Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011 Update, 30 March 2011

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.



As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far 10/13

1. 4.8, THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE, Alan Bradley (7 Mar 2011)
2. 5.0, BURY YOUR DEAD, Louise Penny (4 Feb 2011)
3. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 Jan 2011)
4. 4.6, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS, Peter Robinson (10 September 2010)
5. 4.5, FEAR THE WORST, Linwood Barclay (11 October 2010)
6. 4.5, NEGATIVE IMAGE, Vicki Delany (17 December 2010)
7. 4.7, ROOM, Emma Donoghue (23 December 2010)
8. 4.6, NEVER LOOK AWAY, Linwood Barclay (28 December)
9. 4.4, LOVE YOU TO DEATH, Gail Bowen (28 December)
10. 4.5, MIDNIGHT CAB, James W. Nichol (1 Jan 2011) 

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson, A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, BAD BOY
Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT
William Deverell, APRIL FOOL
L.R. Wright, THE SUSPECT

On my Kindle

Rick Mofina, VENGEANCE ROAD
Alan Bradley, WEED THAT STRINGS THE HANGMAN'S BAG
Vicki Delany, MURDER AT LOST DOG LAKE
Linda L. Richards, MAD MONEY
Stan Jones, WHITE SKY, BLACK ICE


Suggestions from blog readers: Catherine Hunter, Michael van Rooy and Allan Levine.

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners

Virtual Peaks to be scaled
GLEN VALLEY (1 book read)
WHITE HILL (2 books read)
ISHPATINA RIDGE (3 books read)
MOUNT CARLETON (4 books read)
BALDY MOUNTAIN (5 books read)
CYPRESS HILLS (6 books read)
MONT D'IBERVILLE (7 books read)
MOUNT CAUBVICK (8 books read)
BARBEAU PEAK (9 books read)

MOUNT NIRVANA (10 books read)

MOUNT COLUMBIA (11 books read)
MOUNT FAIRWEATHER (12 books read)
MOUNT LOGAN (13 or more books read)

Review: MIDNIGHT CAB, James W. Nichol

Originally published in Canada in 2002 by Alfred A. Knopf
this edition published by Canongate
ISBN 1-84195-792-5
337 pages
Source: I bought it.

Publisher's blurb

A terrified three-year-old boy is found clinging to a wire fence at the side of a country road. The only clue found by authorities as to the child's identity is a photograph of two little girls and a letter.

Sixteen years later, Walker Devereaux is in Toronto to discover the truth about his biological mother. Working as an after-hours cabdriver, Walker befriends Krista, a smart-alecky, wheelchair-bound night dispatcher. Together, they search for a key to Walker's past. But their after-hours sleuthing veers them ever closer to another who has become the embodiment of desperate, violent, and sinister pathologies.

My take:

This is a novel with an interesting structure. Running parallel with the story of Walker Devereaux is the story of Bobby, a boy with real social problems. With great persistence Walker searches for his mother, following leads gleaned from the only items found on him. The year before, when he turned 18, he was allowed access to his custody files. As the book progresses we learn that there is some connection between Walker and Bobby - why else would we be told Bobby's life story? - but there are a few red herrings before we learn the truth.

I had a some problems with the time frame of the book. The author has indicated on some chapters what year these events are taking place in but I couldn't always make the time elapsed synch with these dates.

But it is a very readable story.

My rating: 4.5

Other reviews:

Petrona

Interesting..
In 2002, Knopf Canada published the Ontario author’s first book: Midnight Cab, about a young Toronto cabdriver attempting to solve a mystery from his past. “The book was just kind of thrown out there,” recalls Nichol, “and throughout the process, Knopf [kept] telling me that they weren’t sure it was going to be a crossover success. And it wasn’t.” Though Midnight Cab earned some good reviews and won the Arthur Ellis Award for best first crime novel, it ended up selling only a few thousand copies and then pretty much disappeared. More

MIDNIGHT CAB was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger in 2004.

Also
One of the best series airing as part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's The Mystery Project is Midnight Cab", which was aired in three runs of 13 episodes, 9 episodes, and 13 episodes (making a total of 35 episodes for the series).  The first series probably ran in 1992, with the second series going into 1993-1994. The novel published in 2002 is a pre-quel to the radio series, and gives background to the central character, Walker Devereaux and his wheel-chair bound girlfriend Krista.  More

I read MIDNIGHT CAB for #8 in the

Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011 Update, 30 December 2010

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.



