The Butterfly Effect: A Helen Keremos Mystery.

B.J. Busch is associate librarian of academic and information services
at the University of Alberta.

Helen Keremos is not as hardboiled a detective as, say, Sam Spade, but
she is one tough detective (her assistant calls her “that damned dyke
snoop”). The theme behind the title is the notion that tiny
differences in input can produce huge differences in output, as in the
notion that a butterfly beating its wings in one spot can affect a storm
system across the globe. The story takes Vancouverite Keremos to the Far
East in what is initially to be a discussion of a potential partnership
with a Hong Kong detective agency. By the end of the story, Helen’s
adventures take her to Toronto, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles as she
pursues an elusive courier who manages to become entangled in murders.

Zaremba weaves a compelling tale, complicated with the many plot twists
and surprises a good detective novel ought to have. The action is
fast-paced, the dialogue is snappy, and some of the characters are quite
memorable.