Tell

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

At 2:00 a.m. police officers notify 16-year-old David’s mother of her
husband’s death, apparently the victim of a robbery gone bad. When
David fails to act suitably surprised or upset by his stepfather’s
death, both his mother and the police begin to suspect him of
involvement. Police take him in for questioning after they identify his
image on a convenience-store security tape that shows him near the crime
scene approximately 25 minutes prior to the shooting. David admits to
being there, but asks to speak with the detective without his mother
present.

The tale that emerges reveals the victim as a mean-spirited gambler, a
bully, a cheat, and a murderer who insisted on playing poker for chores
he wanted David to do, cheated to win, gambled to the extent that he
mortgaged the house to the hilt, left no insurance to support his wife,
and mercilessly bullied David and his younger brother, Jamie. A champion
swimmer, Phil failed to rescue hyperactive eight-year-old Jamie from
drowning while Mom and David watched in horror. Six years later, David
witnesses Phil’s shooting, stands over his dying body, watches him
die, then walks away.

This short, fast-paced, easy-to-read mystery begins classically with a
dead body, but moves quickly and cleverly into complex relationships. A
gambler’s “tell,” a form of unconscious telegraphing of vital
information through a player’s mannerisms, is a recurring motif
throughout as David unveils the web of deceit within which the family
functions. The novel’s appealing protagonist and carefully structured
complicated undercurrents should attract reluctant readers in
particular. Highly recommended.