- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Random House Canada; 1st Edition edition (Oct 17 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0679312447
- ISBN-13: 978-0679312444
- Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.4 x 2.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 535 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #313,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
In his Silver Dagger-winning crime novels, author Giles Blunt creates the perfect blend of police-procedural, psychological thriller and atmospheric locale (think chilly Algonquin Bay). We asked Blunt if he would give us some insight about By the Time You Read This, the much anticipated fourth instalment of the Det. John Cardinal series. He kindly obliged with the following "Letter to Readers." --Lauren Nemroff
A Letter to Readers from Giles Blunt
A Letter to Readers from Giles Blunt
Dear Readers,
Through my past four books, I’ve been living with a character named John Cardinal, a police detective from northern Ontario who has had to track down some hideously evil people, but who has also endeared himself to me and to many readers through the deep attachment he has had to his troubled wife, Catherine. I believe the new Cardinal novel, By The Time You Read This, is the most emotionally involving yet. Catherine dies in chapter one, and Cardinal’s grief pervades the rest of the book as he tries to make sense of her death. This was painful to write at times, and I can only hope you will be moved by it.
Another reason I’m particularly excited is that, this time out, Cardinal encounters a murderer and a method of killing that neither he nor I have ever seen before. I’m pretty sure even hardcore crime-novel addicts will find it unique, believable, and completely horrifying. I want to tell you all about it but I can’t without spoiling the story. I know, I know, one can only be skeptical of an author who pronounces himself pleased with his book but when pressed as to why promptly takes a vow of silence.
But what can I do? I’ll just have to clam up and hope you enjoy the story.
Best wishes,
Giles Blunt
From Publishers Weekly
Set in remote Algonquin Bay, Ontario, Blunt's compelling fourth crime novel to feature John Cardinal (after Blackfly Season) finds the police detective mourning the death of his wife, an apparent suicide. Then Cardinal starts receiving cold, hate-filled notes gloating over his loss. Stirred and angered into believing that his wife may have been murdered, he sets about looking into who might be refusing to let the dead—or, more particularly, himself—rest easy. Meanwhile, his partner, Lise Delorme, is busy trying to track down the pedophile responsible for a cache of appalling photos featuring a small girl who may live in or near Algonquin Bay. An unexpected yet utterly realistic twist lifts this novel into extremely interesting (and entertaining) territory. Sharp dialogue, complex characters and a satisfying conclusion should help Blunt, who has won Britain's Silver Dagger and Canada's Arthur Ellis Award, win new readers in the U.S. Author tour. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Into the dark places,
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: By the Time You Read This (Hardcover)
John Cardinal, a small-town policeman, seems pretty run-of-the mill, like his community. Algonquin Bay sits on a lake, surrounded by Northern Ontario rocky forests. There are the usual little crimes and petty injustices to deal with. One night, however, while on the discomforting task of exposing an adultery situation, John is called to an accident scene. A woman has fallen from a new high rise. Or was she pushed? Or did she jump? This is of particular importance to John, because it turns out the woman is his wife, Catherine.
A photographer who often went out on solitary picture excursions - even in an Ontario winter - Catherine is also a depressive. She's been in the dark places. She's been hospitalised several times, returning to a warm homecoming and declaring "How lucky I am!" to have a family which can deal with her problems. That luck seems to have run out, or is it eroded? The last option, suicide, appears to be the cause of her death. There's even a note: "By the time you read this . . .". That should close the case and John Cardinal should take some time to work through his grief. His own dark time is just beginning. John and Catherine were together too long and they knew each other too well for this copper to rest on easy answers. The note is an enigma, not clarified by some disturbing mail John receives. Little bits of information, imparted willingly or inadvertently, build suspicions in his mind, and he must follow them through. To get to the resolution, John encounters some disturbing elements. A child pornography "ring" on the Internet has reached his town. In fact, it might be centred in Algonquin Bay as Cardinal's colleague Lise Delorme is undertaking to determine. How dark is that news to a town where vulnerable children are supposed to be a rarity? A psychiatrist, Dr Frederick Bell, the doctor counselling Catherine, has a checkered background. What relevance do all these things have to the death of his wife? A good mystery should command your attention, and Giles Blunt gets you up and running from the opening pages. He weaves an intricate tale, populated by some fascinating characters. He portrays them skillfully - none are seriously overdrawn, and all are plausible. The plot shifts are carefully handled, but Blunt isn't a mystery "mechanic". Events are under the control of the people involved and it's their reactions to changing circumstances that keep this book interesting. If you're a mystery buff, this should make a welcome addition to your collection. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent,
By
This review is from: By the Time You Read This (Paperback)
The book is drenched in sadness; it is beautifully written and the story is very poignant. Blunt in my view delivers a riveting thriller.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Police Procedural,
By
This review is from: By the Time You Read This (Mass Market Paperback)
This was the second John Cardinal Mystery I read from Giles Blunt. I loved both books. I'm often put off by writers who don't research the procedural aspect of law enforcement and the justice system as Blunt properly does. It makes a much better read. Of course, having such great characters, dialogue and an ever-developing plot helps this book too. I would certainly recommend it.
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