What do you think?
Rate this book
A Patrick Bird Mystery #2
Opposite Sully's Gym: A Patrick Bird Mystery
A missing tenant, an irate mother–in–law, and a killer hiding in a Toronto rooming house—out–of–work PI Patrick Bird is back in business.
Patrick Bird thought he was helping his mother–in–law collect back rent from a deadbeat tenant at her Ossington Avenue rooming house, not starting a new investigation. But when he discovers Jack Turner’s third–floor darkroom is demolished and the photographer is missing, the other tenants come under Mr. Yusuf, the international student training to be a doctor; Danny Blinken, the shifty taxi driver; and Shirley Burton, the young nurse far from home.
As Bird investigates, he uncovers information about a former tenant, James Earl Ray, who had assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just weeks earlier and had been hiding out in a room on the second floor.
Patrick Bird thought he was helping his mother–in–law collect back rent from a deadbeat tenant at her Ossington Avenue rooming house, not starting a new investigation. But when he discovers Jack Turner’s third–floor darkroom is demolished and the photographer is missing, the other tenants come under Mr. Yusuf, the international student training to be a doctor; Danny Blinken, the shifty taxi driver; and Shirley Burton, the young nurse far from home.
As Bird investigates, he uncovers information about a former tenant, James Earl Ray, who had assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just weeks earlier and had been hiding out in a room on the second floor.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2026
About the author
Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson
4 books40 followersAlexis Stefanovich-Thomson is a writer living in Toronto. He writes a range of crime and crime-adjacent fiction, including novels, novellas, stories, and flash fiction.
He is the past winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award (2021) as well as the Crime Writers of Canada Best Novella Award (2023) for his novella “The Man Who Went Down Under.” He placed third in the Toronto Star’s Short Story Contest (2022) for his short story, “The Unfinished Book.”
The Road to Heaven is his first published novel with detective Patrick Bird. It was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Paperback Original category (2025) and a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.
The second installment in the Patrick Bird Mystery Series, Opposite Sully's Gym will be published by Dundurn Press in March 2026.
He is the past winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award (2021) as well as the Crime Writers of Canada Best Novella Award (2023) for his novella “The Man Who Went Down Under.” He placed third in the Toronto Star’s Short Story Contest (2022) for his short story, “The Unfinished Book.”
The Road to Heaven is his first published novel with detective Patrick Bird. It was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Paperback Original category (2025) and a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.
The second installment in the Patrick Bird Mystery Series, Opposite Sully's Gym will be published by Dundurn Press in March 2026.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2026
Patrick Bird is out of work, a condition that seems to have been recurrent since he stopped working as a PI. His wife, Rose, is tired of being the sole breadwinner, especially now that she thinks she might be pregnant – an event they’ve both been hoping for. Patrick promises to redouble his efforts to get a job, but first he has to help his mother-in-law, Flavia, with a problem at the rooming-house she owns. A tenant, Jack Turner, has gone missing without paying the rent he owes, and Flavia wants Patrick to find him. Patrick and Flavia go into Turner’s room to see if there’s anything that will explain where he’s gone. They find it trashed, as if someone has conducted a search – someone who doesn’t care how much damage he does. And then the police arrive – a body has been found, and it seems it might be Jack…
This sounds like a fairly standard start to a crime novel, but it quickly becomes clear there’s more to the story. The US is reeling over the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the escape of the suspect, James Earl Ray. I knew nothing about this story beyond the major fact of the assassination, but it turns out Ray escaped to Canada, and spent some time there before heading to Europe. It also appears that, as with every assassination, there are a load of conspiracy theories around this one: was Ray a ‘lone gunman’ or part of a white supremacist group, or even working for a corrupt FBI? Stefanovich-Thomson has used all these facts and theories to create a version of what might have happened during Ray’s stay in Toronto. I decided to stay in happy ignorance of the truth until I was finished, and I found the plot he built around the facts convincing for the most part, though with a few gaps and maybe a bit too much complexity. But it is at least as convincing as most conspiracy theories!
