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Wakeland #3
Hell and Gone
A captivating new thriller in the Wakeland detective series that explores the depths of Vancouver's criminal underworld
In one moment of public violence, everything changes for Dave Wakeland. When masked men and women storm an office building in Chinatown, leaving a trail of carnage, the Vancouver PI and his partner, Jeff Chen, find themselves caught up in a mystery that won't let them go.
The police have a vested interest in finding the shooters, and so does the leader of the Exiles motorcycle gang. Both want Wakeland's help. The deeper he investigates, the more connections he uncovers: a reclusive millionaire with ties to organized crime, an international security company with a sinister reputation, and a high-ranking police officer who seems to have a personal connection to the case. When the shooters themselves start turning up dead, Wakeland realizes the only way to guarantee his own safety, and that of the people he loves, is by finding out who hired the shooters and why.
What Wakeland uncovers are secrets no one wants known--a botched undercover operation, an ambitious gangster and a double-crossing killer who used the shooting to cover up another crime. With a setup like this, anything can go wrong, and does. Skill and luck are needed for Wakeland and Chen to emerge with the killers, the money, and their own lives.
In one moment of public violence, everything changes for Dave Wakeland. When masked men and women storm an office building in Chinatown, leaving a trail of carnage, the Vancouver PI and his partner, Jeff Chen, find themselves caught up in a mystery that won't let them go.
The police have a vested interest in finding the shooters, and so does the leader of the Exiles motorcycle gang. Both want Wakeland's help. The deeper he investigates, the more connections he uncovers: a reclusive millionaire with ties to organized crime, an international security company with a sinister reputation, and a high-ranking police officer who seems to have a personal connection to the case. When the shooters themselves start turning up dead, Wakeland realizes the only way to guarantee his own safety, and that of the people he loves, is by finding out who hired the shooters and why.
What Wakeland uncovers are secrets no one wants known--a botched undercover operation, an ambitious gangster and a double-crossing killer who used the shooting to cover up another crime. With a setup like this, anything can go wrong, and does. Skill and luck are needed for Wakeland and Chen to emerge with the killers, the money, and their own lives.
319 pages, Paperback
Published October 23, 2021
8 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Sam Wiebe
22 books178 followersSam Wiebe is the author of CUT YOU DOWN, INVISIBLE DEAD, and LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS. He lives in Vancouver.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 3, 2025
Looking for a new and exciting police procedural collection, I turned to the series by Sam Wiebe. Set on the gritty streets of Vancouver, Dave Wakeland works as a private investigator with his partner, Jeff Chen. Once forced out of the VPD, Wakeland’s PI work is put to the test after a violent attack and murder in an office building within Chinatown. While Wakeland and Chen open an investigation., they discover that things are more dangerous than it first appears, where their lives could be in significant danger. Things get a great deal more troubling as the case is soon blown wide open with added threats. Wiebe keeps up the momentum with this piece!
A violent and deadly attack in Chinatown sends waves throughout the community. Vancouver PI Dave Wakeland and his partner, Jeff Chen, soon find themselves stuck in the middle of everything, which is more than they could have wished for their business. VPD reach out for help trying to identify the shooters, as does a local motorcycle gang with their own hopes. This is sure to take things in a direction that Wakeland and Chen do not wish.
As the investigation heats up, a number of suspects emerge, including a powerful man with connections to organised crime, members of an international security company, and a member of VPD who appears to have a vested interested in the case. When some of the shooters begin turning up dead, Wakeland and Chen know the need to find the rest of the group is of utmost importance.
The case takes a turn and Wakeland learns that the crime could have been part of a larger effort to cover something up for nefarious means. Wakeland knows that this more than his partner expected to do and takes the lead to keep Jeff Chen safe. One wrong move and Wakeland could lost all those he loves and an indelible mark of the tragedy that no one will be able to help resolve. Sam Wiebe delivers a dark and impactful novel in this third installment.
