Bill Cameron (1)

Aside from a brief stint working through the Agatha Christie shelf in my local library when I was in grade school, I've never been much of a mystery fan (fantasy and science fiction are my usual preference). However, I know Bill Cameron from around the interwebs, and was interested to see what he's published. Lost Dog, to which Chasing Smoke is a sequel of sorts, was a fantastic book; thrilling, edge-of-your-seat, and some of the most interesting and real feeling characters I'd read recently show more (something which is often lacking in fantasy).

I was thus quite excited to pick up Chasing Smoke and give it a try, but Chasing Smoke was a bit more difficult for me to get into. The first half or so of the book was relatively slow, particularly compared to Lost Dog. Where Lost Dog is largely plot driven, Chasing Smoke is much more character driven as we follow in the footsteps of the aging detective Skin Kadash as he simultaneously fights with cancer and estranged members of the police force. About half way through things picked up significantly, though, and I found myself just as involved and interested as in Lost Dog.

Chasing Smoke's greatest strengths are its gritty, realistic characters and Cameron's excellent writing. Its main weakness, and the reason I wasn't able to get as excited about this book as I was for Lost Dog, is the lack of a visceral mystery to drive the plot forward (Kadash spends most of the early book doggedly pursuing enquiries into crimes which, as far as his fellow detectives and the reader can tell, are related merely by coincidence).

I would recommend Chasing Smoke for those who enjoy police mysteries and who are interested in complex characters trying to balance very real, personal problems with the rest of their lives. That it is not the plot-driven thrill ride of Cameron's first book is mainly a testament to the breadth of his writing abilities; that it didn't work for me personally quite so well shouldn't dissuade you from picking up Chasing Smoke from the local library or book store. show less

Chasing Smoke was not a disappointment, both in terms of the writing style I was hoping for and a good, hard-boiled mystery. The story was told in the first person of Det. Kadash, who is near the end of his career. He is also not working as a result of a temporary disability; bladder cancer. While convalescing, his partner asks him to help take a look at a death she is investigating, the latest in a series of deaths of cancer patients all seen by the same doctor as Det. Kadash. The deaths show more all appear to be suicides, but the daughter of one of the victims thinks they are murder. As Det. Kadash looks into it, he doesn't find much other than a few coincidences. In the process, he ruffles feathers that a lot of people would have preferred have been left undisturbed.
Like every good hard-boiled mystery, the protagonist has a difficult time following the rules, has an adversarial relationship with his supervisor, and is better at antagonizing the people he interviews than getting valuable information from them. He has sharp wit, razor tongue, and a gift for sarcasm. But he is also very introspective, although often seems ambivalent, about his career, love life, and cancer. Kadash seems likable to those who really know him, but sadly, that is a small group of people. And he doesn't seem to have a problem making the group smaller.
I enjoyed Chasing Smoke, especially the second half. My first impression about Bill Cameron was right: he is fun to read. A smartass of the first order! show less

Chasing Smoke was not a disappointment, both in terms of the writing style I was hoping for and a good, hard-boiled mystery. The story was told in the first person of Det. Kadash, who is near the end of his career. He is also not working as a result of a temporary disability; bladder cancer. While convalescing, his partner asks him to help take a look at a death she is investigating, the latest in a series of deaths of cancer patients all seen by the same doctor as Det. Kadash. The deaths show more all appear to be suicides, but the daughter of one of the victims thinks they are murder. As Det. Kadash looks into it, he doesn't find much other than a few coincidences. In the process, he ruffles feathers that a lot of people would have preferred have been left undisturbed.
Like every good hard-boiled mystery, the protagonist has a difficult time following the rules, has an adversarial relationship with his supervisor, and is better at antagonizing the people he interviews than getting valuable information from them. He has sharp wit, razor tongue, and a gift for sarcasm. But he is also very introspective, although often seems ambivalent, about his career, love life, and cancer. Kadash seems likable to those who really know him, but sadly, that is a small group of people. And he doesn't seem to have a problem making the group smaller.
I enjoyed Chasing Smoke, especially the second half. My first impression about Bill Cameron was right: he is fun to read. A smartass of the first order! show less

I read this book as slowly as I could to savor it and it's quirky cast of characters. I have always thought that Stephen King wrote female characters really well. I never thought any other male writer came close until now. I loved all of these characters, good and bad. None of them were flat or cliche. I loved the use of jumping back and forth in time. Never too far back and always conscious of the present. I even loved simple things like the perfect chapter lengths for reading in chunks and show more the interesting graphical use of drops of liquid at the start of each chapter. A wonderful book I would highly recommend. show less