June 27th, 2023

Time to get back into some book reviews and here's a hell of a place to start!  This is a  truly superb crime read from a Canadian indie author I've recently discovered.
This cornucopia of corruption and conflicted characters Canadian-style paints a gritty and uncomfortable picture of Toronto and its underbelly, but it would be equally accurate of any Western metropolis.  Smith lays bare the insidious and layered hypocrisy of respectable officialdom, and society more broadly, with graphic realism, bursts of humour, and a refreshingly complete absence of any polite façade.  What a sweet departure from the sanitized, timid, and vanilla volumes of mediocrity that permeate so much modern fiction.  Smith conjures up a cast of memorable characters, all flawed and many despicable, but all drawn with vivid detail and humanness to deftly expose the brutal, seedy nature and cost of organized crime and corruption.  As in life, everyone’s in the mix, hand-in-hand waiting for the payoffs: politicians, police, lawyers, journalists, and criminals.  And the police personalities and dialogue are bang on, amongst the very best I’ve read from an author who hasn’t actually served in law enforcement.  Bravo, Mr Smith, for a hell of a ride.
Cheers,
ABP