This is the second Patrick Bird book, though it works fine as a standalone – I never felt I’d missed anything crucial. It seems Patrick’s previous case has driven him out of PI work, but when Jack’s parents don’t believe the police’s conclusion that their son died of a drug overdose, he is easily persuaded to look into it. At first Rose is happy enough with this, but once it’s clear that someone dangerous wants the investigation shut down, she wants him to walk away. But Patrick is already in too deep…
The author describes this as ‘Maple Noir’, and there are certainly noir aspects to it. Patrick’s life is not easy, and mostly his investigation takes him to the murkier parts of the town – the rooming-houses where people come and go, where identities can be hidden, or people without legal status can stay ahead of the authorities. There’s a race element to the book – not just over MLK, Jr.’s assassination, but the author shows the growing population of immigrants of different ethnicities, and the racism and discrimination they encounter. This can easily be overdone and frequently is in current fiction, but I felt Stefanovich-Thomson kept it well within the bounds of realism, showing that there are plenty of people who are not racist – something that tends to get forgotten sometimes. He also uses the relationship between Canada and the US well, with the Canadians priding themselves on being more liberal than their neighbours.
Patrick is a likeable character – not the most sensible man in the world as he constantly gets himself deeper into peril. But who wants a sensible PI? Where would be the fun in that? Unfortunately I didn’t feel the same affection for either Rose or Flavia, both of whom seem to be set in perpetual overreact mode, and between them lead Patrick a miserable existence. He loves Rose, but for the life of me I couldn’t see why!
It all goes a bit over the top at the end, but just about stays within the credibility lines. Afterwards I had the fun of finding out the true story of James Earl Ray, and seeing how Stefanovich-Thomson had woven the facts and the various conspiracy theories together to create his own version of events.
Well written and the plot moves along at a good pace, even when the conspiracy strands get complicated – overall, I enjoyed it and will happily look out for Patrick’s next adventure.
NB: This book was provided for review by the publisher, Dundurn Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
This sounds like a fairly standard start to a crime novel, but it quickly becomes clear there’s more to the story. The US is reeling over the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the escape of the suspect, James Earl Ray. I knew nothing about this story beyond the major fact of the assassination, but it turns out Ray escaped to Canada, and spent some time there before heading to Europe. It also appears that, as with every assassination, there are a load of conspiracy theories around this one: was Ray a ‘lone gunman’ or part of a white supremacist group, or even working for a corrupt FBI? Stefanovich-Thomson has used all these facts and theories to create a version of what might have happened during Ray’s stay in Toronto. I decided to stay in happy ignorance of the truth until I was finished, and I found the plot he built around the facts convincing for the most part, though with a few gaps and maybe a bit too much complexity. But it is at least as convincing as most conspiracy theories!
This is the second Patrick Bird book, though it works fine as a standalone – I never felt I’d missed anything crucial. It seems Patrick’s previous case has driven him out of PI work, but when Jack’s parents don’t believe the police’s conclusion that their son died of a drug overdose, he is easily persuaded to look into it. At first Rose is happy enough with this, but once it’s clear that someone dangerous wants the investigation shut down, she wants him to walk away. But Patrick is already in too deep…
The author describes this as ‘Maple Noir’, and there are certainly noir aspects to it. Patrick’s life is not easy, and mostly his investigation takes him to the murkier parts of the town – the rooming-houses where people come and go, where identities can be hidden, or people without legal status can stay ahead of the authorities. There’s a race element to the book – not just over MLK, Jr.’s assassination, but the author shows the growing population of immigrants of different ethnicities, and the racism and discrimination they encounter. This can easily be overdone and frequently is in current fiction, but I felt Stefanovich-Thomson kept it well within the bounds of realism, showing that there are plenty of people who are not racist – something that tends to get forgotten sometimes. He also uses the relationship between Canada and the US well, with the Canadians priding themselves on being more liberal than their neighbours.
Patrick is a likeable character – not the most sensible man in the world as he constantly gets himself deeper into peril. But who wants a sensible PI? Where would be the fun in that? Unfortunately I didn’t feel the same affection for either Rose or Flavia, both of whom seem to be set in perpetual overreact mode, and between them lead Patrick a miserable existence. He loves Rose, but for the life of me I couldn’t see why!
It all goes a bit over the top at the end, but just about stays within the credibility lines. Afterwards I had the fun of finding out the true story of James Earl Ray, and seeing how Stefanovich-Thomson had woven the facts and the various conspiracy theories together to create his own version of events.
Well written and the plot moves along at a good pace, even when the conspiracy strands get complicated – overall, I enjoyed it and will happily look out for Patrick’s next adventure.
NB: This book was provided for review by the publisher, Dundurn Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 10, 2026
Great! Enjoyed this one better than the first book in the series. The ending was a bit abrupt but definitely surprising.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I really enjoyed this book for most of my time reading it. It kept me curious throughout. I found Patrick Bird to be rather endearing, aside from his short questions/statements to people, and his behaviour after the fight scene. The former was just a choice for his character that made him seem less intelligent to the people he spoke with compared to how he seemed to us, being able to see inside his head; the latter just didn't seem like behaviour that suited his personality so it made the read suddenly less believable, and just sad in general. I did appreciate the ending though - all of the loose ends tied together in a twist that I hadn't imagined, despite imagining many possible roads that the book didn't take during the read. I am now curious to read the first novel in the Patrick Bird series.
June 26, 2026
Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson has achieved the impossible, writing a second book every bit as wonderful as the first. Patrick Bird, his hapless hero, is back, seeming to stumble through a complex and dangerous investigation almost despite himself. But our unlikely protagonist is as insightful as Columbo, and in the end, and with the help and often hindrance of unlikely friends and family, he gets to the truth of the matter.
The complex storyline of Opposite Sully’s Gym unravels gradually and is held together by Stefanovich-Thomson’s sense of place—his trademark personal vivid descriptions of the west end of Toronto and beyond. Dialogue and characterization are all spot on. Another wonderfully immersive and literary read from Stefanovich-Thomson.
The complex storyline of Opposite Sully’s Gym unravels gradually and is held together by Stefanovich-Thomson’s sense of place—his trademark personal vivid descriptions of the west end of Toronto and beyond. Dialogue and characterization are all spot on. Another wonderfully immersive and literary read from Stefanovich-Thomson.
May 31, 2026
Loved the first Patrick Bird novel, so couldn’t wait to read book 2, Opposite Sully’s Gym. It definitely did not disappoint. I love the way I became so invested in his personal life while eating up the events of the mystery as they unfolded for Patrick. The way Stefanovich - Thomson brings the reader along on Patrick Bird’s crazy ride with him builds amazing tension and makes it hard to put down. I also learned about parts of Toronto’s history that had me Googling for more info. I need to know what happens next for Bird. Bring on book 3!
Read
May 8, 2026My conversation with Stefanovich-Thomson discussing the book here:
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I really enjoyed this Canadian historical noir thriller set in 1960s Toronto. I found it both nostalgic and fun to read about the different streets and landmarks in my home city. This is the second book in a series featuring amateur detective Patrick Bird. (The first book is The Road to Heaven.)
In this case, Bird‘s mother-in-law asks him to chase after a missing tenant in her rooming house who has failed to pay his rent. But the intrepid Bird gets much more than he bargained for.
As he questions the other tenants, he discovers that another tenant is also missing. His name is James Earl Ray, and he has been hiding out in the rooming house after assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Could the two disappearances be connected?
This was an intriguing investigation that took many twists and turns. As the action escalated, I could not put the book down. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. It’s beautifully written and the author definitely knows how to build suspense.
In this case, Bird‘s mother-in-law asks him to chase after a missing tenant in her rooming house who has failed to pay his rent. But the intrepid Bird gets much more than he bargained for.
As he questions the other tenants, he discovers that another tenant is also missing. His name is James Earl Ray, and he has been hiding out in the rooming house after assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Could the two disappearances be connected?
This was an intriguing investigation that took many twists and turns. As the action escalated, I could not put the book down. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. It’s beautifully written and the author definitely knows how to build suspense.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This review is based on an Advance Reading Copy supplied by the publisher.
This is the second Patrick Bird mystery, and while I haven't read the first, I don't believe that it is necessary.
The title itself is misleading as Sully's Gym doesn't figure in the storyline, only that the rooming house (owned by Patrick's mother-in-law) is situated across the street from it.
The main characters are well developed and the story moves along briskly and kept my attention right through.
I was disappointed with the ending and that's what kept it from hitting the fourth star. Overall, a good read and if there's a third Patrick Bird mystery, I would be curious to read it!
This is the second Patrick Bird mystery, and while I haven't read the first, I don't believe that it is necessary.
The title itself is misleading as Sully's Gym doesn't figure in the storyline, only that the rooming house (owned by Patrick's mother-in-law) is situated across the street from it.
The main characters are well developed and the story moves along briskly and kept my attention right through.
I was disappointed with the ending and that's what kept it from hitting the fourth star. Overall, a good read and if there's a third Patrick Bird mystery, I would be curious to read it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews