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A Collins-Burke Mystery #3
Barrington Street Blues
Two men are found dead outside a bar. Helped by Father Brennan Burke and hindered by his femme fatale law partner, Monty Collins investigates people desperate to cover up a series of parties that got way out of hand. A rich man and a poor man are found dead from gunshot wounds outside a seedy bar on Barrington Street in Halifax. The police declare it a murder-suicide, but bluesman/lawyer Monty Collins ― hired to represent the victims’ families ― suspects it’s a double murder. The case gets complicated when the police link the gun to the suspicious death of a high-flying lawyer named Dice Campbell. Helped by his friend Father Brennan Burke, and hindered by his femme fatale law partner Felicia Morgan, Monty explores the dark side of Halifax hookers, drug addicts, boozers, gamblers, and people desperate to cover up a series of parties that got way out of hand. Monty’s investigations lead him to a ruthless businessman with street connections, a preacher who’s been seen cruising for young people, and an oddball psychotherapist who may have overstepped the boundaries of therapy with more than one person in the case. As the story unfolds, Monty finds himself returning again and again to trade barbs with Dice Campbell’s hard-drinking widow, Mavis, whose motives are not as clear as they initially seem to be. But the murder isn’t the only thing on Monty’s mind. A secret from the past and turmoil with his estranged wife Maura have Monty singing the blues, lashing out at his closest friends, and spending far too much time in the bars of Halifax. About the Collins-Burke Mysteries This multi-award-winning series is centred around two main characters who have been described as endearingly Monty Collins, a criminal defence lawyer who has seen and heard it all, and Father Brennan Burke, a worldly, hard-drinking Irish-born priest. The priest and the lawyer solve mysteries together, but sometimes find themselves at cross-purposes, with secrets they cannot secrets of the confessional, and matters covered by solicitor-client confidentiality. The books are notable for their wit and humour, and their depiction of the darker side of human nature ? characteristics that are sometimes combined in the same person, be it a lawyer, a witness on the stand, or an Irish ballad singer who doubles as a guerrilla fighter in the Troubles in war-torn Belfast. In addition to their memorable characters, the books have been credited with a strong sense of place and culture, meticulous research, crisp and authentic dialogue, and intriguing plots. The novels are set in Nova Scotia, Ireland, England, Italy, New York, and Germany. The series begins with Sign of the Cross (2006) and continues to the most recent installment, Postmark Berlin (2020).
328 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Anne Emery
17 books79 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Anne Emery is the author of SIGN OF THE CROSS (2006), OBIT (2007), BARRINGTON STREET BLUES (2008), CECILIAN VESPERS (2009) and CHILDREN IN THE MORNING (2010). Anne was born in Halifax and grew up in Moncton. She is a graduate of St. F.X. University and Dalhousie Law School. She has worked as a lawyer, legal affairs reporter and researcher. Apart from reading and writing, her interests include music, philosophy, architecture, travel and Irish history. Anne lives in Halifax with her husband and daughter.
Series:
* Monty Collins Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (2007): Sign of the Cross
Anne Emery is the author of SIGN OF THE CROSS (2006), OBIT (2007), BARRINGTON STREET BLUES (2008), CECILIAN VESPERS (2009) and CHILDREN IN THE MORNING (2010). Anne was born in Halifax and grew up in Moncton. She is a graduate of St. F.X. University and Dalhousie Law School. She has worked as a lawyer, legal affairs reporter and researcher. Apart from reading and writing, her interests include music, philosophy, architecture, travel and Irish history. Anne lives in Halifax with her husband and daughter.
Series:
* Monty Collins Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (2007): Sign of the Cross
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 4, 2021
In this third installment of the Collins-Burke series, Halifax criminal defense lawyer Monty Collins is asked to represent the victims of an alleged murder-suicide. The bodies of two men, one more well to do than the other, were found in the early morning hours in the parking lot of the Fore-and-Aft, a nautically themed strip joint across the street from the Wallace Rennie Baird Addiction Treatment Center. They were later identified as Corey Leaman and Graham Scott. As far as could be determined, they did not know one another. A gun with smudged fingerprints was found in Leaman’s right hand. It appeared he had shot Scott with two bullets in the back of the head, then put a bullet in his own right temple. The medical examiner had declared the case a probable murder-suicide.