Sam Wiebe pens a superior thriller with a Canadian flavouring. He keeps the narrative strong with great action and blunt side stories to complement the core. Characters work well to provide a great link to the story, with both important and dark aspects. Plot points develop suspenseful moments and surprises for all to enjoy. There is a Canadian noir sense to the series once more and I am eager to see where Sam Wiebe wants to push things next.
Kudos, Mr. Wiebe, for another explosive thriller!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A violent and deadly attack in Chinatown sends waves throughout the community. Vancouver PI Dave Wakeland and his partner, Jeff Chen, soon find themselves stuck in the middle of everything, which is more than they could have wished for their business. VPD reach out for help trying to identify the shooters, as does a local motorcycle gang with their own hopes. This is sure to take things in a direction that Wakeland and Chen do not wish.
As the investigation heats up, a number of suspects emerge, including a powerful man with connections to organised crime, members of an international security company, and a member of VPD who appears to have a vested interested in the case. When some of the shooters begin turning up dead, Wakeland and Chen know the need to find the rest of the group is of utmost importance.
The case takes a turn and Wakeland learns that the crime could have been part of a larger effort to cover something up for nefarious means. Wakeland knows that this more than his partner expected to do and takes the lead to keep Jeff Chen safe. One wrong move and Wakeland could lost all those he loves and an indelible mark of the tragedy that no one will be able to help resolve. Sam Wiebe delivers a dark and impactful novel in this third installment.
Sam Wiebe pens a superior thriller with a Canadian flavouring. He keeps the narrative strong with great action and blunt side stories to complement the core. Characters work well to provide a great link to the story, with both important and dark aspects. Plot points develop suspenseful moments and surprises for all to enjoy. There is a Canadian noir sense to the series once more and I am eager to see where Sam Wiebe wants to push things next.
Kudos, Mr. Wiebe, for another explosive thriller!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 11, 2022
This is the third offering in the Dave Wakeland private investigation thriller series. Dave and his partner Jeff Chen work out of Chinatown in Vancouver. While Dave is doing paperwork in his office, gunshots erupt from across the street. Masked gunmen emerge from the building with guns blazing. Seven people end up dead—including innocent bystanders.
The big question is who is responsible. Dave finds himself in the midst of a complex investigation involving the police, the Exiles motorcycle gang, and international criminal elements. And just when Dave and the police close in on the perpetrators, the shooters start turning up dead. There is fast-moving action aplenty with a plethora of characters. Wonder if Wiebe’s other novels are as riveting as this one. Guess I will have to check a few out.
The big question is who is responsible. Dave finds himself in the midst of a complex investigation involving the police, the Exiles motorcycle gang, and international criminal elements. And just when Dave and the police close in on the perpetrators, the shooters start turning up dead. There is fast-moving action aplenty with a plethora of characters. Wonder if Wiebe’s other novels are as riveting as this one. Guess I will have to check a few out.
November 8, 2021
This is the best Dave Wakeland novel by a long shot.
Wakeland is a pretty quirky character to like. He's cagey, defensive and sometimes even unpleasant, but what makes Hell & Gone special is that it explores a different side of him. The Vancouver PI is exposed to an act of extreme violent in the beginning and it affects his mind. Although it's never explicitly discussed, Wakeland suffers from PTSD and struggle against his own impulses for the entire novel, which opens a new door unto his individuality. Reinventing a recurring character while staying within his creative paradigm is something you almost never see in detective fiction and Wiebe pulls it off here.
It's not perfect. I find that the plot gets too intricate at some points and that Wakeland, Jeff, Sonia, Blatchford, Kay and the others become simple vessels to it at some point. That it overtakes their personality about two thirds in. The plot is good and fun, but it clashes with the more humanist approach of the characters in the first half of the novel. Still, if you like detective fiction this is top shelf. Full review coming on this month's Dead End Follies newsletter.
