True Detective

Matt Hartman is a freelance editor and cataloguer, running Hartman Cataloguing, Editing and Indexing Services.

Alberta writer Byron Rempel’s first novel is a lighthearted romp
through the mores of the Gen–Xers, told in a punchy style reminiscent
of Douglas Coupland. Roger Bushman, 25, is living in Montreal, having
recently escaped from “prairie purgatory.” He is, he says, “one of
the black-heeled souls walking up and down The Main for sustenance,
filling in the blanks with nothing more than time.” One day the mail
brings Roger a brochure promoting a course given by the Mystery Private
Investigation Academy, which offers “nothing less than [his] current
lifestyle with monetary rewards.”

The author endows his hero with no better motive for seeking a
detective’s life than the avoidance of real work. But even before
Roger begins his course, he is beguiled by a young Québécoise woman
named Mathilde, who hires him to move a mysterious work of art to New
York—a job that Roger considers himself perfect for and one that he
believes will be pretty simple to do.

Rempel deserves credit for his ability to mix humor and caricature with
enough truth to keep the pages turning. He is a writer who bears
watching in the future. Recommended.