 year old communi ty eccentric. Usually wearing a bowtie, he runs everywhere and is famed for being the talented saxophonist for the Rhythm Alligators dance band. Few know that he is vindictive and has tortured family pets. RCMP Constable Alfred Hotchkiss is frustrated by a series of minor break-ins and thefts over the summer. Ernie is his only suspect. He decides to interrogate ..read more

(16. - 1199.) The Watchmaker’s Hand by Jeffery Deaver - The opening crackles. A tower crane operator perched  218 feet in the air is confronted with the front jib tilting forward. Unable to correct the tilt he shifts from electronics to manual controls but cannot stabilize the load of flanges. Desperately trying to move the load to fall in an open space he stays in the cab. The tilt is too much and the crane breaks apart. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are investigating  a theft from the NYC Department of Structures and Engineering - “a trove of infrastructure documents, blueprints ..read more

(15. - 1198.) Rain by H.N. Hirsch - Professor Marcus George is startled when one of his graduate students, Kenny Glick, is worried about being charged for murder. His girlfriend, Cathy Yaeger, had died. It was reported as an “accidental death”. Marcus takes Kenny home to meet his partner Bob Abramson who has a solo criminal law practice. Reluctantly, Bob says he will talk to the police and prosecutor’s office. Before he can investigate Kenny is called in for an interview. It is a setup for his arrest. A second autopsy has determined Cathy was strangled. Kenny’s father writes a cheque for the ..read more

(12. - 1195.) Suspect by Scott Turow - Pinky, Sandy Stern’s granddaughter, is back. She appeared in The Last Trial helping her grandfather, who was featured in over a generation of Turow’s books. Stern was a suave distinguished lawyer. Pinky is a raucous reckless young woman who was cast out from the police academy. She has tattoos spread around her body. While an unlikely figure to aid lawyers she has a vital aptitude for an investigator. In her words “I love to snoop and pry”. Beyond the ink Pinky, now 33, has a striking presence with a “magenta Mohawk (and a blue undercut on one s ..read more