Knock on Wood

W. Bruce Wrigley is a Toronto-based bank treasury advisor.

Rick Blechta’s first novel is a story full of suspense and surprise.
The principal character, Chris, a substitute teacher and part-time
saxophone player, becomes the target of a drug-dealing ring when he
innocently offers fellow teacher Amanda a ride home. He also lends a
hand to Amanda, a relative stranger, when her house is mysteriously
torched, and again later when her husband is murdered. Enlisting the
help of a police friend with whom he did volunteer work, Chris embarks
on some detective work on Amanda’s behalf. Along the way he meets
Annie, who changes his life. When further characters are introduced and
developed, the plot takes a shocking turn. Blechta manages to create
considerable tension as the story reaches its climax.

This is a good read, with perhaps a few too many coincidental
happenings propelling the plot. The characters are memorable and the
action nonstop. Two contrasting backgrounds— public-school classrooms
and the rhythm-and-blues music scene—lend credence to the central
story.