Anthony Bidulka: Quant

Russel Quant, private detective, loving son, is back in his hometown of Howell, Saskatchewan. His mother Kay is having memory problems and he feels the guilt of not living closer to her.

When Kay tries to hire a private detective to solve the “suicide,” of her friend’s husband Clem, Quant realizes things are worse with her than he realized.

But a meeting with the wife Cee Cee has Quant agreeing to investigate the situation. Did Clem really destroy the greenhouse of neighbouring farmers and kill himself over guilt at his actions, or is something else going on.

Quant is far from the hard core noir I usually review, and refreshing for all that. The totally awesome book cover says much about the tone of this story – I’d add wryly intuitive and heartfelt. This is a farm country story about family, community, and the agriculture that binds them. Easily read as a stand-alone and a well-recommended read.