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Embouchure
"He did a favour for a friend. Now it's about to catch up with him."
Known to the locals as L'Américain, our protagonist is an unassuming portrait artist, jazz aficionado, and sci-fi writer living in quiet, self-imposed exile with his Italian muse and an orange tabby in the Bohemian enclave of De Lorimier. When a bombed office building claims his business partner, everything around him spirals into chaos. As the stakes mount, the RCMP Security Service comes knocking, Russian thugs from the Soviet legation appear, and a mysterious British woman offers him one more reason to suspect everyone he knows. Can his instincts and unorthodox manner outsmart his foes, keep the cat fed and save Montréal from a violent, KGB-linked faction of Québec nationalists before it's too late? Narrated through the lens of a native New Yorker armed with nothing but his provincial oddities and raw cynicism, readers will find themselves asking how far should one go in the name of friendship?
Known to the locals as L'Américain, our protagonist is an unassuming portrait artist, jazz aficionado, and sci-fi writer living in quiet, self-imposed exile with his Italian muse and an orange tabby in the Bohemian enclave of De Lorimier. When a bombed office building claims his business partner, everything around him spirals into chaos. As the stakes mount, the RCMP Security Service comes knocking, Russian thugs from the Soviet legation appear, and a mysterious British woman offers him one more reason to suspect everyone he knows. Can his instincts and unorthodox manner outsmart his foes, keep the cat fed and save Montréal from a violent, KGB-linked faction of Québec nationalists before it's too late? Narrated through the lens of a native New Yorker armed with nothing but his provincial oddities and raw cynicism, readers will find themselves asking how far should one go in the name of friendship?
109 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2026
This gripping, historical thriller is full of espionage, intrigue, spies, and murder. Our protagonist, known as “the American”, lives a simple, bohemian lifestyle with his Italian/Greek partner Monica, in Montreal. He is a struggling but happy science fiction writer, weekend artist, and voice artist with a mysterious past. A late-night plea from his Russian friend and literary agent Viktor, to meet him at Viktor’s office, results in a bombing that kills Viktor, his secretary, and almost kills him as well. Was he set up? Was his friend trying to warn him? Was he mixed up with the KGB, a local terrorist group, or organized crime? For Monica and his safety, the American must find out who is involved and what motivated the bombing and attack on his friend, and if he is guilty by association. As he begins his inquiries, the results become more perilous and deadly.
This story is set in 1967, when the geopolitical climate was tense with radical groups like the KGB, FLQ, IRA, subservice communist groups, corrupt domestic operations and black ops groups, left-wing activists, and organized crime. Fitz’s research into the historic, cultural, and tense political climate is very impressive. The vivid descriptions are atmospheric, setting the mood and making the reader feel a part of the scenes. I enjoyed the relation between the American and Monica. The characters were all mysterious with a bit of ambiguity, including Monica and the American. Not knowing the protagonist’s name or even nickname kept me a little off balance, but maybe that was Fitz’s intent. It left me wanting to know more.
There is plenty of action, mystery, and intrigue as the American begins to unravel the motivations for bombing and murders. The plot is compelling and as complex as the characters. There is a powerful ending that sets up for more adventures with the American. I enjoyed this riveting thriller.
This story is set in 1967, when the geopolitical climate was tense with radical groups like the KGB, FLQ, IRA, subservice communist groups, corrupt domestic operations and black ops groups, left-wing activists, and organized crime. Fitz’s research into the historic, cultural, and tense political climate is very impressive. The vivid descriptions are atmospheric, setting the mood and making the reader feel a part of the scenes. I enjoyed the relation between the American and Monica. The characters were all mysterious with a bit of ambiguity, including Monica and the American. Not knowing the protagonist’s name or even nickname kept me a little off balance, but maybe that was Fitz’s intent. It left me wanting to know more.
There is plenty of action, mystery, and intrigue as the American begins to unravel the motivations for bombing and murders. The plot is compelling and as complex as the characters. There is a powerful ending that sets up for more adventures with the American. I enjoyed this riveting thriller.
