Barrington Street Blues (A Collins-Burke Mystery, 3) - Hardcover

Emery, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1550228137 ISBN 13: 9781550228137

Publisher: ECW Press, 2008

Synopsis

A rich man and a poor man are found dead of gunshot wounds outside a seedy bar on Barrington Street in Halifax. The police declare it a murder-suicide, but bluesman/lawyer Monty Collins hired to represent the victims’ families suspects it’s a double murder.

The case gets complicated when the police link the gun to the suspicious death of a high-flying lawyer named Dice Campbell. Helped by his friend Father Brennan Burke, and hindered by his femme fatale law partner Felicia Morgan, Monty explores the dark side of Halifax society: hookers, drug addicts, boozers, gamblers, and people desperate to cover up a series of parties that got way out of hand.

Monty’s investigations lead him to a ruthless businessman with street connections, a preacher who’s been seen cruising for young people, and an oddball psychotherapist who may have overstepped the boundaries of therapy with more than one person in the case. As the story unfolds, Monty finds himself returning again and again to trade barbs with Dice Campbell’s hard-drinking widow, Mavis, whose motives are not as clear as they initially seem to be. But the murder isn’t the only thing on Monty’s mind.

A secret from the past and turmoil with his estranged wife Maura, have Monty singing the blues, lashing out at his closest friends, and spending far too much time in the bars of Halifax.

About this title

About the Author

Anne Emery is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School. She has worked as a lawyer, legal affairs reporter, and researcher. She is the author of Obit and Sign of the Cross, winner of the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Review

"Highly  recommended."  —Library Journal

"The writing is lean, linear, and concise . . . [the] understated treatment of setting gives credence to the theory that less detail can often mean more mood. . . . However, it is perhaps Emery's use of character dialogue that gives the book its weight, masterfully chronicling Collins's descent into his own personal underworld."  —Atlantic Books Today

"This is a wonderful yarn, full of amazingly colourful characters, dialogue that sweeps across the pages like a tsunami, a story that will keep you reading late into the night, and a plot as devious as a lawyer's mind."  —Waterloo Region Record

"Emery makes it easy to root for Monty, who solves not only the mystery that pays the bills, but also the one that tugs at his heart."  —Quill and Quire

"Anne Emery has given readers so much to feast upon in her latest novel. . . . She dares to challenge those readers who are so fond of anticipating the outcome of the plot. Barrington Street Blues should earn Anne Emery the right to fly first class from this point on."  —The Chronicle-Herald

"Emery builds on the strength of her first two novels to create another memorable tale."  —Shelf Life

"Arthur Ellis award–winning author Anne Emery succeeds admirably in bringing readers a compelling tale of crime and punishment involving characters of real substance and believability."  —Scene Magazine

"Combines a strong sense of place with a layered plot that holds your interest from the very first page. Deftly combing action and crackly dialogue, Anne Emery is an author to watch for."  —The Sherbrooke Record

About this edition

• Publisher: ECW Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1550228137
• ISBN 13: 9781550228137
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 328