Today, I’m featuring two books that are much lighter fare than the noir I generally write about. They are both enjoyable reads and quite different from each other.
HOME FIRES BURN
Merry Bell is a trans Private Investigator tentatively reconnecting with her estranged family, she’s grappling with a mother slipping into dementia, unresolved feelings for Evan, and the lasting damage of being cast out when she first tried to live authentically.
The investigation and Bell’s personal life run in parallel, each illuminating the other, and Bidulka mostly maintains a graceful balance between puzzle and character study
As a whodunnit, Home Fires Burn is satisfying: the truth behind Whatley’s death isn’t obvious, and the final reveal feels earned even if the pacing occasionally lingers on relationships over plot. But that imbalance is also what makes the novel special.
This is a mystery less about the mechanics of murder than about forgiveness, identity, and the fragile, stubborn bonds of family and first love.
For readers seeking a fresh, queer-infused take on the classic PI novel—rooted in the Canadian prairies and rich with heart—this is a deeply rewarding read.
A DARK DEATH
When archaeology students uncover a body laid out ritualistically in their trench, novelist-sleuth Kate Galway tries to leave things to the police—until the people she cares about become suspects.
Galway is deeply aware of the narrow-minded interactions that confine close communities such as Meredith Island, it’s her home afterall. She must balance the gossip, with an assured hand, letting clues surface through conversations.
Told from multiple points of view the mystery itself is satisfyingly layered and the clues are well integrated into the story.
Fitzpatrick’s sense of place is a well done: local stories along with crisp sea air immerse into every exchange. The history of the island taps convincingly into the present.
~ June Lorraine Roberts
Murder in Common is #21 on the Feedspot Top 80 Crime Novel Website
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