KAIDENBERG'S BEST SONS

Jason Heit. KAIDENBERG'S BEST SONS. Coteau, 2019.

A collection of linked short stories about three generations of men of a Saskatchewan farming community around the turn of the twentieth century. Family ties. Cheating. Jealousy. Violence. Grief. and Curses.

A peek behind the curtains into the emotional lives of apparently stoic characters. I'm glad I lucked into it. Knowing my preference for Canadian writers, a friend gifted me this after mistakenly thinking it was about a Mennonite community. They are German-speaking Catholics originally from around the Black Sea, transplanted to Saskatchewan from the Dakotas. 

IN A HOUSE OF LIES

Ian Rankin. IN A HOUSE OF LIES. Orion, 2018.

Back by popular demand, Rebus wheedles his way into the investigation of how a skeleton with handcuffed ankles ended up in the trunk of a car abandoned thirteen years ago. He suspects the body is Stuart Bloom, missing since 2006. Siobhan tries to distract him by asking him to review a conviction which the family of the youth is questioning. Corruption everywhere. Police Scotland are attempting to instill a new institutional culture. Rebus favours "the old ways". 

THIS IS PLEASURE

 Mary Gaitskill. THIS IS PLEASURE. Pantheon/Penguin, 2019.

I once heard Mary Gaitskill speak at a conference in Toronto. It was my introduction to her writing. This small novel reinforces my love of her style and her subtlety. A story of a friend who falls victim to "me too"-like accusations. 

A TOWN CALLED SOLACE

 Mary Lawson. A TOWN CALLED SOLACE. Vintage, 2021.

Set in Northern Ontario, told in three voices--Clara, the child next door; Elizabeth, the neighbour who is in hospital, and Liam who inherits the house. A U of M book club selection which I did not find a copy of in time to participate. Although I had to wait for the paperback release, it was worth waiting for. 

I really enjoyed this book The timeline is somewhat shattered, but all three characters are dealing with grief, with lies and truths about themselves and others, and with the importance of accepting change. The way Lawson dishes out tidbits of plot as the story progresses, and the way different people change differently, are masterful. 

FIGHT NIGHT

Miriam Toews. FIGHT NIGHT. Penguin, 2021.

Swiv, 100 months old, looks after her Grandma while they and S's Mom await Gord's birth.

Just finished this this morning, after driving to Winnipeg to buy it. The next UofM book club selection. By the last chapter, I was laughing out loud. Will also copy out the list of "rights/things" stolen from women.

My sixth book since July 1.

FRIEND OF THE DEVIL

Peter Robinson. FRIEND OF THE DEVIL. M&S, 2007.

Two plots. Banks seeks the rapist and killer of a young woman murdered in The Maze.

Annie seeks the killer who brutally slit the throat of an unknown woman in a wheel chair. 

The HANGING GARDEN

 Ian Rankin. THE HANGING GARDEN. Orion, 1998.

An early Rebus, but one of the best I've read. The hanging garden refers to a Nazi war crime. Big Ger is in jail and a younger rival gang is attempting to take over Edinburgh. 

CAMINO ISLAND

John Grisham. Camino Island. Dell, 2018.

Fitzgerald manuscripts stolen. Set in Florida. An independent bookstore. Antiques dealers. A young writer recruited to infiltrate.

A NECESSARY END

 Peter Robinson. A NECESSARY END. Pan, 1989.

Banks and Sandra are still married. 

The GLASS COFFIN

Gail Bowen. The Glass Coffin: A Joanne Kilbourn Mystery. McC&S, 2002.

A doomed winter wedding, about marrying for the wrong reasons.