The fourth novel in the action-packed Marc Edwards mystery series, set during the rebellions of 1830s Upper Canada.
Autumn 1837: the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada are on the eve of open revolt. Lieutenant Marc Edwards has been sent with a force of British soldiers to subdue the increasingly hostile French rebels. But as the smoke from the battle clears and political pressures build, Marc begins to question whether the sacrifices he has made in the name of Crown and country have been worth the cost.
On his return trip to Toronto, Marc is accompanied by a group of seemingly innocent civilians. But as tensions in the provinces escalate and personal grievances within the group arise, it becomes clear that not everyone Marc is traveling with is who he appears to be. Soon, mysterious death threats are issued and Marc finds himself the target of an unknown assassin. And when a member of the group is found murdered in the woods, Marc realizes that he may have more than one killer to worry about.
Don Gutteridge was born in Sarnia and raised in the nearby village of Point Edward. He taught High School English for seven years, later becoming a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Western University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. He is the author of twenty-two novels. including the twelve-volume Marc Edwards mystery series. Don is also an accomplished poet and has published twenty-three books of poetry, one of which, Coppermine, was a finalist for the 1973 Governor-General's Award. In 1970 he won the UWO President's medal for the best periodical poem of that year. To listen to interviews with the author, go to: http://thereandthen.podbean.com. Don currently lives in London, Ontario.
I wasn't sure I liked this one as much as the previous three Marc Edwards stories. Then I did like it, then... a murder and as it was coming to a close... I was back to thinking, "not sure this is as good as the others." then a twist! And yes, once again Don Gutteridge delivered the goods. I'm giving it 5 stars because, the moment I turned the last page I wanted to read the next one; which is not available until 2013.
A character that continues to evolve while maintaing the core of his integrity, is a rare thing. Character and storyline have held my attention and left me wanting more for 4 novels.
Just recently read this book, and thorughly enjoyed it..I was fortunate enough to win one of his Good Reads book early this year and was hooked..Thankyou for delightful reading..
I've been reading a lot of history lately about wars, and the thing that stands out over and over is just how many lives are lost because of incompetent leadership. That and fleas seem to cause more lives to be lost than enemy fire. The other thing is the number of wars that are caused by greed, insanity in government and the mind-set that says that in order to WIN you have to push the other guy as low as possible.
This book brings out all these things in a good story - especially if you've read the earlier books in the series. It also points out that, just as we see today, extremes from either side are dangerous and violence is just wrong.
My motivation was to learn a bit about the history of Canada of that period and thought such a book would be an enjoyable way of going about it. I felt a slow start but after about 20 pages my interest was perked up. Think I did learn a bit about the Family Compact and the politics at the time. Appreciated Marc Edward's personal perspective on issues. He is a likeable character who has an open mind that makes him more forward looking than many others in the book.