Sunday Best

Geoffrey Chadwick #3

by Edward O. Phillips

Geoffry Chadwick has been recruited to give his niece in marriage to the handsome son of a Montreal socialite. But the bride is diffident, the chauffeur looks suspicious, the bridegroom seems more interested in his future brother-in-law than in his future bride, and someone has taken an intense dislike to Chadwick's presence in the proceedings.

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Edward Oppenshaw Phillips was a Canadian who lived most of his life in Westmount, Quebec. He earned a law degree from the Université de Montréal in 1956, but decided against legal practice. He subsequently graduated from Harvard University with a Master's Degree in Teaching, and later earned a second Master's Degree in English Literature from Boston University.

His first novel, Sunday's Child, was published in 1981. Best known for his novel series featuring Geoffry Chadwick, corporate lawyer, reluctant hero and wry social commentator, Phillips won the Arthur Ellis Award for his novel Buried on Sunday.

Series:
* Geoffrey Chadwick

Reviews

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1991:]. This was something of a disappointment, possibly because I was expecting too much. I remembered my delighted surprise when I picked up Buried on Sunday in Robarts, & discovered that the detective, Geoffry Chadwick, was not only gay but Canadian! (He's an anglo in Montreal, very Westmount.) The plot, not very memorable, of this latest effort revolves around (1) drug-dealing and (2) the proposed wedding of Geoffry's niece, and all the various family goings-on around it. The wedding is eventually called off: Douglas, the bridegroom, admits he is gay. And there lies one of my problems - everyone is gay, or just about - and the whole book is self-consciously, endlessly, flippantly full of reference to being gay. "Enough!" I start wanting to say. "We know, already." What bothers me, I guess, is the defensive tone, the need to be so flip. Now, lest all that sound over-negative, I should add that I still quite enjoyed Geoffry's adventures, and there were a few chuckles along the way. It's just that I was hoping for more.

[Violette Malan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the first Geoffrey Chadwick novel, but in my opinion the best. Captures all the wit, the bon mots, the flavour of Montreal, the comedy of manners, without any of the occasional lecturing feel you get from some of the other novels.

[Vivencio · Rating 4 out of 5]

my third chadwick adventure .... always a fun read