Saints Rest

by Luke Francis Beirne

Malory Fleet’s son was killed by bikers and now she’s worried about his missing girlfriend, Amanda. But that case was closed shut by the police a year ago and Frank Cain, the private investigator she’s hired, is reluctant to take it on. On the sometimes seedy streets of uptown Saint John, no one wants to talk, even fewer have anything to say, and the police have cast a blanket of fog over everything. As Frank searches fruitlessly for clues, he learns more about Malory than about Amanda, and begins to grow wary. Throughout, Detective Stuart Boucher is following Frank and making little effort to hide it, leading Cain to conclude that the officer may have more to do with the case than he’s letting on. For Frank Cain, as unmoored as a lost ship in the harbour, in unravelling this case he risks unravelling himself.

Saints Rest is a neo-noir novel set in a gritty and unforgiving Saint John, a town where few people are prepared for its secrets, least of all Frank Cain.

158 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

Luke Francis Beirne was born in Ireland in 1995. He lives in Saint John, New Brunswick. His first novel, Foxhunt, was published by Baraka Books in 2022. His second novel, Blacklion, released in 2023. His third book, Saints Rest, is a gritty neo-noir novella which released in 2025.

Reviews

[Kyle Bolt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced but decent story. It was neat to read a fiction novel set in the city I live in!

[Spencer Gorham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring a jacket! Ice and fog creep off the pages in this haunting panic attack of a crime drama.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

the descriptions of Saint John, my hometown, were spot on and I love it just for that

[Jacques Poitras · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic novel in the hard-boiled style of Raymond Chandler, with a gloomy and evocative portrait of Saint John, New Brunswick as the backdrop.

[Sandra Bunting · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book from this Canadian-Irish author. The other two were set in London (my favourite) and Ireland.
Saint's Rest is a noir set in the underbelly of Saint John, New Brunswick. it is a homage to that city, which, of course, features fog, water, and a few hills.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy gritty detective stories you will enjoy this short read. Highly recommend

[James Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent neo-noir novella by a writer I have come to respect. A bare bones story that speaks louder than its 140 pages. Set in an all-too-real Saint John.

[Francis-Adrien Morneault · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good addition to the crime fiction genre! The prose is beautiful, the pace is quick—typical of the genre—and the characters feel real. It makes me think of Nesbo at his best!

[Enid Wray]

Leave it at "I'm not the reader for this book"

[Stephanie H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book, but I just didn’t really understand what was happening. It felt more like a skeleton of a story missing all the interesting context.