Flush: A Robin MacFarland Mystery

by Sky Curtis

Robin MacFarland is a somewhat eccentric and highly intelligent journalist for the Home and Garden section of a Toronto paper, who at age fifty-five looks aghast in the mirror and pronounces herself, “Old. Fat. Alcoholic. Alone. Failure.” She resolves to lose weight, quit drinking, and try online dating, although not, perhaps in quite that order. The intrigue begins when Robin chooses to cover a water cooling system conference where she thinks there will be a lot of men. By coincidence, her first online date is with the owner of the water company who is found dead after they have coffee. Dauntless, Robin wades into what is now a murder investigation, under the supervision of her new editor, and with the help of her best friend, Cindy, a crime reporter. The novel is framed around a plot to steal Canada’s fresh water, but it hinges on Robin’s hilarious journey through the middle portion of her life, a serious social issue, and a highly ironic murder weapon.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2017

About the author

Sky Curtis was born in Toronto, Canada and has lived in England as well as the Canadian maritimes, travelling to both places frequently. Under her birth name of Kathryn MacKay, Sky has worked as an editor, author, software designer, magazine writer, scriptwriter, poet, teacher, and children’s writer. She has published over a dozen books. Passionate about literacy and involved with youth, her entertaining syndicated children’s column appeared in weeklies across the country for almost ten years. Her poetry has appeared in several literary journals, including The Antigonish Review, Canadian Forum, and This Magazine. Currently living in mostly in Toronto with her family and pets, Sky writes adult fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was great. Not sure I connected with the character.

[Raynah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel took me forever to get around to and once I finally finished reading, I came to the conclusion that this book is not my cup of tea. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, I didn't enjoy her very much. I did enjoy the murder mystery plot of the story, as well as the Toronto setting.

[NYBookDragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not waste your money on this book. There were so many typos that it distracted from the story. The plot seemed to have gone on and on. The protagonist would fixate on something for several pages and the flow of the book would go stale. There were four good metaphors in the entire book but other than that, it was not very colorful writing. Although it was an interesting perspective to take on the actual murder "weapon" it seemed a little far fetched with some holes in the delivery of it. I was deeply disappointed that I spent over $20 for this book and now it is just going to sit in a second hand store looking for it's next victim. 2 stars for the metaphors, that's it.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Flush is a humorous midlife crisis murder mystery by Sky Curtis. Released in print in May 2017, the audiobook is due out 15th Oct 2021 from Inanna. The book is (or will be) available in paperback and ebook formats. The print version is 312 pages.

This is a murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who's middle aged, overweight, lonely, desperate, and alcoholic. The author spends *pages* describing cellulite, saggy arms, chins, and wrinkles. Some readers might find the constant harping on her physical characteristics funny, to me they just seemed sad and bullying. The characterizations are trope-y and two dimensional (chain smoking hard@ss editor, dithery but well intentioned main character, lesbian friend who constantly makes passes at her (and any other female within 500 miles), jerk-y sexist rich guy businessmen, society trophy wives, etc).

There were major problems for me in the narrative. The main character is supposed to be an intelligent media professional but she's constantly dithering, impractical, panicked, and falling to pieces about really weird and inconsequential things. Her internal monologue was so cringe-worthy most of the time. I was often yanked out of the story by oddly written phrases and dialogue. When she learns about a death early in the narrative, her colleagues all immediately look at her and more or less convince her she's going to be the primary suspect in the investigation. The pacing just never gelled for me. There is quite a lot of "telling" and almost no "showing".

Humour is difficult to write and I felt that the author was going for a Kinsey Millhone vibe and it just never got there for me. The language is R rated and there's also quite a lot of unnecessary body objectification (of both men and women).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours and 30 minutes and is narrated by Rebecca Jenkins. She does a fairly good job of individual character voices, but two of them, chain smoking Shirley and BFF Cynthia were like nails on a chalkboard. Shirley was more difficult to listen to for me personally because I got used to the nasal Fran Drescher-esque quality of Cynthia after a while.

Three stars for both the print and audiobook versions.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[J Kromrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flush by Sky Curtis

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Flush is a witty and engaging mystery novel that follows the adventures of Robin MacFarland, a middle-aged journalist who finds herself in the middle of a water conspiracy. Robin is a relatable and flawed protagonist who struggles with her weight, her drinking, and her love life, while also trying to solve a murder case that involves her online date. The novel is full of humor, suspense, and twists, as Robin uncovers a plot to steal Canada’s fresh water and faces a surprising killer. The author, Sky Curtis, skillfully blends social commentary, environmental issues, and personal growth into a fast-paced and entertaining story. Flush is a refreshing and original addition to the mystery genre, and a great debut for the Robin MacFarland series. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a good mystery.

Note: I especially enjoyed the emotional growth of the main character. In the beginning of the story, she made jokes at her own expense, later in the novel she grew into herself more, and these self-depreciating jokes stopped. It is a tough world, where people judge ever little flaw, especially their own, so I notice things like this. Kudos to author for her character (both in the novel and her personal character ;)).

By the way, would rate this 4.5 stars if I could.

[Lacepaperlife · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readers who pick up flush are in for a cosy mystery, midlife crisis mash up. While the overall feel of the book is intentionally humourous I found the jokes often missed their mark. Readers may also find the main character a little confusing. Described as an educated, successful, media professional in her late 50s with plenty of life experience under her belt after raising for children with the Love of her life only to be trade it in for a younger model. However her actions feel more in line with that of an flaky 16 year old.

Perhaps it’s harder for me to relate to the story as I Have yet to hit this phase in my life but whatever the reason I just never fell in love with Flush.

⭐️⭐️ Two stars with a 14+ rating for mature scenes and content

[Kathleen Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feminist journalist combats evil-- and aging

Robin McFarland journalist for the gardening page of the Toronto Express manages to overcome a debilitating time of self-doubt by taking on a new challenge of police journalism, ferreting out a crook and murderer. Throughout she is very funny, humane and zealous to bring justice. In the process she manages a few hopeful changes in her personal life.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this mystery novel about a middle aged reporter for the Home and Garden section of a Toronto paper. Robin gets drawn into a murder investigation and finds out that the rules are quite different. Loved the Robin character.

[Don Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, and held my attention

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun mystery but I really didn’t click with the protagonist. Too much negative self-talk.