Wakeland is a pretty quirky character to like. He's cagey, defensive and sometimes even unpleasant, but what makes Hell & Gone special is that it explores a different side of him. The Vancouver PI is exposed to an act of extreme violent in the beginning and it affects his mind. Although it's never explicitly discussed, Wakeland suffers from PTSD and struggle against his own impulses for the entire novel, which opens a new door unto his individuality. Reinventing a recurring character while staying within his creative paradigm is something you almost never see in detective fiction and Wiebe pulls it off here.
It's not perfect. I find that the plot gets too intricate at some points and that Wakeland, Jeff, Sonia, Blatchford, Kay and the others become simple vessels to it at some point. That it overtakes their personality about two thirds in. The plot is good and fun, but it clashes with the more humanist approach of the characters in the first half of the novel. Still, if you like detective fiction this is top shelf. Full review coming on this month's Dead End Follies newsletter.
October 20, 2021
I was a fan of Sam Wiebe before this book, which is why I preordered it last month without so much as a second thought. I knew I was going to enjoy it because I've enjoyed all his work thus far. That being said, Hell and Gone, the third in his Dave Wakeland series, caught me off guard it was so good.
And that doesn't happen very often.
With this book, Wiebe has taken the next step and evolved into one of the best crime writers I've read; his novels inhabit Vancouver the way Chandler (and more recently Connelly) did Los Angeles, the way Lehane and Parker did Boston.
And that doesn't happen very often.
With this book, Wiebe has taken the next step and evolved into one of the best crime writers I've read; his novels inhabit Vancouver the way Chandler (and more recently Connelly) did Los Angeles, the way Lehane and Parker did Boston.
April 8, 2022
Vulnerability comes to mind when I read a Sam Wiebe novel. Not just the victims in his novels but also his P.I. Dave Wakeland. After witnessing a violent heist gone wrong with the deaths of civilians in the street outside his office on Keefer Street, he is attacked physically and emotionally throughout this whole novel. He’s not sure he can trust his business partner Jeff Chen or even his romantic partner patrol officer Sonia Drego. Hell, he can’t even trust his judgment as he fights his instincts to get involved. To be vulnerable. And he’s right to be scared. Powerful violent people are involved. The malevolent leader of the motorcycle gang the Exiles Terry Rhodes presses Wakeland. Uncle Roy Long, a venerable neighborhood businessman, and possible Triad leader gives dubious advice. Even Deputy Chief Constable MacLeish wants to bang Wakeland’s head against a brick wall. But Wakeland has a superpower, he finds things no one else wants to be discovered. He’ll keep digging till he’s uncovered all the secrets regardless of his fears.
Sam Wiebe crafts some of the most emotional detective fiction I have ever read. I’m all in on the Dave Wakeland series. You all should be too
Sam Wiebe crafts some of the most emotional detective fiction I have ever read. I’m all in on the Dave Wakeland series. You all should be too
November 8, 2021
Another amazing instalment of the Wakeland series. I feel like this was my favourite one. It felt more cerebral, and a different side to Dave. Good plot, great character development, and love how it gets Vancouver right. Highly recommend this to anyone.
October 2, 2023
I think this is my fave of his books that I’ve read. His main character is developing but it came off to me that he is growing up and I enjoy that he is talking of his past trauma in a constructive way. I really look forward to where this may go in future books.
More please.
It’s also just a really good crime read and super refreshing to see the Vancouver I live in so well and sensitively portrayed. He takes it all on.
More please.
It’s also just a really good crime read and super refreshing to see the Vancouver I live in so well and sensitively portrayed. He takes it all on.
November 1, 2021
I don't know how he does it. Sam Wiebe delivers page-turning action at a cracking pace at the same time he provides social commentary on the issues that worry Vancouverites and which city authorities can't seem to resolve. If THE WIRE was set in Vancouver, starring a PI and a smaller (and very diverse) cast, you'd be talking about Wiebe's Dave Wakeland books.