Corey Leaman had often been in trouble with the law, was an addict in treatment at the Baird Center and had been released shortly before his death. His mother was in prison in Kingston and neither he nor his mother knew the identity of his father. Corey had a live-in gilfriend named Amber and a small toddler named Zach. Graham Scott came from a very different background. He had dabbled in recreational drugs as a teenager but was getting clean, had completed three years of a science degree at Dal and planned to head to medical school. His parents were comfortably well off, his father, Canon Alastair Scott was an Anglican priest with a doctorate in divinity and his mother Muriel was a stay-at-home Mum, the kind who wore pearls and attended church teas. The family lived in a large comfortable home across the street from King’s College. They had never met Graham’s girlfriend or their grandchild until their son's funeral and were unaware the couple had another baby on the way. It appears Graham had kept one part of his life a secret from his parents.
Three months after the deaths, Monty’s firm was hired to represent the two families in a suit against Baird, claiming the treatment facility had been negligent in releasing Leaman early while he was a danger to others. The families were hoping to reach a settlement and a big payday for the center’s professional error. Although the crime has been ruled a murder-suicide, the case file remained open. Monty has his own thoughts about the case and believed it might be a double murder, but he also wanted to be well prepared for his day in court and not be sabotaged by unexpected evidence pointing in another direction. Monty has Ross Trevelyan, another lawyer at the firm, working with him on the case.
When with Monty's help, the police link the gun to the previous suicide of a flamboyant city lawyer, Marty begins to believe there is more to the murder-suicide than once thought and his sense about it being a double murder may be right.
Father Burke Brennan plays an important role in the investigation but is much less present than in the last book when the two friends worked side by side. Burke still adds important pieces to the case and makes important discoveries that help Monty solve the crime, but he is more present at choral practice and drinking dates than in the detective work.
Marty’s investigation takes him into a seamier side of the port city, into the dark world of hookers, the homeless and the drug addicts as well as a number of high placed, well-heeled prominent Haligonians anxious to keep secrets about the depraved parties that once took place in a downtown office building.
A number of fascinating characters fill the narrative including a hard drinking widow, a ruthless businessman, a psychologist who may be a favorable witness but may also have crossed ethical boundaries, a potential witness who has disappeared, a lawyer who loved to party, a homeless man known as the gladiator and a pastor who roams the streets looking for young people.
Marty takes up the investigation at a leisurely pace, more involved with choral practice, drinking in pubs with his bandmate lawyer Ed Johnson, being with his kids Tom and Norma and taking a long planned for vacation to attend a ceilidh in Cape Breton. He is well on the way to carrying out his plan to bring his estranged wife Maura back into his arms until a sudden shocking public revelation completely derails him and sends him spinning. He even has a major altercation with Father Brennan in which fists are thrown.
The concern over what is going on in Monty’s personal life turns out to be a major problem. The shift of focus to Monty’s personal life, leaves solving the crime taking secondary importance, as if it is just something he is doing on the side. With the murder investigation lacking any sense of urgency, exciting action or tension, the pace of the narrative meanders and slows.
Emery always includes humourous moments in these books and she does this once more especially in describing the appointment Monty has with Corey’s live-in girlfriend Amber and their son Zach, who is a terror. Then there are the chorus of hookers hired to sing at a bar celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Father Brennan’s ordination in the priesthood and the many cryptic conversations in various bars during bouts of drinking. Like other books in the series, the amount of beer and whiskey consumed is enough to sink any ship and one wonders how these people ever continue to function after consuming so much booze.
The crime itself is convoluted, involving several characters, diverse motives, different time periods and locales. Readers will guess at the edges but probably not be able to unmask the killer with so much going on and so many viable suspects.
An enjoyable read, but more for Monty’s personal story than for the criminal investigation.
Corey Leaman had often been in trouble with the law, was an addict in treatment at the Baird Center and had been released shortly before his death. His mother was in prison in Kingston and neither he nor his mother knew the identity of his father. Corey had a live-in gilfriend named Amber and a small toddler named Zach. Graham Scott came from a very different background. He had dabbled in recreational drugs as a teenager but was getting clean, had completed three years of a science degree at Dal and planned to head to medical school. His parents were comfortably well off, his father, Canon Alastair Scott was an Anglican priest with a doctorate in divinity and his mother Muriel was a stay-at-home Mum, the kind who wore pearls and attended church teas. The family lived in a large comfortable home across the street from King’s College. They had never met Graham’s girlfriend or their grandchild until their son's funeral and were unaware the couple had another baby on the way. It appears Graham had kept one part of his life a secret from his parents.
