Anthony Bidulka

Charity Wiser, head of Wiser Meats and the head of the Wiser Clan, delights in tormenting her family with the monies she plans of divvying up in her will. Her form of torment, however, is unusual -- she forces the family to gather together for yearly Charity Events (Charity meaning her and not actual charities). She finds either the most unsuitable location or runs the family through a horrendous onslaught of group activities, convincing them that this is what they need to do in order to show more garner a good spot in her will. At the last such event, though, someone finally had enough of the terrorizing and decided to take action, mistakenly poisoning her cat.

To uncover who in the Wiser family has it in for her, Charity stages one final event and brings in Russell Quant, a gay private investigator. Charity's family will be gathering for a Mediterranean cruise aboard the Friend of Dorothy Cruiseliner -- a gay-friendly cruise chosen specifically to make her family uncomfortable. On top of that, she's let the family know that she plans on changing her will so it's up to Russell to untangle the web of greed and lies within the Wiser family before Charity -- or even Russell himself -- winds up dead in the water.

I liked the characters. Most of the gay/lesbian characters showed the diversity of the gay community -- from the sometimes in-your-face drag queens to the business-like lesbian captain of the ship -- and I like that Charity Wiser never hid her relationship with her lover Dottie from her family, no matter what they may have felt about it.

But it was the twists and turns of the story kept my attention. I never had a solid inkling as to who the murder could be thanks to all the re-directing of potential culpability. With many mysteries, it sometime becomes apparent early on in the story just who the guilty party is, but this story had so many different trails to follow that even I didn't know how Russell would pull off solving the mystery.

"Tapas on the Ramblas" is a fun mystery, something that is filled with enough interesting characters (from the Wiser clan and members of the ship's crew to two Mary and Rhoda drag queens), plot twists, well thought out red herrings, and murders to keep any reader entertained. show less

Going to Beautiful by Anthony Bidulka is the queer semi-gothic mystery/prairie adventure we deserve (whether we knew we wanted it or not).

The characters of Going to Beautiful are effortlessly queer in the best way possible: it is not the sum of their identities, but just a natural part of who they are - and rarely the emphasis. All of the characters, queer and straight - and yes, there are straight characters! - are colorful and memorable, well rounded and full of personality. The amazing show more and diverse cast of characters is easily the strongest part of the Bidulka's novel.

Beyond the characters, both main and side, is the plot. Bidulka does a fantastic job of leading the reader along, hinting at mysteries as yet unrevealed and unsolved, dropping clues to keep you engaged until the mystery is divulged - only for another mystery to pop up and take its place. This keeps the plot moving forward, avoiding any sense of stagnation or going in circles despite the entire book occurring in just two settings.

The setting is also wonderfully described and Bidulka makes good use of the main location: the Canadian prairie town of Beautiful. Often the town itself feels like a character, which is one mark of good writing (or so I have heard). Even when Beautiful is just background scenery, Bidulka ensures that the scenery is beautifully described.

A strong and heady mix of humor, suspense, and queer catharsis, Going to Beautiful by Anthony Bidulka is a fantastic novel full of life and color. An easy 5 out of 5 in my book, and highly recommended. show less

This, the third in the Merry Bell trilogy, has two parallel narratives, both focusing on relationships with parents and their secrets and private struggles.

Merry, at the behest of Evan, her first love in high school before she transitioned from Joey Dzvonyk to Merry Bell, investigates the death of John Whatley, Evan’s father. John’s death was determined a death by misadventure: he froze to death when locked out of his car on a frigid night in rural Saskatchewan. Evan is not convinced show more however. As Merry tries to ascertain if John’s death was the result of an accident or due to malevolence, she delves into his past and uncovers discrepancies and secrets.

At the same time, Merry begins hesitantly reconnecting with her estranged family whom she hasn’t seen since she transitioned. We learn more how Merry’s relationships with her parents fractured. Her tentative contacts result in her discovering that, just like Evan doesn’t know all about his father, she doesn’t know everything about her mother and father. But will she be able to forgive and move on?

