Cherry Beach

by Don Gillmor

A brutal murder exposes secret real estate deals, a corrupt police force, and the dark heart of a city simmering with unrest.

When two girls are found murdered in a rundown Toronto highrise, Jamieson Abel and his partner are first on the scene. Abel is 52, a law school dropout turned police detective, chronically at odds with his colleagues and perpetually on the brink of being terminated. Davis, 35,  is the department’s only female officer of colour. Both understand their being partnered as a form of banishment, but when the details of the murder go public at the start of an excruciatingly hot summer, they find themselves thrust into the centre of a headline investigation that will bring to a head the city’s long history of shady real estate deals and racist disenfranchisement.

Intricately plotted and brilliantly layered, Cherry Beach is a gripping literary detective novel about an increasingly unhinged world in which the rich manipulate racial and economic tensions for their own benefit, with little regard for the damage caused by their mercenary callousness.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Canada, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction, Book Club, Crime

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2026

About the author

Author and journalist Don Gillmor was born in Fort Frances, Ontario in 1959 and presently lives in Toronto, Ontario. Don possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Calgary. He has worked for publisher John Wiley & Sons, and has written for a number of magazines including Rolling Stone, GQ, Premiere, and Saturday Night.; where he was made a contributing editor in 1989.

Reviews

[Steph Neale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This detective wanted to make paella more than he wanted to solve a crime. Enjoyed it at parts, but the mystery felt lost!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, depressing, intense...but also remarkably addictive and very much a Toronto book. Very unlike the usual reputation Canadian novels have had for decades...this is squirmy modern urban discomfort told in a compelling fashion.

[Jesús Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like an empty story disguised as an intelligent conglomerate of heavy intellectual themes, lacking compelling characters and driven by a plotless narrative that ultimately felt inconclusive.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a story set in my town. Some pretty funny insightful writing about Toronto and loneliness. I got a bit confused with all the characters.

[Liyana]

3.5*

How the heck did I get my hands on a book supposed to be published April 14th you ask?

I have no idea, aside from it just happened to be at a local bookstore that I just happened to walk into and just so happened to be on the recommended shelf.

Now, I dabble in detective noir stories every now and then, and who doesn't love books set in cities they're familiar with?

Honestly, I both enjoyed and hated it for different reasons. The writing was great in some aspects, and it definitely hit the mark on detective noir vibes and made me question what year this was supposed to be set in (although the whole immigrants/racism/real estate thing puts it somewhere in the 21st century, right? *obviously* /s), and is the mayor supposed to be he who must not be named's brother? I think the parts that bothered me were the cooking bits and what not - it felt like an ad break was forced on me every now and then, and kind of took me out of the story.

I was also hoping for more buddy cop partner shenanigans, but the main guy was pretty much working on his own for the most part. Also how true to life is this detective work because it felt like he was doing the most random things and getting zero outcomes, is that just detectives being detectives?

[Luke Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of Toronto. But to me it’s more a story of a guy. A guy just doing his best to exist while battling his way against forces beyond his control. Sort of like all of us.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Had me gripped, but beyond the mystery itself, everything it had to say about Toronto and gentrification and racism and real estate …stellar writing and an incredible sense of place in this book. Now, being from Toronto — and the east end, at that (which figures heavily in the book) — maybe I’m biased or more naturally predisposed to find the storytelling fascinating. But Gillmor brought me back to the days of Rob Ford and I felt like I was living through a Spike Lee movie (specifically do the right thing , of course, also taking place during an oppressive heatwave)… just so so good.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So suspenseful I had to finish in one sitting.

[Mario Mirabelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story with plenty of moving parts but all the cooking was the biggest mystery.
Jamieson Abel a Toronto police detective in his early fifties who was a bit of a loner within his department. A high profile double murder of two budding track stars on their way to college from the projects (one white the other "of color") which Abel and a fellow outlier Detective Davis (only female officer "of color" in the department) are assigned the case. From the start the evidence is lacking except for a sort of boyfriend of one of the girls. The police department itself is a cesspool of crooked, dirty and aging cops who don't care about Abel and Davis. Abel and Davis themselves aren't exactly on the same page either as Davis is forced to do all the media while Abel goes down every rabbit hole he can find. Will they eventually find the murderer? Will Toronto burn to the ground over this and a few more deaths to come? Is gentrification behind it all? Read the book to find out but beware of the food.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. A waste of my afternoon. Good enough to keep me going, but not good enough to leave me with much gratification. The G&M did a list of 6 recommended mystery books for the cottage--this was the first one.
A good enough mystery, some twists and turns, with a weak ending. Lots of local colour for Toronto-- the decrepit St. James Town area, a slight graffiti tie-in, a fat and useless mayor caught in a video doing drugs. A good cop, dogged in his pursuit of justice, but flawed and a loner. The cops 'thing' is his cooking, so we have long descriptions of various complicated dishes he makes, with shameless name-dropping of clever techniques and carefully selected ingredients. Either write a cookbook or a crime novel! I started scrolling past those bits. As well as the sermonizing on crime, society, and injustice.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

This was an easy read with main characters that the reader could relate to. The story was simple enough and it fits in the crime genre well.

