ALOHA, CANDY HEARTS by Anthony Bidulka (Insomniac), 244 pages, $19.95 paper. Rating: NNN
Riding the wave of popularity for home-grown sleuths, Saskatchewan writer Anthony Bidulka delivers up a new Russell Quant mystery. And it’s as much fun as the others.
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Aloha, Candy Heart, the sixth in the cheeky Quant series, finds my favourite gay private investigator enjoying a whirlwind weekend in Waikiki with his sexy long-distance lover, having surprised himself by saying yes to a proposal of marriage.
On the plane ride back to Saskatoon, Russell is accosted by his seatmate, an odd little man he nicknames Mr. Magoo, and asked for help in deciphering a local treasure map. Soon after landing, he finds McGoo murdered in the parking garage and the map slipped inside Russell’s backpack.
As with all the Quant books, the real pleasure lies in getting to know the lovable detective and his circle of friends in Saskatoon’s queer community. There’s a small-city solidarity about them that feels very real and you imagine that Russell Quant and the author are twin souls .
The plot has its moments, too, as Russell races from clue to clue along back alleys, to historic homesteads and finally through the city archives, where he digs up some serious dirt on a prominent literary legend. At the same time, he’s dodging the mysterious white van that’s after him – and his increasingly ambivalent feelings about his own engagement.
Bidulka writes with a nice blend of innocence and smarts. It’s an endearing series, and Russell Quant is just the kind of guy you’d want for a big brother. No matter the emergency, he always has time for his over-protective Ukrainian mother – and to take a peek in the mirror to make sure his caboose is looking its best.
Bidulka reads Tuesday (June 2) at Buddies in Bad Times. See Readings.
