Sinner's Banquet

by Randy Schroeder

300 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2026

Reviews

[Nikki Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ "The children who are not embraced by the village will return to burn it down," he said. "Then they will finally feel its warmth."

wow this was a WILD ride!!!! Such a cool revenge “mennonoir” that is set in Lethbridge and that does not hold back!!!! This was so gritty and who doesn’t love a revenge plot ?? Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a violent and funny dark read!!!

[Alberta Views Magazine]

I’ve never read a book like Sinner’s Banquet. Randy Nikkel Schroeder has created a dark (and funny!) romp of a novel that fuses real and imagined Mennonite culture, noir tropes, Shakespearean-style insults and a deep goth sensibility.

The opening chapter drives you into the narrative at high speed with the surprise of Lethbridge, Alberta, being called “LA” and the energy of Schroeder’s similes such as “white as a peeled creamsicle.” The novel’s wild plot, which takes as many twisting turns as the protagonist’s turbocharged Cressida, involves the plight of Luke, a shunned Menno (due to adolescent sexual shenanigans in a church) now residing in Vancouver and working as a dealer, who gets on the wrong side of Serendipity Hamm, the “benzo queen,” after he tries to pull a scam. Fleeing back to his past with his doomed buddy Buddha to attend his uncle Ezra’s funeral, Luke just gets more wacko as he meets up with childhood accomplices, such as the deviously erotic Nora, and they plot revenge. I can’t give away the gory deliverance, but I must warn you, it’s intensely abject and not for the faint of gut.

Review by Catherine Owen
Full review at https://albertaviews.ca/sinners-banquet/

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

The goat on the cover urged me to pick this up - was not prepared for a 400 page religious fever dream with borderline sardonic themes. For what it is worth, this interpretation of Mennonite culture was definitely a unique narrative and intertwined well with the thriller genre in some ways. Was also surprised to see a story set in small-town Canada and the backdrop seemed decently crafted, although as a native it feels absurd that something like this would ever happen here.

Had no idea which character was who until halfway through the book, but all in all everyone comes and goes so quickly that only the main crew was identifiable by the one or two traits that characterized them. Luke was not the most interesting character to follow, and while Buddha and Nora bring a lot of flavor to the plot, they also were not very likeable or hate-able. Every character was just there - another means of making the plot progress, but nothing memorable.

[Al Onia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mennonite Noir only starts to describe this novel of repression, rebellion, punishment, and revenge. Redemption is never guaranteed and how would you measure it?

Luke Falk's world never intersects mine, except geographically, it's an alien landscape.

The pov narrator and the rest of the characters' anger, deceit and self-delusion scream off the page; one may not wish to befriend any of them, but they are compelling to observe - like many of Jim Thompson's deeply flawed noir protagonists, they are unlikeable, irredeemable, self-destructive, and excitingly unpredictable.

The originality in word choice made me savour the language at a deliberate pace. I don't recommend a binge-in-a-day read; you want see what happens, but rushing it will diminish the layered reward of enjoying the complex language.

Recommended, you'll not find imitators.