Bodycheck: A Mystery

Stephen Greenhalgh is Prospect Research Analyst, Advancement Services,
University of Alberta.

Steven Owad, a native of Calgary, once worked as the deputy managing
editor of The Warsaw Voice weekly. Bodycheck is his first novel.

As the novel opens, we meet Behn McAvoy, an aging minor league hockey
player residing in Alberta and a target for murder. When two attempts
are made on Behn’s life—one in a secluded fishing spot, the other in
a Safeway parking lot—the hockey player seeks out police protection
and goes into hiding. The long list of potential suspects includes a
fellow teammate who seeks to tarnish Behn’s reputation and achieve his
own goal of joining the NHL in the process; an ex-con seeking quick
cash; and Behn’s ex-wife who, unexpectedly, is the main beneficiary of
his estate.

Bodycheck features interesting but somewhat two-dimensional characters;
more insight into their motivations would have strengthened the
narrative. As well, some readers may find the novel a bit too
fast-paced, since most of the events it recounts take place in the space
of just one or two days. But those weaknesses aside, Bodycheck is an
entertaining crime novel that will appeal to hockey fans.