Three months after the deaths, Monty’s firm was hired to represent the two families in a suit against Baird, claiming the treatment facility had been negligent in releasing Leaman early while he was a danger to others. The families were hoping to reach a settlement and a big payday for the center’s professional error. Although the crime has been ruled a murder-suicide, the case file remained open. Monty has his own thoughts about the case and believed it might be a double murder, but he also wanted to be well prepared for his day in court and not be sabotaged by unexpected evidence pointing in another direction. Monty has Ross Trevelyan, another lawyer at the firm, working with him on the case.
When with Monty's help, the police link the gun to the previous suicide of a flamboyant city lawyer, Marty begins to believe there is more to the murder-suicide than once thought and his sense about it being a double murder may be right.
Father Burke Brennan plays an important role in the investigation but is much less present than in the last book when the two friends worked side by side. Burke still adds important pieces to the case and makes important discoveries that help Monty solve the crime, but he is more present at choral practice and drinking dates than in the detective work.
Marty’s investigation takes him into a seamier side of the port city, into the dark world of hookers, the homeless and the drug addicts as well as a number of high placed, well-heeled prominent Haligonians anxious to keep secrets about the depraved parties that once took place in a downtown office building.
A number of fascinating characters fill the narrative including a hard drinking widow, a ruthless businessman, a psychologist who may be a favorable witness but may also have crossed ethical boundaries, a potential witness who has disappeared, a lawyer who loved to party, a homeless man known as the gladiator and a pastor who roams the streets looking for young people.
Marty takes up the investigation at a leisurely pace, more involved with choral practice, drinking in pubs with his bandmate lawyer Ed Johnson, being with his kids Tom and Norma and taking a long planned for vacation to attend a ceilidh in Cape Breton. He is well on the way to carrying out his plan to bring his estranged wife Maura back into his arms until a sudden shocking public revelation completely derails him and sends him spinning. He even has a major altercation with Father Brennan in which fists are thrown.
The concern over what is going on in Monty’s personal life turns out to be a major problem. The shift of focus to Monty’s personal life, leaves solving the crime taking secondary importance, as if it is just something he is doing on the side. With the murder investigation lacking any sense of urgency, exciting action or tension, the pace of the narrative meanders and slows.
Emery always includes humourous moments in these books and she does this once more especially in describing the appointment Monty has with Corey’s live-in girlfriend Amber and their son Zach, who is a terror. Then there are the chorus of hookers hired to sing at a bar celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Father Brennan’s ordination in the priesthood and the many cryptic conversations in various bars during bouts of drinking. Like other books in the series, the amount of beer and whiskey consumed is enough to sink any ship and one wonders how these people ever continue to function after consuming so much booze.
The crime itself is convoluted, involving several characters, diverse motives, different time periods and locales. Readers will guess at the edges but probably not be able to unmask the killer with so much going on and so many viable suspects.
An enjoyable read, but more for Monty’s personal story than for the criminal investigation.
February 5, 2019
i haven't enjoyed a pulp mystery this much in years! it had a great classic noir vibe, gritty and seedy but not lurid or sordid. the setting was well-realised but not overdone like sometimes happens in local novels. coulda done without the soap-opera family drama but it was integrated well into the plot. the pacing started to drag in the 2nd half, as emery overloaded herself with red herrings and subplots, but they were all tied up in the end and the killer's identity took me by surprise.
definitely going to read emery's other books and keep an eye on her in the future!
definitely going to read emery's other books and keep an eye on her in the future!
October 1, 2008
Very satisfying read, particularly for one who knows Halifax at all. Emery really has a good handle on human nature.