My previous two visits to Livingsky were enjoyable and this third was as well. Merry is as engaging as ever; though flawed in a relatable way, she tackles both personal and professional challenges with aplomb. Members of Merry’s support network, whom we’ve come to know and like, re-appear: Roger/Stella, Brenda, Gerald, and Veronica. And my favourite of course – the decrepit but dependable Doreen.

As I’ve come to expect from Mr. Bidulka, the writing style is eminently readable. I enjoyed the pop culture references and the sprinkles of gentle humour throughout. I liked the descriptions as well. For instance, the details of an emerging winter storm reminded me of my years in northern Ontario and had me nodding in agreement: “Merry loved how the air smelled right before a storm. She respected how the wind asserted its presence – acting like a bully, yanking at your clothing and hair – and how snowflakes danced in the air, pretty and harmless but preparing for ferociousness.”

What also stands out is the author’s sensitivity. His books feature underrepresented peoples; in this book, for example, there’s the transgender Merry, the gay Evan, and the cross-dresser Roger, as well as sex workers. Each is treated with thoughtfulness and care. This treatment also extends to a person suffering from dementia. A chapter from the perspective of a dementia sufferer is so poignant.

I recommend that this book be read as the third of a trilogy, rather than as a standalone. Home Fires Burn has several references to the previous two books in the series; knowing the background certainly added to my interest. Besides just the enjoyment of reading Livingsky and From Sweetgrass Bridge, there is much to be gained in knowing how Merry first encountered some of the characters who appear in this book. Relationships develop over time, and Merry experiences growth since her arrival in Livingsky, a growth that is highlighted by the fate of her Louboutin boots.

This novel is certainly a satisfying ending to the trilogy, but I’d love to encounter Merry again! She feels like a friend and I don't want to lose touch.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews. show less

I truly do not know how I will fill the next year or so of my life, waiting for book eight in the Russell Quant, Prairie PI, series. It bodes ill that I am already casting feverishly about for possible plot lines that mend the hideous damage done to my beloved Russell in this book. I'm the sort of a boy whose brain needs chew-toys, as my younger brother said once, or it turns on the furniture and tears the place up.

I really loved Aloha, Candy Hearts, and felt that the decidedly substandard show more Sundowner Ubuntu was partially made up for with the new installment's spiffy pace and beautiful ending. I approached the newest book with a high heart and buoyant hopes.

And then Bidulka goes and exceeds them. Bar none, this is the best book in the series. The mystery is far and away the most accomplished and polished, pulling a suspect switcheroo successfully twice and marginally once. The ending, in fact the last three chapters, are so exciting I was pacing the floor as I read them. (The dog was most confused, poor little love, pacing along with me, looking worried at my exclamations of surprise and excitement.)

The story picks up with Russell happily ensconced in a relationship, seemingly one that's riding on rails it's going so smoothly and directly to Couplesville. He's happy, really truly happy, and the cherry on the sundae of his life lands with a plop in the form of a challenging, extremely remunerative job: Investigate the gay-bashing death of a world-renowned ancient carpet expert in glitzy, ritzy Dubai, all at the expense of a megarich Indian engineer and his wife. It's the engineer's son who's dead. Now...what to tell Mr. Man? "Honey, I'm going away for a few weeks, my life's going to be in danger, kiss kiss!"

Clouds gather, shadows lengthen, and once in Dubai, Russell enters the hyper-closeted world of gay Arabia, and the hyper-competitive world of ancient carpet buying and selling. What happens there leads Russell from a hot Arabian sandstorm back to frigid, January-blasted Saskatoon, a chase scene featuring Mr. Man's property's frozen pond, bullets, a dead body, and a Big Reveal that is really a Big Reveal!

I love being surprised, especially when I've come to the conclusion that a series is fun but no great shakes, worth reading because it's just entertaining. And now I'm awake and alert again, eager for the next book, agog to see what the author will do to fix a certain giant chasm he's ripped in Russell's life.

2011 can't come fast enough. I need my fix!! show less