[.ca] Stain of the Berry (ISBN 1897178247)

real progression:
Anthony's writing is getting better all the time. He's created an almost real person with his Mr. Russell Quant character, flaws and all. I look forward to the next title in the series and hope there will be many more. Anthony Bidulka is a gifted author and I am so glad a friend recommended his books to me. Read them and enjoy.

A Wonderous Discovery:
Russell Quant mysteries are something different - a cut above the rest. I love series mysteries. But I often lose interest. After three or four or five of the same thing ....even with good writing, I lose interest. My problem, maybe. Then someone suggested I read the new Canadian hot mystery guy, Anthony Bidulka. So I give the first one - Amuse Bouche - a try. It was good. I went to the second, Flight of Aquavit. He had me. Now, four books into the series, I am intriqued by this author's willingness to take his characters beyond the boundaries or normal mystery fair. He makes them live,he gives them real storylines and sometimes, he leaves us hanging. He wrings the life out of these people, makes them real, live, breathing people who you care about. With other series I lost interest because I knew nothing of great interest was going to happen to the people I cared about most - i.e. the main characters. Not so in a Russell Quant mystery - things happen to these people - whether we like it or not - and I can hardly wait for the next book to see what happens. More than a mystery? Oh yeah!

New & Exciting:
Not what I was expecting - and boy, was I glad. I read many mysteries, and after a while, I must admit, they seem to repeat themselves. This may be my fault for the choices I make. So, I made a new one. A Russell Quant Mystery. Foisted upon me by a friend. I am ever so thankful. Here, at last, is a writer who is trying - and succeeding - in giving us mystery lovers something new to sink our teeth into. Yes, of course, the protagonist is gay - and yes, that is different than the run of the mill mystery - but there is so much more in this book (and, I'm guessing, the series overall). The Canadian prairie location mixed with intriguing travels to Vancouver (the only location I'm familiar with), Moose Jaw and the Arctic. Then the extra characters who are for the most part, real people who I recognize and who I want to know more about. And then there is the hero, Russell. Likeable. Affable. Humourous. Attractive in many more ways than physically. I wanted to know how he would react to every situation, and how he would end up at the end of the day. Because it was always a surprise. A generous one, given to us by this writer. I am always excited to find a new series. I look forward to many good reads from Anthony Bidulka and Russell Quant.

A Book I'll Read More Than Once:
Stain of the Berry is like a mythology text on all that is Russell Quant. I've loved the other books, and this once just gave me that little bit more background. We see our hero at his most desperate hour. Sad but fascinating.

A Most Lovely Stain:
Stain of the Berry tackles some serious concepts and issues, none more so than a harrowing scene involved the hero, Russell Quant, at his most defenceless, face down in a dark alley. Still, the author does not waver from his own inimitable style, paying great heed to a serious scene, yet still somehow maintaining the famous Quant syle and humour without doing disservice to his topic. Lovely.