City of Ice : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: The City is the Most Likeable Character
Review: I read this book over the Xmas holidays and we had warm weather, but reading about the cold in Montreal made me feel like I wanted to visit. I have studied recent Canadian history from newspapers and this book adds a more personal touch. My main difficulty was that the main character is not that likeable and neither are any of the others.

Rating:
Summary: The City is the Most Likeable Character
Review: I read this book over the Xmas holidays and we had warm weather, but reading about the cold in Montreal made me feel like I wanted to visit. I have studied recent Canadian history from newspapers and this book adds a more personal touch. My main difficulty was that the main character is not that likeable and neither are any of the others.

Rating:
Summary: Starts Strong but Drags On
Review: The city of the title is Montreal, and I picked this up specifically because I was going on vacation there for a week and wanted to get some of the flavor of the city. As it worked out, I ended up reading it while there instead, which was actually a kind of cool--although by the end I was exhausted and ready for it to end. It's a thriller/procedural, teaming a loner French-Canadian veteran police detective with a young English-Canadian, with the resulting sparks predictably followed by mutual respect. The plot revolves around gang-warfare between rival biker gangs (yes, this sounds hokey, but I gather it's based on real events) who are tied into international crime circles. By then end, it's all a bit much, but still worth reading if you're interested in Montreal. BTW- John Farrow is a pseudonym for Canadian literary talent Trevor Ferguson.

Rating:
Summary: Elegant chiller
Review: This novel is much more stylish than the usual police/crime book. The main character is thoughtful and complex, and the prose is elegant. If you like thrillers, don't let the idea that this is a literary work deter you from reading it. The hero is so intriguing that you'd like to meet him. I hope Farrow/Ferguson writes more books starring Cinq-Mars.