Spiked

by Randall Denley

The corruption trial of a disgraced former Conservative cabinet minister opens the door to a secret world of espionage and ruthless political double-dealing in Spiked. With the police hampered at every turn, it is up to crime columnist Kris Redner to solve the mysterious death of a Chinese embassy employee, and the just-as-mysterious downfall of a once rising star in the Conservative government. Randall Denley’s latest Kris Redner mystery is sure to please any fan of courtroom drama or political intrigue.

Genres: Mystery

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2019

Reviews

[Marc Rosove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A real page turner with several twists. Many of the narrative and setting details were conveyed with the right mixture of realism, grit, and excitement. I'll be honest that it was also a thrill to have it set in my home town.

[Sheila Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Kept me reading. The twists and turns of the plot seem a bit far fetched but also very plausible in the world of politics today. Knowing that the author used to report for The Citizen among other papers it does give an interesting insight into the upper echelons of the media world.

[Jim Napier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kris Redner is a forty-year-old Crime columnist for the Ottawa Citizen who is apartment and dog-sitting for a journalist friend who’s been called away on assignment. Shortly after waking up Kris is taking stock of her less-than-satisfying life and having a coffee on the balcony when she sees a woman flashing by, just beyond the railing, and headed for the ground six stories below. She looks over the edge and sees the woman’s body, impaled on a wrought-iron fence. The patrons of the coffee shop nearby are shocked into stillness, as if unable to comprehend what had just taken place. Racing down to the street level she arrives to hear the woman’s dying words, “Help me.” She tries, but there is nothing to be done; the woman is beyond help.
After the first responders arrive Kris phones her city editor, who takes the details and then orders her to get over to the courthouse for the corruption trial of a prominent federal politician due to begin that morning. A former minister of the crown, Sonny Sandhu has been charged with accepting a $25,000 bribe to help ensure the approval of a wind farm project by federal authorities. Giving evidence against him are two slimy co-conspirators, Thomas Fung and Vikram Gill. On the face of it, the case is suspicious: Sandhu didn’t need the money, and as part of a $1.5 million grant, why would his cut be so small? Kris senses that there may be more to this story, involving higher-ups in the Ottawa food chain.
But Kris can’t get the dead woman out of her mind. Realizing that navigating the murky world of Ottawa politics will require the help of several friends, she turns to homicide detective Mike Reilly, but he’s reluctant to give her any inside information. It seems Mike is still hurting from a failed relationship with one of Kris’s colleagues at the newspaper, and she wonders whether this is a factor in his standoffishness. Despite his lack of help, Kris learns that the dead woman was known as Mae Wang, and that she had been a student at Carleton University. A gifted linguist, she also worked occasionally as a translator for the Chinese Embassy. Could her death be related to her work?
When she focuses on Sonny Sandhu’s corruption trial Kris approaches his wife, Gail Rakic, but she too is suspicious of the press and cynical about Kris’s motives. Stymied in all directions, Kris realizes that nothing will be easy about either of these two stories; what she doesn’t take on board is that much more than simply a good story will be at stake.
Spiked is an engrossing tale of political intrigue set in the corridors of power, and centering on the death of a young woman who was not all that she seemed. Denley is a seasoned writer, and it shows: Spiked is an engrossing political thriller and crime story, well-paced and populated by convincing characters. The dialogue is crisp, and the atmosphere believable, informed by years of experience in the Ottawa scene. All in all, this is a fine read.
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Jim Napier is a professional crime-fiction reviewer based in Canada. Since 2005 his book reviews and author interviews have been featured in several Canadian newspapers and on multiple websites. His crime novel Legacy was published in April of 2017, and the second in the series, Ridley’s War, is scheduled for release in the late summer of 2020.

[Norman Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a great deal of material by Randall Denley, who used to have a regular column in the local newspaper, The Ottawa Citizen, before he turned his hand to politics, free-lancing, and fiction writing. I liked his writing as a columnist (though not always his conclusions, but that is not an issue here), and I like it as an author here in this book.

I don't love this book, though. To me, it seemed overly complicated and too full of big surprises. The denouement in particular seemed like the usual crime novel cop-out. I think that Denley should have kept the story a little simpler in terms of turns and twists, but developed a couple of the characters somewhat further. I think also that Kris Redner, the protagonist, could have been a bit more complex; she seemed to be missing at least one dimension.

I am likely to read another book by Denley, just to see how this one stacks up against his others.

This was a fun read, and I was amused to see that I could practically walk the entire setting for the novel from place to place, as they are nearly all very familiar. This isn't an advantage for someone not from Ottawa, but it amuses me.

[Karen Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randall Denley is a good writer and the plot moves along quickly. What I found most interesting were the descriptions of the locale, which is Ottawa, the city I live in. I thought there were a few too many scenes of violence and the ending wrapped up a little too neatly. But the main characters were compelling and I would read the next book in the series, if it is forthcoming.

[Sheila Soprovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I've read anything from this local author. And I don't usually go for something associated with a newspaper and politics. But I found myself getting sucked into the story and towards the end, a need to complete it. If this is really how the political and geopolitical worlds work, I'm glad I'm a nothing minion (just a taxpayer!)

[Tim Webley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the second instalment of Kris Redner.

[Roger Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much much better than his first book, with quite a twist at the end.