On Potato Mountain: A Chilcotin Mystery (Crime Mystery) - Softcover

Bruce Fraser

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1894694821 ISBN 13: 9781894694827

Publisher: Granville Island Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

Hard to Find book

About this title

About the Author:

Bruce F. Fraser, QC is a lawyer living in Vancouver B.C. with his wife Gail. They have a ranch at Lac La Hache, in the Cariboo. He was on a Survey team which surveyed the Homathko River in the 50's and has practiced law in the interior of British Columbia representing Native clients. He is actively engaged as Chairman of the Board of Access Pro Bono Society of B.C. which offers free legal advice and representation to persons of limited means. He is the winner of the 2009 ADVOCATE short story contest for THE PARTNER.

Review:

On Potato Mountain A book review by Liz Twan We live in 21st century Canada where cellular phones and I pods are common place, yet the country is still peppered with places where those devices won t work and where the unwritten rules of civilization as we have come to know them, are often set aside on a regular basis. Many homesteads are situated in remote areas of this country precisely because the owner wants to do it (what ever it may be) in his (or her) particular way; taking instructions or direction from no one. You often hear about the characters who populate these wild and lonely places only on the news (or through gossip); particularly when disaster, murder or mayhem may have visited them and made them front page news. The town folks think them odd, never imaging that the reverse opinion is held by those who dare to defy convention on a regular basis. The Chilcotin in the Cariboo region of BC was, and is - such a place; where folks just itching to get away from it all - still can. In the old days they were immigrants, second sons, adventurers, outlaws, draft evaders, visionaries, cattle ranchers, want-to-be cowboys and just plain wanderers - all looking for a place that suited their particular need in life. A place to hide, escape, dream, commune with nature or to attain wealth. This novel; On Potato Mountain touches on the spirit of the west when it was raw and wild, and upon the nature of the people who live and breathe within it s pages. As one of the first of its kind this Chilcotin mystery story has all the usual elements of a dynamic story; danger, conflict, struggle, romance, infidelity, prejudice, desperation, family obligations, expectations and greed. But it has an extra element; a knowledge and respect for the land itself and for the First Nations people who have lived with it and loved it the longest and an understanding of the tenacious cattlemen who were the first white settlers in the area. Anyone who has spent any time at all in the Cariboo-Chilcotin recognizes, in this author - a person who is clearly interested in the ways of the local First Nations people. He has taken note of how they live with the land in harmony with Mother Nature and uses that to great effect in his story. One of the main characters called Ta Chi bears a great similarity to the real-life Tsilhqot in lady known as Chiwid (Lily Skinner); who spent many years of her life living outdoors, alone - without any permanent shelter - year round. The characters in this book are bold and larger than life, or humble and at one with nature; it s quite a contrast and their worlds collide - as one group wishes to keep the land as it always was and another group wants to alter it dramatically - for profit, an age-old struggle. One of the central characters is a lawyer; a well-meaning, small town lawyer who drinks a little more than he ought to, but who does his best to provide an effective defense for the son of a friend who is charged with murder. Circumstances and health issues later lead him to a more sober path and he, too shares an understanding of the local people, both First Nation and Caucasian, based on years of observation. The story will grasp and hold your attention as you travel through life with Noah, one of the central characters in the novel. You will also learn about the part of this province known as the Chilcotin, some history, legends and culture of the Tsilhqot in (First Nation) including their annual gathering on Potato Mountain. The lead quote in the book is attributed to Simon Fraser (Journal - June 1, 1808), There is a tribe of Dene among them, who inhabit the banks of a large river, which flows to the right, they call themselves Chilk-odins. --A book review by Liz Twan,The Advocate

--by Liz Twan

--Liz Twan,The Advocate

"While fiction, book is very relevant today,as it gives an understanding of how deeply attached the Chilcotin people are to their land. I hope they enjoy this book as much as I did." --Nancy Greene Raine, Senator of Canada, Director of Skiing, Sun Peaks, BC

If the reader wishes to begin to understand the deep magic of the Chilcotin, then this book is a gift. --Lorne Dufour, Author of Jacob's Prayer

About this edition

• Publisher: Granville Island Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1894694821
• ISBN 13: 9781894694827
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 282