But it wasn’t a great book, there were some issues.

One issue is that it really did not do a good job of determining the time period. Presumably with the issues laced throughout, it is quite current but our detective had a 1980s feel to him.

There were a few surprises but mostly predictable and a fairly weak ending.

There were positive of the book is how Toronto is shown, the good, bad and the ugly. There were positive descriptions made you feel like you were there and I think the author did a good job with the St, James town area. Come to think of it, perhaps that helped highlight the time period.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part about “Cherry Beach” is Toronto. Gillmor describes a city both sophisticated and dangerous, the neighborhoods recognizeable in little vignettes and micro-scenes that are authentic and true. The social issues that drive the plot are real, too, but I don’t think real estate, police corruption, and immigration are unique to Toronto. This felt like the first of a series - trying to cover too much too soon. The main character is not very likeable in this outing - he doesn’t get along with anyone, and doesn’t even have the respect of any of his colleagues, a real loner. Gillmor doesn’t give the reader any reason to like him any more than anyone else, despite his interest in fine cooking and wines. He’s more of an underworld anti-hero. As far as police procedural goes, there are long dissertations on reasons for crime, short on actual evidence.

[Paula Valdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting, great writing and really felt apart of Jamiesons life

The author did a great job writing the book,
I do love a murder crime story.
I would have done 3.5 stars as I with there was a bit more excitement or suspense or something. It fell a bit flat, however I really felt like I went along the journey with Jamieson (the cop telling the story)
And the author did an amazing job allowing the reader to visualize the scenes (especially being from Toronto)
Anyways glad I read it..

[gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’m still not entirely sure how this was shelved so early near me, but it worked out in my favour lol

i really enjoyed this, i think it underscores a lot of what we already know about the police corruption (hi project south…) and the progression of urban decay.

i do wish we got to see more of the partnership between davis/abel. i think that could’ve been interesting to watch as the case unfolded more!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sped through this one! It was the Toronto setting, St. James Town and Rosedale that made the book for me. That and the very current issues. I'm going to suggest this one for my Book Club. I also loved the main character's description of the meals he made, wanted to join him for all of them :) I was kind of hoping that this was the start of a series featuring Abel and Davis, and then something big happened and I realized there was not going to be a series. Too bad.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this book took place in Toronto (from Canada myself) and I can appreciate all the detail put into describing Abel's life. I do wish more women in this book had a bigger role and weren't just constantly being used as the diversity hires. I found the story to be a little confusing because of all the characters and names I was keeping track of.

This book really shines light on just how corrupt some cops can be.

[Magnus Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corrupt cops and detailed home cooking in an arid and gritty version of Toronto. I don't read a lot of murder mysteries or police procedurals but I love novels set in my city - and this was a layered, cynical portrayal of it. I did feel some tonal whiplash at some points but never enough to put me off. I'm not used to seeing Toronto through a lens of seedy criminal dealings, and Gilmour seems to balance that with in-depth scenes of our main character using artisanal ingredients from St. Lawrence market and discussing expensive wine.

[Carolyn Taylor-Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book and touches on all current political and social issues. A page turner, very well paced. My only problem with it with it is that minor characters (and most are minor, meaning they only appear briefly, some for a sentence or two,) but are fulsomely described. Their characteristics are not necessary. There are so many described that I thought I should have kept a notebook beside me while I read to record who was who.

[Wayne Woodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, very well written and definitely not our everyday murder mystery. The author mixes a realistic look at life in Toronto through the eyes of an unusual policeman who is part police, lawyer, philosopher and chef. Throughout it he speculates on humanity with a detachment that is enticing.
I look forward to reading more of his work.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toronto noir! I enjoyed this, though I had trouble keeping track of all the characters. I will look for more of this author's work, especially the nonfiction. Kindle version has several typos and at least one editing error ("palette" when the author means "palate"), but nothing that interferes with understanding the author's meaning.

[Jonah F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toronto Noir babey! Plenty of The Wire, some of Dexter and a surprising, but welcome, hint of Food Network. I really appreciated the role architecture and the built environment played in the narrative, and in the city’s collective unconscious. I could’ve done with a bit more Davis.

[Karen Wilke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mystery! And was sad when it was done. I liked the main character and his love of cooking or trying to create his life while 'the city was burning'. As a Torontonian, I also loved the city references.

[Jerry]

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[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

[Renata Kellough · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got to page 31 and bored as ?!$&@ - not for me I guess.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I’d like this one given the setting and positive review in the Globe & Mail. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it much. A very slow build, too much / irrelevant personal info on the lead character, too many characters involved in the story, and so-so plot.

[Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the very real socio-political issues in this book and got a kick out of the recipes that were sprinkled throughout.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this books and i particularly enjoyed Gillmor’s writing style. A very enjoyable book, but the ending was too real, nobody really gets caught for what they did, no happy endings.

[Isabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t normally read mysteries but I felt like there were a few too many moving parts to keep up with the crime solving

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. It was less of a thriller than I was expecting. The main character's loneliness was palpable to me. I loved the Toronto setting.