Book Review: Tapas on the Ramblas

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

Tapas on the Ramblas     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Anthony Bidulka
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator
Insomniac Press, $21.95 trade paperback, 289 pages

It’s all because of Morris, one dead cat, that Charity Wiser, matriarch of the Wiser clan and head of the Wiser Meats empire, thinks someone amongst her extended family is out to kill her. Morris ended up deader than a doornail after her last family get-together, known as a Charity Event. So Charity hires gay private detective Russell Quant to find out who murdered Morris—or rather, who is out to get her. To help him, Charity arranges a Charity Event aboard the Dorothy, the luxurious ship operated by the Friends of Dorothy Cruiseline, who cater to a primarily gay and lesbian clientele.

Accompanied by Errall, a no-nonsense lesbian lawyer, Russell heads for the high seas and deep treachery. Within a few days aboard the Dorothy, Russell’s not asking who wants to kill Charity; rather, he’s left wondering who doesn’t want to kill Charity. Everyone in the family seems to have motive. And the attempts start coming thick and fast, from an abduction in Tunis to a sinking boat off Sicily. If Russell doesn’t figure out whodunit soon, he might not have a client to report to.

Tapas on the Ramblas is the third in the Russell Quant series, and the books seem to get better and better. Bidulka gives Quant an exceptional voice in crime fiction, not only distinct but distinctly Canadian. In this third book, Russell moves well outside his Saskatchewan comfort zone into the Mediterranean Sea, and he does it with style, although without much aplomb.

As to plotting, I had a pretty good idea as to who the culprit was by midway through the book, though I didn’t learn the “why” until the end.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM