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Ellis Portal Mystery #5
Red Mass
The fifth and final episode in Aubert's prize-winning series finds once-disgraced Toronto attorney Ellis Portal readmitted to the practice of law. Within moments, a superior court justice is charged with murder, and Ellis is tricked into defending him. Then Ellis faces his own daughter who's prosecuting the case.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Aubert
36 books7 followersRosemary Aubert, B.A., M.A., C.Cri is the internationally-acclaimed author of the Ellis Portal mystery series. She is the author of five romance novels published around the world and of poems, interviews, articles and reviews over several decades of writing. She has taught workshops from coast to coast in Canada and the United States and is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges, universities, writers' groups and conferences. Rosemary believes that anyone can be a writer if he or she is willing make full use of his or her talent, imagination and ability to work hard.
Series:
* Ellis Portal Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2000): The Feast of Stephen
Series:
* Ellis Portal Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2000): The Feast of Stephen
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 30, 2025
The Red Mass is the 5th of 6 books in the Ellis Portal legal mystery series by Rosemary Aubert. It's been a couple of years since I last visited Ellis Portal in Toronto and it was nice to get back into this series.
Quickly, Ellis Portal was an up and coming lawyer who became an Ontario judge but had a breakdown and lost everything and ended up surviving on the streets of Toronto. The series follows him as he gets his life back on track, reconnects with family, and solves mysteries. At the start of the Red Mass, Ellis takes part in the annual Red Mass ceremony at the Law Courts. While there he meets his earliest friend Stow, a Superior Court judge who calls in a favor, asking Ellis to represent him.
Ellis doesn't want to as their lives had drifted apart with much enmity. But Stow is arrested for the death of his wife, who died in hospital five years earlier. New evidence has caused him to be charged with administering an overdose of a drug that was being trialed. Ellis agrees to represent him and discovers he will be working against his daughter, Ellen, newly appointed to the Crown Prosecutors office.
That is the crux of the story. Ellis has so many competing issues; his family, his friendship with a woman he'd lived on the streets with, who now helps the homeless, a reporter who wants to write about Ellis, and of course the case, which intrudes on his past relationships. It's a rich, fascinating story and it's nice to be involved in a criminal trial with all of its processes. The mystery is interesting, as is the investigation and Ellis is a fascinating character; with many issues with which he still deals. I also like the setting as I spent my university years in Toronto, so it's nice to reflect on that aspect. All in all an entertaining mystery. Now to try and find the final story in the series. (3.5 stars)
Quickly, Ellis Portal was an up and coming lawyer who became an Ontario judge but had a breakdown and lost everything and ended up surviving on the streets of Toronto. The series follows him as he gets his life back on track, reconnects with family, and solves mysteries. At the start of the Red Mass, Ellis takes part in the annual Red Mass ceremony at the Law Courts. While there he meets his earliest friend Stow, a Superior Court judge who calls in a favor, asking Ellis to represent him.
Ellis doesn't want to as their lives had drifted apart with much enmity. But Stow is arrested for the death of his wife, who died in hospital five years earlier. New evidence has caused him to be charged with administering an overdose of a drug that was being trialed. Ellis agrees to represent him and discovers he will be working against his daughter, Ellen, newly appointed to the Crown Prosecutors office.
That is the crux of the story. Ellis has so many competing issues; his family, his friendship with a woman he'd lived on the streets with, who now helps the homeless, a reporter who wants to write about Ellis, and of course the case, which intrudes on his past relationships. It's a rich, fascinating story and it's nice to be involved in a criminal trial with all of its processes. The mystery is interesting, as is the investigation and Ellis is a fascinating character; with many issues with which he still deals. I also like the setting as I spent my university years in Toronto, so it's nice to reflect on that aspect. All in all an entertaining mystery. Now to try and find the final story in the series. (3.5 stars)
October 17, 2021
RATING: 3.25
March 12, 2008
RED MASS (Mystery-Ellis Portal-Toronto, CA-Cont) - VG
Aubert, Rosemary, 5th in series
Bridge Works, 2005, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 1882593952
First Sentence: At Michaelmas in the autumn of the year, Canadian judges in black silk robes, red woolen sashes and starched white-linen collar tabs gather like red-winged blackbirds to celebrate the Red Mass.
Ellis Portal is clean, sober, reinstated as an attorney and getting his life back on track. While attending the Red Mass, a church service celebrating the opening of the courts, Ellis’ one-time close friend, john Stoughton-Melville, Stow,” is removed from the church in handcuffs. Stow is accused of murdering his fatally ill wife five yours ago and has asked Ellis to defend him but offers no information as to what happened. Ellis’ had loved Stow’s wife and only because of an old promise does he agree to take the case.
Aubert is one of the many under-recognized authors and her Ellis Portel series is a great one. The only problem I had with this book is that it is, apparently, the end of the series. Ellis Portal is a great character and part of the attraction to him is his foibles; that he is not perfect and not always likable. The other people in his life are those from when he was a successful judge, his life on the street and his continuing association with the people from that time in his life and those now that he is rebuilding his life. The plot is wonderfully twisty and you feel Ellis’ frustration has he is trying to defend Stow with the end being a surprise. I did have a feeling the author intended there to be another book in this series but, due to a change in publishers, had to switch characters. I understand this from the author’s perspective but it’s a bummer for the reader. Still, I definitely recommend this book and, as usual, suggest reading the series from the beginning.
Aubert, Rosemary, 5th in series
Bridge Works, 2005, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 1882593952
First Sentence: At Michaelmas in the autumn of the year, Canadian judges in black silk robes, red woolen sashes and starched white-linen collar tabs gather like red-winged blackbirds to celebrate the Red Mass.
Ellis Portal is clean, sober, reinstated as an attorney and getting his life back on track. While attending the Red Mass, a church service celebrating the opening of the courts, Ellis’ one-time close friend, john Stoughton-Melville, Stow,” is removed from the church in handcuffs. Stow is accused of murdering his fatally ill wife five yours ago and has asked Ellis to defend him but offers no information as to what happened. Ellis’ had loved Stow’s wife and only because of an old promise does he agree to take the case.
Aubert is one of the many under-recognized authors and her Ellis Portel series is a great one. The only problem I had with this book is that it is, apparently, the end of the series. Ellis Portal is a great character and part of the attraction to him is his foibles; that he is not perfect and not always likable. The other people in his life are those from when he was a successful judge, his life on the street and his continuing association with the people from that time in his life and those now that he is rebuilding his life. The plot is wonderfully twisty and you feel Ellis’ frustration has he is trying to defend Stow with the end being a surprise. I did have a feeling the author intended there to be another book in this series but, due to a change in publishers, had to switch characters. I understand this from the author’s perspective but it’s a bummer for the reader. Still, I definitely recommend this book and, as usual, suggest reading the series from the beginning.
March 19, 2016
The last in the series of Ellis Portal detective stories. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Reads quickly, and does not disappoint. I loved all the novels in that series!
January 27, 2018
It kept me wanting to read more right till the end.
September 20, 2025
Loved it.
May 4, 2021
Enjoyable even thou I had not read others in the series now I want to read the rest of them.
February 20, 2014
This is the 5th and final book of a series about 'Ellis Portal', a disgraced-but-recovered Canadian barrister. Interesting look at Canadian trials ... but I knew what was going on in the ostensible mystery, even though the protagonist didn't (rather obtusely). The ending was just irritating. That may be because I despise lawyers.
September 20, 2015
Rosemary Aubert, a college friend, has made a wonderful career of writing mysteries. Red Mass follows Ellis Portal through a complicated trial with questions that are unanswered to the end. Rosemary gives a deft combination of the characters, main and secondary, as well as the prison, hospital and court worlds of Toronto. Hope there's many more.
July 8, 2009
Canadian author
April 29, 2016
Recommended by Aunt Joan.
Ellis Porter mystery series.
Ellis Porter mystery series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews