Sam Wiebe

I bought this book after listening to Sam Wiebe talk about the latest instalment of this series at the Vancouver Writers' Festival. Sam himself seemed warm and gentle and self-deprecating and I wasn't quite ready for the violence, pessimism and general grittiness of this novel. Private investigator Dave is employed by her dying foster mother to try to trace a woman called Chelsea who went missing 11 years ago. Dave discovers that Chelsea was First Nations, used drugs and worked as a sex show more worker. No one therefore seems to share his concern as to what happened to her. Indeed, when it emerges that she had links to a biker gang called the Exiles, no one expects Dave to be insane enough to persist.

This was set very firmly and in great detail in Vancouver, and Dave was a likeable hero and narrator. I will continue with these and hopefully Dave will get beaten up/threatened/kidnapped/shot a bit less next time. show less

This is my favorite of all of the NOIR anthologies from Akashic I've read so far. Pretty much 98% of the book was fantastic.
Only one or two of the stories were skimmable and that's pretty good to me.
First story by Linda L. Richards seized on right off the bat. Supremely outstanding. Actually the introduction was the grabber. It invited the reader to go beyond what is shown in the television and movies that are filmed in what looks to be an idyllic setting. Grime and grit, homelessness, show more poverty, hanging by the skin of the teeth, crime. The book will set the story straight.
Sheena Kamal's story was fab, in particular the setup of each section, How to Give a Speech....perfection.
Robin Spano's story is sneakily intriguing.
Nathan Ripley's story reminded me of my favorite Parker Posey movie, Party Girl.
Kristi Charish's is a superbly edgy police procedural.
Don English has two voices to tell his tale, as does R. M. Greenway's story. Fantastic the both.
I highly enjoyed S. G. Wong's spooky story.
I can definitely recommend this particularly outstanding anthology. show less

Never Going Back is a textbook example of you don’t need 400 pages to tell a good story. Sam Wiebe, in a short 121 pages, captures his main character, Alison Kidd, a bit of an antihero and has us rooting for her to stay on the straight and narrow path she has committed herself now that she is out of prison. But the pawnshop owner and fence who set Alison up, Lisa Wan, has other ideas and kidnaps Alison’s brother, Dean, to force Alison into committing one more job. Lisa had bought an old show more box of photos to sell in her pawnshop, sold them at a huge markup, then discovered that they were rare photos and worth millions. Alison had to steal them back, embarrass to owner, and then Dean’s debt to Lisa would be forgiven. Not as easy as it sounds and could Lisa be trusted this time.

Alison commits to the theft, is double crossed by Lisa, the police pursue Alison who narrowly escapes, and it turns out she smartly sets up Lisa to take the fall. A wickedly fun and quick read. More a novella than a novel but the distinction is meaningless. Just enjoy the short ride. I did. show less

I finished the last chunk of this book in downtown Los Angeles. It suits a full stomach and a cold beer, elbows on the bar. Sam writes with a gritty aplomb that draws you in, and like a good tour-guide should, shows you locals-only spots. It was cool and unusual (to me) to experience reading a book where I'm intimately familiar with the city and settings.

The narrative is strong and it's hard to put down. It does what the best crime fiction should: keeps you guessing, about who committed the show more crime and how long can Wakeland stay alive. A bold Vancouver novel that should be read far beyond this fair city. show less