July 14, 2023
Could barely put this down. The local colour is just great and the modern noir formula tips slightly more into the crime/mystery than before...the protagonist doesn't get into quite as much danger as in the early books (but still plenty, and there's lots for his friends and associates, too). Looking forward to the next one and to the author coming to be the Writer in Residence at my workplace.
March 30, 2022
I was so glad to see another book featuring this character and always glad of every offering from this author. In Hell and Gone, neither disappoints. Wiebe is among the finest writers plying his craft these days. If you haven't read him, I envy you: a wonderful discovery awaits.
December 13, 2022
This story was set in Vancouver and its suburbs, adding extra interest to me as I am familiar with the area. A decent, well-thought-out and planned detective/police procedural story. The author did a great deal of research!
December 17, 2021
The only problem with this book is that I will have to wait for at least another year for a sequel. Keep up the writing, Wiebe.
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June 24, 2022HELL AND GONE is book three of the popular Dave Wakeland series, more than living up to the standards of the previous two. Wakeland is a most intriguing ex-police officer now private investigator, with a nose for danger, and a mind that works overtime to solve the most unusual of cases. His operation base is Chinatown in Vancouver, where he has seen more than his share of crimes and violence.
And now he is definitely in the midst of it, when minding his own business in his office, he glances across the street, seeing masked gunmen escaping from a building, their guns firing almost at anything that moves. Several people lie dead in the wake of the shooting, Wakeland racing across the street to see if he can help any of the survivors. He does help one woman, while her daughter lays dying not far from her. It weighs heavily on his mind of course, the rationale behind the shooting, and Wakeland vows to find answers at any cost. The police also want answers too, and Wakeland tries to offer his insight, but he discovers that this may go deeper than a mere revenge-style attack.
The Exiles, a biker gang, is also part of the shooting, but the question is just how they factor into it. The deeper he probes the more confusing it seems at times, but Wakeland, never one to back down from a challenge or potential harm to his own person, continues to seek the truth. There are other deaths, along with people who are watching him, and Wakeland relentless as always, finds the needle tipping in the point of substantive answers.
The characters in HELL AND GONE are most interesting, and the fact there are so many factions involved, makes for a true crime tale of the highest order. This is one of the reasons why a new Dave Wakeland book is a cause for celebration, and makes the reader come back, craving more.
And now he is definitely in the midst of it, when minding his own business in his office, he glances across the street, seeing masked gunmen escaping from a building, their guns firing almost at anything that moves. Several people lie dead in the wake of the shooting, Wakeland racing across the street to see if he can help any of the survivors. He does help one woman, while her daughter lays dying not far from her. It weighs heavily on his mind of course, the rationale behind the shooting, and Wakeland vows to find answers at any cost. The police also want answers too, and Wakeland tries to offer his insight, but he discovers that this may go deeper than a mere revenge-style attack.
The Exiles, a biker gang, is also part of the shooting, but the question is just how they factor into it. The deeper he probes the more confusing it seems at times, but Wakeland, never one to back down from a challenge or potential harm to his own person, continues to seek the truth. There are other deaths, along with people who are watching him, and Wakeland relentless as always, finds the needle tipping in the point of substantive answers.
The characters in HELL AND GONE are most interesting, and the fact there are so many factions involved, makes for a true crime tale of the highest order. This is one of the reasons why a new Dave Wakeland book is a cause for celebration, and makes the reader come back, craving more.
November 5, 2025
Dave is employed to trace a missing young adult, but wraps that up pretty quickly. The main story here concerns an armed robbery gone bad which results in several mystifyingly unnecessary deaths. Dave witnesses part of this from the window of his office and at first tries to stay out of things, telling the police he saw nothing, but later it becomes the lesser of two evils for him to investigate.
Of the three I have read so far, this is my favourite instalment. Dave gets through it with only a few light physical attacks on him (he isn't actually hospitalized in this book), and the sections describing the Chinese clubs were interesting. There were so many competing theories for what happened during the robbery that the final twist wasn't as satisfactory as it might have been - my brain needed more time for it to settle. As it is, it doesn't entirely make sense to me. Anyway, on to the next.
