What do You think about Flight Of Aquavit (2006)?
Geez, I never imagined a gay male private eye in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but I'm sure glad Anthony Bidulka did. And so gracefully! Look at the title, savor its poetry, ask yourself what it could possibly mean, then read the book and gasp (and possibly whack yourself in the head because you should have known it even before you opened the book)(unless you did). Besides being smart, Russell Quant is refined, unpretentious, warm, well-intentioned and just downright endearing. The gay aspect does wonders for the mystery genre: when anybody's gay, EVERYBODY can have a motive! so the possibilities multiply exponentially, keeping us especially busy here because Bidulka's so good at red herrings, we're like poodles on linoleum, scrambling around, trying to get some traction. My only reservation: I am less than wild about the female detective, who lurches into caricature. (She gets more plausible in the next book, though. Sort of.) I'm already into the next one and expect to plow right along for quite a while.
—Rhonda