January 2, 2026
An American artist, jazz buff and sci-fi writer lives with his Italian muse in Quebec’s Bohemian enclave of De Lorimier. When his business partner is killed by a bomb, he finds himself in the spotlight as a suspect in the investigation. But hints of French terrorism, the Mafia, and the KGB soon tie him in knots. As the dead bodies pile up, it seems that he may also be on the killer’s list.
Set in Montreal in the winter of 1968, this is book 1 in the Services Rendered series. It gets off to an entertaining start with well-drawn characters in curious settings. But when the hero’s friend Viktor is blown up, things become complicated. Struggling to work out who killed his friend and why, while avoiding being shot, L’Américain sets out to locate part of a musical instrument that might solve the mystery.
This is an intriguing and fairly short read, with some witty and clever writing. One memorable quote describes onlookers as ‘morbid sick puppies with a dark heart for violent melodrama.’ Nice. However, the plot does get rather complex, and I found myself having to re-read certain passages to make sense of them. There’s also an issue with changing tenses, which is irritating as well as confusing. Aside from that (and the use of way too many exclamation marks), it’s an entertaining and enjoyable read.
Set in Montreal in the winter of 1968, this is book 1 in the Services Rendered series. It gets off to an entertaining start with well-drawn characters in curious settings. But when the hero’s friend Viktor is blown up, things become complicated. Struggling to work out who killed his friend and why, while avoiding being shot, L’Américain sets out to locate part of a musical instrument that might solve the mystery.
This is an intriguing and fairly short read, with some witty and clever writing. One memorable quote describes onlookers as ‘morbid sick puppies with a dark heart for violent melodrama.’ Nice. However, the plot does get rather complex, and I found myself having to re-read certain passages to make sense of them. There’s also an issue with changing tenses, which is irritating as well as confusing. Aside from that (and the use of way too many exclamation marks), it’s an entertaining and enjoyable read.
December 24, 2025
In “Embouchure,” Archibald Fitz presents a thriller that will chill you as “The American” navigates internal intrigue in Montreal in the winter of 1968.
A science fiction writer, “The American” hits a rough patch when his stories stop selling but his world’s about to get a lot rougher. When his literary agent is murdered in a bombing, the writer’s life is thrust into a nightmare of epic proportions. He’s on the run, his wife’s in danger, and he has no clue who he can trust — or why he’s involved in the first place as bullets fly and people drop around him.
Fitz has captured the verve of 1960’s Cold War cinema without falling into comedic parody or James Bond escapades. With the voice of “The American” in your head, you will travel with him as this New Yorker hustles through the winter of his discontent in Quebec. With a compelling incident at every turn of the page, the story never ceases to evolve and expand. Fitz knows when to show his hand, when to keep you guessing, and even his moments of reflection hold your interest.
Indulge in the mystery and suspense of “Embouchure” and see the incredible city of Montreal like you never have before as “The American” fights for his life against Russians, mobsters, separatists, and so much more.
A science fiction writer, “The American” hits a rough patch when his stories stop selling but his world’s about to get a lot rougher. When his literary agent is murdered in a bombing, the writer’s life is thrust into a nightmare of epic proportions. He’s on the run, his wife’s in danger, and he has no clue who he can trust — or why he’s involved in the first place as bullets fly and people drop around him.
Fitz has captured the verve of 1960’s Cold War cinema without falling into comedic parody or James Bond escapades. With the voice of “The American” in your head, you will travel with him as this New Yorker hustles through the winter of his discontent in Quebec. With a compelling incident at every turn of the page, the story never ceases to evolve and expand. Fitz knows when to show his hand, when to keep you guessing, and even his moments of reflection hold your interest.
Indulge in the mystery and suspense of “Embouchure” and see the incredible city of Montreal like you never have before as “The American” fights for his life against Russians, mobsters, separatists, and so much more.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews