Stasio: A Novel in Three Parts

by Tamas Dobozy

This detective novel — presented in three distinct novellas — traces the ever-deepening involvement of the protagonist Anthony de Stasio in a series of political nightmares, from a cursed firearm in “Steyr Mannlicher” that leads him through the world of a single mother’s hardscrabble poverty; to the tormented life of a daughter imprisoned in a world her father built for her in “Photo Array”; to the workings of a mysterious postwar utopian cult that traffics street kids in an attempt to engineer a universal refusal of the vote in “The Unaffiliated.” Each novella deepens Stasio’s immersion in the charnel house of contemporary politics, and features a supporting cast of characters whose personal involvement attempts to rescue him from it.

232 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2024

About the author

Tamas Dobozy was born in Nanaimo, BC. After receiving his Ph.D. in English from the University of British Columbia, he taught at Memorial University. His work has been published in journals throughout North America, and in 1995 he won the annual subTerrain short fiction contest. When X Equals Marylou, his first collection of short fiction, was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award. Tamas Dobozy now teaches in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario.

Reviews

[Wade Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stasio has the elements of the classic noir detective novel, but separates itself in many ways, not the least of which is Dobozy’s unique writing style. The author has the ability to mix in the occasional bit of humour as well as numerous poignant musings and turns of phrase as the reader explores the title character’s troubled mind and labyrinthine cases.

I found myself drawn into the story, hoping for that elusive wrapped-in-a-bow conclusion to a case, but I was often given pause when I would read a passage such as, “This is what glory gets you, he thought, a place in a mass grave”, “The people he worked with were so reliant on instinct they often mistook it for fact”, or “This is how you ruled the world, he thought, being smart or scary or pitiful enough to have everyone abide your illusions.” On these and several other occasions, I found myself going back to re-read, or grabbing a pen to make a note. It’s powerful writing here from Dobozy, elevating a uniquely absorbing plot with engaging examinations of childhood trauma, dysfunctional relationships, and the impossible task of being a police detective completely dedicated to both his own well-being and that of the people he helps.

[Logan Macnair]

On two occasions and by two separate characters is southern Ontarian lawman Anthony de Stasio accused of being a “terrible detective” and rhetorically questioned as to whether he can remember actually solving any cases during his career. Harsh, but these charges my have validity given Stasio’s idiosyncratic penchant for overcomplicating cases in ways that, typical of the noir detective genre, often fail to lead to ‘satisfying’ conclusions where law and justice neatly and cleanly prevail over the criminal element.

In Stasio: A Novel in 3 Parts we are made privy to three such cases worked by the titular detective. Each offers us insight into his unique investigative style while also serving as a window into three distinct points of his progressively paranoid and unsustainable personal life.

Full review at the BC Review:
https://thebcreview.ca/2024/07/22/223...