Flight of Aquavit: A Russell Quant Mystery

Ian C. Nelson, Librarian Emeritus, former Assistant Director of
Libraries (University of Saskatchewan) and dramaturge (Festival de la
Dramaturgie des Prairies).

Following his Arthur Ellis Award–nominated Amuse Bouche (2003),
well-travelled sybaritic author Anthony Bidulka again celebrates
Saskatoon as the main setting for this welcome second appearance of gay
private detective Russell Quant, while still embracing a formula that
includes a lively excuse for excursions into more worldly locations (in
this case New York). He thus gives both insiders and outsiders to
Saskatchewan a certain taste of the “exotic.”

The story this time has Quant trailing a dangerous extortionist called
Loverboy, which draws the detective into the world of e-dating and New
York nightspots. In classic first-person style, Quant speaks intimately
and confidentially into the reader’s ear as the plot progresses. His
style is half conversational and half self-pleasuring—with not
infrequent parenthetically ironic comments, given how close he tends to
stray to sexual and emotional temptation. His eye for trendy style and
piss-elegance—and for what misses the mark—is as contemporary as
that of any of the current Queer Eye folk. Few, however, could match his
over-the-top cleverness with words or archness of observation. But
humorous flippancy aside, there is also sincerity and just a hint of
sage world-weariness about the self-questioning of lifestyle and
relationships that the author draws from his charming, vulnerable
detective.

Bidulka shows a deft hand at suggesting a plethora of motives driving
the action, and offers some surprising twists and turns in his plot,
including a dramatic—and very Canadian—struggle against the
elements. In addition, this time around he fleshes out a number of the
characters who populate Quant’s life, most notably a colourful
Ukrainian mother who speaks with a decided accent.

Flight of Aquavit is a Lambda Literary Award finalist.