January 7, 2020
Monty's latest case is suing a clinic over the death of a wealthy drug addict. Their son was released at the same time as a poor drug addict, the one who has been accused - after his death - of murdering the wealthy young man then committing suicide. The parents are convinced that their son was released too soon. Monty has his doubts and begins investigating. He soon uncovers a complicated story of fraud and horrendous dissolution. It was an interesting story, but it's a stretch. How many lawyers would try to find proof that their case is bad? This is the second in the series. I read it more for the background than anything else. This is the book where Monty's estranged wife becomes pregnant with another man's child. His daughter, who apparently has inherited second sight, announces it at a family get together in all innocence. I'm waiting for the next one to be delivered by our library and slowly catching up in the series.
July 16, 2023
A Halifax Noir mystery. Enjoyable but confusing. Monty’s exploits are entertaining but the Catholic emphasis surprised me. Priest Brennan Burke, Monty’s BFF is definitely not conservative. I guess he meets people where they are. Not like any priest I’ve ever known.
The mystery is solved when the murderer takes his own life and leaves a long letter explaining what he did and why. Seems like cheating to me to solve it that way.
It was fun enough but I’m not sure if I will read another in this series.
The mystery is solved when the murderer takes his own life and leaves a long letter explaining what he did and why. Seems like cheating to me to solve it that way.
It was fun enough but I’m not sure if I will read another in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2019
I like the way Emery writes (although the witty repartee between Monty and Maura occasionally seems over the top) and I’m enjoying the development of the main characters, but her plots seem incredibly convoluted. I got a bit lost in this one because of all the secondary characters, some of whom are important while others just fade out of the picture.
June 10, 2024
Montague Collins, the criminal lawyer, is involved with the legal aspects of a murder-suicide on Barriington Street in Halifax … but is everything as it appears? … fast-paced murder mystery with a whirlwind ending …
January 20, 2018
Great story. Enjoyed it and the Halifax settings.
December 13, 2018
Not my thing...
May 30, 2019
The series has definitely grown on me. Wish I could score .5 points. I would've rated this book 3.5. Definitely appreciate recurring characters.
July 31, 2019
I enjoyed the setting (Halifax), but I got tired of Montague "Monty" Collins feeling sorry for himself.
May 29, 2020
Story was a little confusing. Too many characters involved in the mystery. Some dropped in and then disappeared quickly without explanation. The Halifax setting was a nice change.
Read
February 17, 2021found it draggy!
April 21, 2022
A fun who dunit right to the end. A bit too many strands,but the plot moves along, some unique characters and Halifax is an interesting setting. Makes me want to check it out.
September 8, 2022
Enjoyed this book immensely…I was surprised to find out who the murderer was…not what I expected, the whole point of the read !
December 1, 2016
Another strong entry into the Collins-Burke series. Like the earlier entries, if you are looking for fast paced police procedural mysteries, this isn't it. Instead you tend to wander through the mystery at a leisurely pace and along the way, meet some very interesting characters. The Halifax location also adds to the experience for me and Emery always takes us on a tour. This entry does have one bombshell in it that throws another monkey wrench into Monty Collins quest to reunite with his estranged wife.
The serious flaw? Emery has managed to create the world's most annoying child character in any book I've ever read. Collins daughter Normie sounds about 2 years old speaking in whiney baby-talk most of the time. She is supposed to be 8 or 9 and very bright, but she sounds like a caricature, not a real child. Emery's other characters sound real to me. Part of the problem lies with Normie's voice as read by Christian Rummel, the otherwise excellent narrator on this series. But the fault lays largely with the author. I cannot figure out why she felt the need to make the world's most annoying child a fairly major character in this series. She doesn't add to the plot. Normie needs to fade to the background quickly. I don't think she does fade though and that could keep me from reading future books in the series.
The serious flaw? Emery has managed to create the world's most annoying child character in any book I've ever read. Collins daughter Normie sounds about 2 years old speaking in whiney baby-talk most of the time. She is supposed to be 8 or 9 and very bright, but she sounds like a caricature, not a real child. Emery's other characters sound real to me. Part of the problem lies with Normie's voice as read by Christian Rummel, the otherwise excellent narrator on this series. But the fault lays largely with the author. I cannot figure out why she felt the need to make the world's most annoying child a fairly major character in this series. She doesn't add to the plot. Normie needs to fade to the background quickly. I don't think she does fade though and that could keep me from reading future books in the series.
November 6, 2011
This novel is very similar to Anne Emery's other Monty Collins mystery novels. The murder plot is drawn out to the point that even the protagonist seems uninterested in resolving the case. Yet, everything is tied up nicely in a unexpected (because it is so far-fetched) conclusion.
I keep reading Anne Emery not because of her mystery writing but rather because of the wonderful story lines that she develops for the personal lives of her characters. In Anne Emery's novels, the mystery component is merely a pretext to display her wonderful array of interesting main and secondary characters.
Barrington Street Blues had less of Brennan (the priest accused of murder in Sign of the Cross) than the other novels but from the preview of Celician Vespers it looks like this fiery, intriguing character should once again take the spotlight. I can't wait to read #4 in the series!
I keep reading Anne Emery not because of her mystery writing but rather because of the wonderful story lines that she develops for the personal lives of her characters. In Anne Emery's novels, the mystery component is merely a pretext to display her wonderful array of interesting main and secondary characters.
Barrington Street Blues had less of Brennan (the priest accused of murder in Sign of the Cross) than the other novels but from the preview of Celician Vespers it looks like this fiery, intriguing character should once again take the spotlight. I can't wait to read #4 in the series!
February 11, 2010
A rich man and a poor man are found shot to death outside of a strip club. On the surface, it looks like a murder-suicide but Halifax lawyer Monty Collins isn't convinced. Meanwhile, Monty and Maura's attempt at reconciliation takes a disastrous turn. The third book in the Monty Collins series. Maybe not my favourite book in the series in terms of the mystery but, so far, my favourite for the personal aspect. Read the full review.
November 4, 2016
I'd taken a long break between books, but it was easy to pick up where we had left off and I remembered why I keep coming back. Rich character development and an emotionally shocking personal development had me hooked again. The mystery was good too! Emery knows how to reel us in without giving away the farm (pardon the mixed metaphor) and just about the time Monty is "there" so are we...and not a minute before. Good stuff. Next one is on my bookshelf.
October 29, 2008
Apart from its being set in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- a bit off the beaten track for most of us in the States -- I can think of no reason to read this book. I had a sense that the setting and a few plot details were typed into a mystery writing computer program. The resulting novel was so uninteresting and formulaic that I stopped about halfway and couldn't finish reading.
January 16, 2012
Mystery set in Halifax featuring criminal lawyer Monty Collins. Monty is working on a possible civil suit relating to a possible murder suicide. As he does background work he discovers more and more information that complicates the potential case.
Story revolves around Monty's personal life and close friends. The end resolves the mystery aspect while leaving Monty's personal life hanging.
Story revolves around Monty's personal life and close friends. The end resolves the mystery aspect while leaving Monty's personal life hanging.
April 23, 2015
One of my favourite mystery series, but not because of the mysteries, no, because of the characters and the on going back ground story of their lives. Nothing wrong with the mysteries, a little drawn out at times but it doesn't matter much. The mysteries just become a vehicle to revisit the characters and they are the real show.
abandoned
January 27, 2012Full of somewhat gratuitous references to places in Halifax but the story & characters were too dull to keep on reading. I had previously tried one set in Dublin, but couldn't get into that one either.
June 15, 2014
I love the Collins-Burke series. This was not my favorite... but even it was good. I am invested in the characters at this point, so the story is really just secondary. I listened to the Audio Book and I feel that really added to the experience.
February 13, 2016
The consistent and distracting lack of speech attribution in three person conversations drove me crazy! I had to reread several times per chapter just to figure out who was speaking. Too many characters and one of the most ridiculous Bond-villain verbal diarrhea endings I've read.
December 6, 2015
The secondary story in this one was better than or at least just as entertaining as the the main mystery. Anne Emery has created such an appealing character in Monty Collins and Burke, too. I really just can't get enough of these two. Great stuff!
September 1, 2016
I was in search of books set in Atlantic Canada to read prior to a trip this fall. This fills the bill in two ways...an excellently written tale and descriptive of Halifax Nova Scotia and surroundings. I look forward to reading more Collins-Burke books.
January 9, 2012
Not a brilliant mystery by any means, but an easy read and fairly enjoyable. Probably wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been written and set in Halifax.
June 29, 2015
Phenomenal storyteller. Being set in Halifax is an intriguing bonus - I love being able to picture locations as the story progresses.
September 2, 2016
Love this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews