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Rating: 
Summary: Expect a Fun Read
Review: Amuse Bouche was as surprising and different as it's title. Once I got that this was a mystery, a gay mystery and a gay mystery set in small town Canada - I was expecting something I did not get. But happy to get it. The story was inventive; a nice wry turn on regular mystery; the gay aspects were plentiful and satisfying, at times a subtle, gentle revelation - as if Bidulka was succeeding without really trying to educate his audience about what it can be like to be a regular Joe gay man in Canada. And boy did I laugh. Sometimes right out loud at Russell's little quips. And sometimes I was amazed at these unexpected literary paragraphs that somehow snuck into this little mystery genre story that blew me away. I like this new writer. He's a raw talent that I think will get better and better as his writing matures. Keep em coming.
Rating:
Summary: Amuse Bouche
Review: Bidulka's Amuse Bouche is an effervescent first novel that is much like the tasty French hors d'oeuvres from which it takes its name. It's an amusing, entertaining, and sometimes titillating story with a lively supporting cast of characters. Bidulka's given us just enough details about his queer P.I. to keep us interested in his adventures but leaves room for developing Quant into a more fleshed-out hero in future mysteries.
What really stands out here is the subtle way that Bidulka comments on the ordinary lives of the gays and lesbians in Russell's world. Bidulka touches on a variety of serious issues - how homophobia keeps gays and lesbians in the closet, the tension of family relationships, same-sex marriage, outing - while neatly weaving these strands into an engaging mystery. This is a good start to an exciting new mystery series.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Easy Read
Review: Don't be fooled by the title - nothing foreign or difficult here - just fun ride on a new gay mystery series train. This is the first Russell Quant mystery - and I found it very engaging and a little quirky. More than once Russell's witty asides made me laugh out loud. I like how the author planted some seeds of mystery for future books - like, what's up with the neighbor lady? And the uncle?
The mystery - case of a missing groom - is inventive, with a little bit of an old fashioned mystery feel to it - think modern Mickey Spillane with a gay twist - takes us on a trip from Canada to France and back and introduces us to some great characters. Although i found myself engaged and paying attention to the mystery, I found myself just as interested in what Russell was going to say next, what he thought about things and how he interacted with the people in his life - people I expect to be part of future books.More than just a mystery - this will be a series that you'll be waiting for the next one to come out. Soon I hope.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Easy Read
Review: Don't be fooled by the title - nothing foreign or difficult here - just fun ride on a new gay mystery series train. This is the first Russell Quant mystery - and I found it very engaging and a little quirky. More than once Russell's witty asides made me laugh out loud. I like how the author planted some seeds of mystery for future books - like, what's up with the neighbor lady? And the uncle?
The mystery - case of a missing groom - is inventive, with a little bit of an old fashioned mystery feel to it - think modern Mickey Spillane with a gay twist - takes us on a trip from Canada to France and back and introduces us to some great characters. Although i found myself engaged and paying attention to the mystery, I found myself just as interested in what Russell was going to say next, what he thought about things and how he interacted with the people in his life - people I expect to be part of future books. More than just a mystery - this will be a series that you'll be waiting for the next one to come out. Soon I hope.
Rating: 
Summary: Not just another gay book
Review: Even though this is a mystery about a groom gone missing from a gay wedding, it is way more than that. There is comedy, supense, plot teases and more. Excellent read from a first time author. I hope he goes on to write more about Russell Quant and make it into a series of books, It was wonderful to read another gay themed book (like Mysterious Places... Mysterious Dreams) without all the stereotypical gay stuff. This was just a damn good mystery that happens to be about gay people.
Rating:
Summary: Something New for Gay Mystery
Review: Every so often I like to try a new mystery author, gay or otherwise - to see what I might be missing from my usuals - JM Wilson, Lev Raphael, Kellerman...and with Bidulka I was not disappointed. I just hope that the promised sequel to this first Russell Quant mystery follows up on the promise I see in this writer, his story and his characters. I was a little wary of the story taking place in Saskatchewan, in a city I'd never really heard of - but in the end, that was just one of the things that made this book so appealing and engaging - I felt as if I was discovering a new country. This book went down like a nice glass of lemonade on a hot day (with a bit of vodka in it as a surprise). I was expecting a gorgeous hero, the sexual innuendos, the drag queen, the fag hag etc etc etc which - not to deride those things which I do enjoy - I was glad to find little of - instead Amuse Bouche is a nice change from all that. Every so often when I least expected it Bidulka interjected in his witty and smooth writing little gems - turns of phrase or descriptions that I fell in love with. Pay attention when Russell is in a little French village and is describing the characters he sees.
I feel as if more is going to happen in this series than just solving mysteries - I feel as if I'm going to want to know more and more about Sereena and the priest and Jared, the model at the end of his career.
I can only hope and await to hear what next Russell is up to in Saskatoon - wherever that is.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth you time
Review: My friend let me borrow this book with a warning of "I only got a chapter in. It's boring. Good luck."
Unlike my friend, I loved this book. Far from boring, this story about a detective in Saskatoon searching for a groom who goes missing the day of his wedding to his devoted partner is worth whatever it takes for you to find it. The storyline is quite captivating and has many little twists and turns. Anthony Bidulka's Russell Quant is a funny man; his quips and insights often had me laughing out loud.
The character of Russell Quant is also rather interesting, and his world is full of characters such as his neighbor, Sereena, his friends Erral and Kelly, and his uncle and his uncle's boyfriend, Anthony and Jared, all of whom are intriguing. Throughout the story we are introduced to these characters and many more, and we are given just enough information and hints about them to make us want more.
I'm looking forward to Flight of Aquavit, and I would recommend Amuse Bouche to anyone inclined.
Rating:
Summary: More than a Mystery
Review: The title at first made me wonder, what kind of mystery is this? And I was right to wonder. Although this story (about a groom gone missing from a gay wedding) is a first rate mystery all the way,I sometimes forgot I was reading a mystery. I got to experience the sights and smells, good food and wine of a foreign country. I was immersed in the tale of a tragic love story and later some randy stuff too. I chuckled out loud at some of the hero's quips. Russell Quant is one funny man. I finished Amuse Bouche with the same feeling I get when I've completed a particularly fine meal with a lot of courses and unique flavours. Looking forward to more.
Rating:
Summary: Canadian prairie location a delightful change
Review: What a refreshing change to find a gay hero and his gay friends in a location other than Los Angeles or New York. Bidulka has a great first novel. I found his characters (both gay and straight) to be very believable and I look forward to a successful Russell Quant series. Setting his story in Saskatoon was a stroke of genius and even with the limited descriptions of the area I would certainly like to visit there someday. I highly reccommend this book.
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