Of the three I have read so far, this is my favourite instalment. Dave gets through it with only a few light physical attacks on him (he isn't actually hospitalized in this book), and the sections describing the Chinese clubs were interesting. There were so many competing theories for what happened during the robbery that the final twist wasn't as satisfactory as it might have been - my brain needed more time for it to settle. As it is, it doesn't entirely make sense to me. Anyway, on to the next.
September 30, 2022
Although I liked the first two books in the series more, this is still good stuff. Sam Wiebe is an author who is describing his city, Vancouver / British Columbia. In this novel, his hero Dave Wakeland gets into what could be a gang war where one party is a group of Asian Canadians. It gathers space somewhere in the second half. What bothered me was the short chapters (more than sixty) that are never longer than 3-5 pages and that leave some scenes for short while others are not necessary at all.
February 28, 2022
I have to confess that this is my first Sam Wiebe novel, me, a long-term Vancouver resident. It was a great read and I really enjoyed the fact that it's set here. His PI, Dave Wakeland, is an interesting character as are his c0-workers. The story is fast-paced, short chapters, and despite getting a bit confused with some of the links between the different factions, I stayed engaged and interested.
June 21, 2024
I found the story convoluted and hard to follow, too many characters (dead and alive) and not enough character development other than of the protagonist. The writing style is choppy, sometimes fluent, sometimes Sam Spade terse which made it feel pastiche. I enjoyed the Vancouver references, though.
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December 24, 2021Well done, but the end is confusing. (Spoiler alert: Wakeland literally crosses North America in search of the bad guys, but at the end, when he finds the guy who was really behind it all, and put his friend in hospital with a crippling injury, he does nothing). Odd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2022
Need a special dictionary. Many words are not in it however. No explanation, just a confused story of a PI and his perhaps partner, in the world of Vancouver and it’s Chinese underworld. Interesting and attention getting. But only 3 stars.
March 19, 2023
A really compelling read. Wanders comfortably through the Vancouver and noir landscapes.
Minor quibble: name-dropping Vancouver landmarks / stores felt a bit... maybe trying too hard? Something. I assume it's something writers very purposefully do to add specificity and location.
Minor quibble: name-dropping Vancouver landmarks / stores felt a bit... maybe trying too hard? Something. I assume it's something writers very purposefully do to add specificity and location.
September 25, 2023
I almost removed a star because the plot was a bit convoluted near the end but Wiebe's beautiful prose, his Vancouver setting, and sprinkles of social commentary brought it back. I also really enjoyed the short chapters. I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the series.
November 1, 2025
It’s a genre book and it is well done and consistent in voice. Only problem I had with it is the plot is rather overly complex and perhaps the book would have benefited from being more concise. It meanders a little too much.
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December 16, 20213.75, good contrast to all my Christmas books I've been reading! Loved the Vancouver setting.
February 23, 2022
Excellent crime fiction thriller set in the gritty side of Vancouver. Noir brought into the 21st century,
May 8, 2022
This is a good book, but not specular. Nice it was set in Vancouver.
May 23, 2022
Thrilling, gritty, intelligent crime noir ... Without mysogeny or racism and with empathetic realism about Vancouver's shadows.
Sam Wiebe is a treasure.
Sam Wiebe is a treasure.
June 12, 2022
Wow. Gritty, suspenseful, perfectly plotted.
June 20, 2022
This series just gets better and better. Can't wait for the next book!
Kudos to Sam Wiebe.
Kudos to Sam Wiebe.
July 3, 2022
How can the third book in a series be better than the last? Seldom works that way but in this case, it is. Very well developed characters and great dialogue. When is #4 coming?
September 12, 2022
I enjoyed this novel because of the fast paced plot and the interesting characters. It is quite well written although that are words the author uses that I have never seen before. Will have to check out his other novels.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews