The Lucky Elephant Restaurant

Detective Lane Series #2

by Garry Ryan

An alternate cover for this isbn can be found here.

When the young daughter of popular radio talk show host Bobbie Reddie disappears along with Bobbie's ex-husband, Detectives Lane and Harper are on the case. Haunted by flashbacks from a previous missing child case, Lane once again takes to the streets of Calgary looking for answers.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, LGBT

241 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2006

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts out with the mystery already known with Lane and his partner working to proof what they think they know. They are thoroughly convinced that the mother is responsible for the deaths of her four-year-old daughter and her ex-husband. Lane is now concerned with gathering the proof since the other child, a son, is clearly traumatized. While the search goes on his hands are being tied by an orchestrated campaign to convince the public the Calgary police are harassing a popular talk show host and religious leader. I like the characters of Lane and his partner, Arthur. They are smart…methodical and very likable. Anyone that likes a good detective series will like this one.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and it was nice to read a LAMDA winner from 2007 but it wasn't my favourite in the list of nominees for the mystery category that year.

It was an ok mystery but kind of predictable. I like mysteries that keep me guessing to the end and the murderer was just plain to see early on in the story.

I enjoyed this more than book one in the series because I am now familiar with the characters in the book. The one thing I didn't like was the crazy religious people. I always feel that mad or bad religious people are just so common in gay literature and i can understand why, but after a while it becomes boring. It is such an over used trope and i normally avoid these books because, yes I am a religious person and no i am not mad or bad. Or at least not every day, only on Thursdays .

So yes despite the niggles and dislikes overall it was a good story with an interesting story line and characters. Apart from the mad/bad ones.

[Kay Sachse · Rating 3 out of 5]

When detective Lane learns that he is supposed to look for a missing child, some demons of his past come back to him. But the situation might be quite different this time as this child might have been taken by his father. Although, the concerned mother a famous radio-host for a religious programme seems to be more sinister and perhaps vicious. Ooooh, doesn’t that sound familiar: gay man versus zealous religious wacko?? Well, yes. But I have to admit that I changed my mind after some pages because what appeared to be a shallow story turned out to have much more layers: Lane is a family man with a partner and a dog, too, and they even get a child in their home. That’ll confront them with a completely new situation. And radio star Bobbie Reddie seems to be much more vicious than we thought. Lane was the only one who suspected that right away.
A nice read for a Sunday afternoon at home.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of a series, and I mistakenly bought this one without purchasing 1st book first. While I do start to feel caring to the main character, I feel the story is a bit, uhm, less intense. Maybe it has something to do with the setting of the town in Canada? The characters are likeable, the speed moves up in the last few pages. BUT, I don't think this is something that I'm looking forward in a murder mystery series. I prefer something more intense/dark OR since this is gay sleuth, more depth into the relationship of the characters as well. It was a nice read though ...

[Neet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and one of the best.In this book we find Detectives Lane and Harper investigating the disappearance of popular radio host Bobby young daughter who has been abducted by her ex.As the mystery begins to unravel, we learn Bobby (her annoying catch phrase is talk to me) is not what she seems.We are presented with a callous,cold,and calculating woman who is truly a prime definition of sociopath.This mystery has you on the edge of your seat and has me a true fan of Detective Lane.

[Chuck Slack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the series and I found The Lucky Elephant Restaurant to be a better effort than the first. More believable characters and a more focussed story. Living in the city where the story takes place is kind of fun as the author is quite descriptive in his portraying Calgary.

This is a light, enjoyable mystery and a read recommended if you want something that isn't too heavy.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This older series is Canadian! Spoiler alert*** Detective Lane and his sympathetic (!) police partner Harper( not even hostile) investigate a suspicious murder staged to look like a suicide. Father and child found in a camper with exhaust rigged up. Forensics tell a different story. Mother is Bobbie a rabid radio host with a shallow but clean image and poor me stories that conceal evil intentions. Tortured dog to control children. Child is missing.
An involved story with lots of twists and turns. Always the children are there to root for- as a reader you want them to get justice and safety.
Even back then, stories talked about how hard lies are to counteract even when facts prove otherwise.
The supposition of a fast talker with a loyal following almost getting away with murder is a disturbing but contemporary theme. Still relevant.
Sadly, Propaganda is alive and well in 2025.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining with crisp writing and a fast moving plot set in Calgary, where the city and the people who inhabit it are fully realized as it only could be by a cowtown native and not just a generic backdrop. Looking forward to ready the rest of this series.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this more than the first book in the series. I enjoyed the Alberta setting. Looking forward to reading the third book!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid second book in this series. I liked this episode better than the first. I am enjoying the development of the characters and their interactions. The plot was interesting and moved at a good pace.

For me there were only two drawbacks:

1) minor (very minor) poor grammar. i.e. The past tense of 'to lead' is LED not LEAD. The latter is a type of metal. Normally, this would not bother me too much but in this case it was done several times in the book.

2)I can't believe Ryan killed poor Riley, especially in such a horrible way.

Overall, this book is a great read. I will definitely be looking up the next one in the series.