The beginning of this book is a new twist on the old gothic mystery. Usually it's a young woman, down on her luck and with only grasping relatives, who inherits a big old house and finds herself in the middle of a dangerous mystery. Tom Ryan flips the script by placing Peter Barnett, a gay man, in the traditionally female role. He is contacted by a woman claiming to be his grandmother and urged to come join her in Maple Bay, Nova Scotia. Will he leave his dirty, shared apartment and dismal call centre job to go live in a mansion? You bet!
This would have been a perfect Nova Scotia book for my summer Murder Across Canada project. Maple Bay is a typical small Canadian town. There are beloved small businesses, there's a hierarchy of influential people, there's a gossip hotline, and there's history, both of the town and personal. I really liked the multi-generational nature of the cast of characters. Ranging in age from 15 year old Dandy to Mirabel in her 90s and several folks in between. It reminded me of the rural community that I grew up in, knowing people of all ages.
One bouquet and one quibble. I was completely sold on the red herrings that Ryan designed into the plot. I wasn't sure which of two or three people it was, but I ignored all other clues. Well done. But. But. I didn't think anyone could have solved the mystery. The solution came out of left field. I kind of enjoyed it, but I didn't feel like I'd been treated fairly. I would have to carefully reread the entire novel to fairly evaluate my feelings, which I won't be doing. But I will be going to book club to discuss it and I am sure there will be opinions on the matter!
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