As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far

1. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 July 2010)
2. 4.6, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS, Peter Robinson (10 September 2010)
3. 4.5, FEAR THE WORST, Linwood Barclay (11 October 2010)
4. 4.5, NEGATIVE IMAGE, Vicki Delany (17 December 2010)
5. 4.7, ROOM, Emma Donoghue (23 December 2010)
6. 4.6, NEVER LOOK AWAY, Linwood Barclay (28 December)
7. 4.4, LOVE YOU TO DEATH, Gail Bowen (28 December)
8. 4.5, MIDNIGHT CAB, James W. Nichol (1 Jan 2011) 

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson, A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, BAD BOY
Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT
William Deverell, APRIL FOOL
L.R. Wright, THE SUSPECT

On my Kindle

Rick Mofina, VENGEANCE ROAD
Peter May, BLOWBACK

On order from the library
Louise Penny, THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD

Suggestions from blog readers: Catherine Hunter, Michael van Rooy and Allan Levine.

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners

Virtual Peaks to be scaled
GLEN VALLEY (1 book read)
WHITE HILL (2 books read)
ISHPATINA RIDGE (3 books read)
MOUNT CARLETON (4 books read)
BALDY MOUNTAIN (5 books read)
CYPRESS HILLS (6 books read)

MONT D'IBERVILLE (7 books read)

MOUNT CAUBVICK (8 books read)

BARBEAU PEAK (9 books read)
MOUNT NIRVANA (10 books read)
MOUNT COLUMBIA (11 books read)
MOUNT FAIRWEATHER (12 books read)
MOUNT LOGAN (13 or more books read)

Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011 Update, 23 December

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.



As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far

1. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 July 2010)
2. 4.6, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS, Peter Robinson (10 September 2010)
3. 4.5, FEAR THE WORST, Linwood Barclay (11 October 2010)
4. 4.5, NEGATIVE IMAGE, Vicki Delany (17 December 2010)
5. 4.7, ROOM, Emma Donoghue (23 December 2010)

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson, A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, BAD BOY
Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT
James W. Nichol, MIDNIGHT CAB
William Deverell, APRIL FOOL

L.R. Wright, THE SUSPECT

On my Kindle

Rick Mofina, VENGEANCE ROAD
Peter May, BLOWBACK

On order from the library
Louise Penny, THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD

Linwood Barclay, NEVER LOOK AWAY

Suggestions from blog readers: Catherine Hunter, Michael van Rooy and Allan Levine.

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners

Virtual Peaks to be scaled
GLEN VALLEY (1 book read)
WHITE HILL (2 books read)
ISHPATINA RIDGE (3 books read)
MOUNT CARLETON (4 books read)
BALDY MOUNTAIN (5 books read)
CYPRESS HILLS (6 books read)
MONT D'IBERVILLE (7 books read)
MOUNT CAUBVICK (8 books read)
BARBEAU PEAK (9 books read)
MOUNT NIRVANA (10 books read)
MOUNT COLUMBIA (11 books read)
MOUNT FAIRWEATHER (12 books read)
MOUNT LOGAN (13 or more books read)

Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011 Update, 20 December

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.



As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far

1. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 July 2010)
2. 4.6, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS, Peter Robinson (10 September 2010)
3. 4.5, FEAR THE WORST, Linwood Barclay (11 October 2010)
4. 4.5, NEGATIVE IMAGE, Vicki Delany (17 December 2010)

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson, A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, BAD BOY
Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT
James W. Nichol, MIDNIGHT CAB
William Deverell, APRIL FOOL

L.R. Wright, THE SUSPECT

On my Kindle

Rick Mofina, VENGEANCE ROAD
Peter May, BLOWBACK

On order from the library
Louise Penny, THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD

Linwood Barclay, NEVER LOOK AWAY

Suggestions from blog readers: Catherine Hunter, Michael van Rooy and Allan Levine.

