This one from the Halifax Chronicle Herald…
Arthur Beauchamp returns in witty, smart mystery
by Paul Fiander,
Sun. Nov 1
Readers have come to expect a little bit of everything in a William Deverell novel. Snow Job, published earlier this month, is no exception. It has mystery, humour, satire, politics, and espionage. There are discussions of climate change issues and city versus country living, and, above all, the book has a fascinating cast of characters with a plot that hooks readers from the very first page.
Arthur Beauchamp first appeared in Deverell’s The Dance of Shiva, a thriller from the mid-80s. In Snow Job, he has retired and is dividing his time between his goat farm on Garibaldi Island, B.C., and Ottawa, where his partner Margaret Blake serves as the only federally elected member of the Green Party. Beauchamp sincerely wants to stay retired from practising law but new cases beckon, plus he is not entirely content with being referred to as Margaret’s significant other.
When officials from the tiny Asian nation of Bashyistan are killed in a bombing in Ottawa, their leader, dictator Ivor Muckhali Ivanovich, declares war on Canada. In trying to track down the man suspected in the bombing, Beauchamp finds himself in Albania doling out huge sums of money in bribes and risking his life. He is accompanied by a man who is either a super spy or a misguided and confused actor.
Meanwhile, back on Garibaldi Island, the actions of the locals will have most readers chuckling. Readers who recall some of the episodes of a television series from the 70s, The Beachcombers, will see some resemblances to the folk of Garibaldi. Robert Stonewell, Stoney to his friends, seems like a 21st century version of Relic.
Deverell has a unique gift of writing interesting stories while poking fun at current issues surrounding politics, the law and the environment. Let us hope that Arthur Beauchamp never becomes content with retirement.
Posted by William Deverell on Dec 06, 2009
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