fiction

Reviews from Outside the Review Pages

Although most of our reviews can be found online or in the book review pages, every so often different types/formats of reviews come in such as the handwritten fan review, the email from a descendant of a historical figure featured in one of our books. I would like to share three such reviews with you.

Some of my favourite reviews come from kids. I love it how they whole-heartedly embrace a book and the characters within it.  This Saturday sees the release of Chris Rutkowski’s new UFO book and first children’s book  I Saw it Too! Chris received an early thumbs up from 10 year-old who lives in his neighbourhood. Here’s what she had to say:

Ben Guyatt, the author of Billy Green Saves the Day, received a very interesting email which happened to be from a descendant of Billy Green.  Here’s the lovely email.

Dear Ben,
I just finished reading “Billy Green Saves the Day” and enjoyed it very much; I felt like I was there.  I have a particular interest because I recently got involved in my family’s genealogy and the Samuel Green family from New Jersey is part of my family tree.  Both Adam and William, his brother, were Loyalists and moved away; Adam to Stoney Creek, ON and William to western Pennsylvania.  Billy was named after his Uncle William.  My great grandmother on my father’s side is descended from William Green.  I was born in Warren, PA but for the past 30+ yrs. have lived in Oshawa, ON.  Earlier this year I stopped in Stoney Creek and found the Adam Green homestead, however, no one was home at the time.  I plan to go back soon and visit some of the historic sites.
Thank you very much for that little bit of history.
Jeanne Searle

And finally over a year ago we published Don Easton’s third mystery novel featuring the rule-bending Jack Taggart. Due to unfortunate circumstances, a review for Angel in the Full Moon that was to run in the RCMP Quarterly never ran. Well, we now have it here for you.

“RCMP Cpl. Jack Taggart and the Organized Crime Unit are back in Don Easton’s latest Jack Taggart Mystery, Angel in the Full Moon.  In his first two novels Easton challenged his readers to resolve whether being on the “right” side of the law made a character “good” and likewise, if being on the “wrong” side of the law made a character “bad”; there was little room for black and white distinctions.  Unlike those first two novels, in Angel in the Full Moon there is black and white.  The bad guys are out-and-out bad and the good guys are venerable.

Partners Jack Taggart and Laura Secord set out to investigate an unknown crime based on a tip.  While they don’t know what they’re getting into, they know it is big.  The crime is human trafficking and the story heart-wrenching.  Easton sets the tone of the novel early by introducing the readers to the victims first, humanizing them and making it difficult for the reader not to be drawn in and filled with compassion.

In all Easton’s books it is difficult to determine what of his story line is based on his life experiences as an undercover RCMP, and what is fictional creation.  Angel in the Full Moon feels from the beginning too real to be a work of fiction.  Easton wrote with emotion the reader can feel emanate off the pages.  The knowledge that the story is closer to reality than fiction makes parts of it a tough story to swallow.

As with Above Ground Easton does a splendid job of intensifying his characters without taking away from the story.  His primary characters are dynamic throughout the Jack Taggart Mystery series and throughout each individual novel.  And as he did in Above Ground, Easton has escaladed some of his secondary characters to a level that makes one wonder what role they will play in the fourth novel.

Above Ground did not offer as much shock value as Loose Ends did but Angel in the Full Moon arguably offered more.  The news stories on human trafficking seem to be swept under the rug as though they are not society’s concern.  Don Easton lifts the rug and airs it out for all to see.  He reminds us that human trafficking often involves young girls, sex crimes, and crimes against human rights.  It is sickening to think that members of society support such crimes.

I commend Mr. Easton for the personal experiences he brought to this latest book.  I admire his honesty and offer my sympathy for what he has had to endure both on the job and in his personal life.  I’d like to thank Mr. Easton for sharing a part of himself with the reader as it truly made the novel meaningful for me.  As for those out there who have yet to read the novel, even if it isn’t your style or genre, read it to remind yourself of what a portion of society goes through every day.”
- Erin Chatwell

And thus ends my last blog posting. I’m saying farewell to Dundurn today.  I’ve had a lot of fun keeping you updated on our activities.  Thanks for reading about my adventures as a publicist here at Dundurn. Best wishes to you all! And make sure you keep tuning in for more updates and publishing stories from Ashleigh and Jeffrey.

Happy Reading!

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