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners

Virtual Peaks to be scaled
GLEN VALLEY (1 book read)
WHITE HILL (2 books read)
ISHPATINA RIDGE (3 books read)
MOUNT CARLETON (4 books read)
BALDY MOUNTAIN (5 books read)
CYPRESS HILLS (6 books read)
MONT D'IBERVILLE (7 books read)
MOUNT CAUBVICK (8 books read)
BARBEAU PEAK (9 books read)
MOUNT NIRVANA (10 books read)
MOUNT COLUMBIA (11 books read)
MOUNT FAIRWEATHER (12 books read)
MOUNT LOGAN (13 or more books read)

Review: FEAR THE WORST, Linwood Barclay

Bantam 2009
ISBN 978-0-553-80716-5
399 pages
Borrowed from my library

Every parent's worst fear is that one day their daughter won't come home. And when that happens - that's what you do - fear the worst, that is.

Publisher's blurb
Sydney Blake’s summer is shaping up to be typical for a teenager: she’s spending it with her father, and she has landed a part-time job at a local hotel. One night, Syd fails to come home from her shift, and her father Tim begins to panic after he visits the hotel and the manager claims that Syd has never worked there. Grilling his daughter’s friends for clues leads Tim nowhere — except to threats against his life — and as he frantically chases every lead, he can’t help but wonder if Syd is even still alive. Despite a growing list of unanswered questions, all Tim knows for certain is that he must continue searching for his daughter no matter how high the stakes become.

If Sydney has run away, then there are some things that need explaining. She hasn't taken anything with her - no clothes, nor her bag, not her laptop, nor her iPod Shuffle. Everything is expecting her back. And then her car turns up in a car park in a nearby town. The steering wheel and the door handle have blood stains.

Tim has a website set up with details about Syd's disappearance on it, and hope flares when someone in Seattle contacts him with a sighting. The journey to Seattle is worse than useless though - when he arrives back his house has been trashed. Tim comes to understand he is being watched, and that there is nothing simple about Syd's disappearance.

As time goes on, the tension builds, the drama escalates, the police show they are not sure they believe Tim's version of the story.

FEAR THE WORST makes you thankful that nothing like this has ever happened to you. I'm not sure that all of the story is entirely credible, but the events heighten the suspense and it is certainly a page-turner.

My rating: 4.5

I read FEAR THE WORST for the Canadian Book Challenge hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set

You might like to check
My reviews of other Linwood Barclay titles:

• NO TIME FOR GOODBYE
• TOO CLOSE TO HOME

Linwood Barclay's website
Petrona's Review
Review by Material Witness

Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011 Update

I'm a sucker for challenges this year.

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.



As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far

1. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 July 2010)
2. 4.6, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS, Peter Robinson (10 September 2010) 

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson, A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, BAD BOY
Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT
James W. Nichol, MIDNIGHT CAB
William Deverell, APRIL FOOL

On my Kindle
Vicki Delany, NEGATIVE IMAGE
Rick Mofina, VENGEANCE ROAD

On order from the library
Louise Penny, THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD
Linwood Barclay, FEAR THE WORST
Linwood Barclay, NEVER LOOK AWAY

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners

Virtual Peaks to be scaled
GLEN VALLEY (1 book read)
WHITE HILL (2 books read)
ISHPATINA RIDGE (3 books read)
MOUNT CARLETON (4 books read)
BALDY MOUNTAIN (5 books read)
CYPRESS HILLS (6 books read)
MONT D'IBERVILLE (7 books read)
MOUNT CAUBVICK (8 books read)
BARBEAU PEAK (9 books read)
MOUNT NIRVANA (10 books read)
MOUNT COLUMBIA (11 books read)
MOUNT FAIRWEATHER (12 books read)
MOUNT LOGAN (13 or more books read)

Canadian Book Challenge 2010-2011

I've decided I'm a sucker for challenges this year.

The Canadian Book Challenge is hosted by John Mutford who blogs at The Book Mine Set.
You have one year to read 13 Canadian books and review them somewhere online, from Canada Day, July 1st, 2010- Canada Day, July 1st, 2011. There will be check-ins at the beginning of each month to see how everyone is progressing and have their current status marked in the sidebar of this blog. Participants are encouraged to read each others' reviews, discuss the books, and cheer one another on.

As always, my books will all be crime fiction.

So far

1. 4.9, A RULE AGAINST MURDER,  Louise Penny (20 July 2010)  

already on my shelves:
Peter Robinson,  A DEDICATED MAN
Peter Robinson, ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS

Vicki Delany, WHITEOUT

On order from the library
Louise Penny, THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD

Good reference point: Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist; past winners