Hands Like Clouds: An Elias McCann Mystery

Elias McCann Mystery #1

by Mark Zuehlke

Winner of the 2001 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel When environmental warrior Ira Connaught turns up hanging by the neck from an ancient rainforest cedar overlooking the wasteland of a clear-cut on Clayoquot Sound, everyone seems content to declare his death a suicide. The tree spiker won't be missed by loggers, Tofino's RCMP detachment, or by many environmentalists who applauded his goals but condemned his tactics.For reluctant community coroner Elias McCann, Ira's death looks increasingly like a murder. Elias is no forensic pathologist, no doctor. A quirk in BC law enables anyone of good community standing to be appointed local coroner. But RCMP Sergeant Gary Danchuk does not believe that Elias meets even the quirk in the law. Danchuk remains convinced - against all evidence - that McCann murdered his wife, Merriam, two years earlier in order to clear the way for his love affair with Vhanna Chan.Hands Like Clouds is the first in a series of mysteries revolving around the troubled life of Elias McCann, son of a remittance man and local coroner.

Genres: Mystery, Canada, Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

On January 1, 1981, Mark Zuehlke walked away from a journalism career to pursue magazine and book writing fulltime. He has never looked back. In 1992, Mark published his first book—Magazine Writing From the Boonies (co-authored with Louise Donnelly)—and now concentrates almost exclusively on writing of books.

Fascinated by Canada’s military heritage, Mark first set to writing about the role Canadians played in World War II after discussing the Battle of Ortona with several veterans in a Royal Canadian Legion following a Remembrance Day Ceremony in Kelowna, B.C. Discovering no book had been written on this pivotal battle, Mark decided to fill that gap. Ortona: Canada’s Epic World War II Battle was the result. The book’s success encouraged him to develop The Canadian Battle Series, which documents the Canadian World War II experience and has resulted in his being declared by Jack Granatstein as the nation’s leading popular military historian.

Mark is also an award winning mystery writer, whose popular Elias McCann series has garnered much critical praise. Set in storm-swept west coast Vancouver Island village of Tofino, the series follows the investigations of reluctant community coroner Elias McCann. Hands Like Clouds, the debut title in this series, won the Crime Writers of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for the 2000 Best First Novel and the third instalment, Sweep Lotus, was nominated for the 2004 Arthur Ellis Best Novel.

When not writing, this Victoria, British Columbia resident can often be found tinkering around the Fernwood heritage house he shares with partner and fellow writer Frances Backhouse. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, cycling, kayaking, travelling, and cooking.

Reviews

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elias is the coroner in the small town of Tofino, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. When a local environmentalist/activist (or “ecoterrorist”) is found hanging from a tree, the initial thought is suicide, but Elias quickly figures out that Ian was strangled before he was hung. The local RCMP, though, is busy preparing for a US Senator to tour the area, looking at the ancient rainforest (and the already clear-cut sections) that the logging companies want to continue to raze.

Especially with the environmental angle, I had hoped this would draw me in more. The mystery itself was interesting, but the characters weren’t as much so – at least to me – until at least the second half of the book. Zuehlke puts a lot of description in the book, which does paint a clear picture of Vancouver Island, but it’s a bit too much for me, overall. I did love the setting, though.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: environmental warrior Ira Connaught turns up dead, hanging from a cedar. Even the RCMP in Tofino think it's suicide. Not the coroner.

[MaryAlice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wonder what the Kindle Overdrive edition said about "Hands Like Clouds," that caused me to check it out of the online library. Perhaps I read 4 chapters before skipping to the end. I do that to find out if a book is worth reading. This was not worth it for me.

I do not know why I found the author, Mark Zuehlke to be pretentious. Stephen King once said "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries." I guess I am more of a Big Mac and fries reader. I like authors like Walter Mosley; he grabs readers attention from the start and his novels never bore.

[Jean Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very violent and chilling tale set on Vancouver Island in Canada. It is the author's debut novel and an assured one at that tho I did think sweeping up the glass and going back to bed after being bombed and driving off the next day leaving the property unsecured a bit unlikely!!

[Canlit4ever · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. The mystery/investigation part makes almost no sense, the Cambodia aspect is very random, and the main character talks like he's 85 years old, but there is just enough local colour to stay with it to the end.

[Craig Sisterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the windswept village of Tofino on Vancouver Island's west coast, this book was the first in a series following reluctant coroner Elias McCann's investigations into mysterious deaths. Since then Zuehlke has completed two other Elias McCann novels: CARRY TIGER TO A MOUNTAIN (2002) and SWEEP LOTUS(2004), the latter of which was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel.

The publisher's blurb for HANDS LIKE CLOUDS states: "When environmental warrior Ira Connaught turns up hanging by the neck from an ancient rainforest cedar overlooking the wasteland of a clear-cut on Clayoquot Sound, everyone seems content to declare his death a suicide. The tree spiker won't be missed by loggers, Tofino's RCMP detachment, or by many environmentalists who applauded his goals but condemned his tactics. For reluctant community coroner Elias McCann, Ira's death looks increasingly like a murder.

Elias is no forensic pathologist, no doctor. A quirk in BC law enables anyone of good community standing to be appointed local coroner. But RCMP Sergeant Gary Danchuk does not believe that Elias meets even the quirk in the law. Danchuk remains convinced - against all evidence - that McCann murdered his wife, Merriam, two years earlier in order to clear the way for his love affair with Vhanna Chan. Hands Like Clouds is the first in a series of mysteries revolving around the troubled life of Elias McCann, son of a remittance man and local coroner."

I really enjoyed HANDS LIKE CLOUDS, and would be keen to read Zuehlke's other two books (if it was easier to get my hands on them down here in New Zealand). McCann is an interesting and original protagonist, and Zuehlke did a great job wrapping up a decent mystery in a very well-evoked setting. Even from my short experience of them, I knew British Columbia's Gulf Islands are places of rugged beauty and interesting characters, and Zuehlke captures this marvellously, along with the historic and contemporary tensions and clashes between the environmentalists and longtime industries like loggers.

The quirky McCann (and his relationship with Vhanna Chan), along with some of Zuehlke's other characters, and the vivid setting, will stick with readers long after they finish the final page. Moreso than the mystery plot itself, which is a little-slow moving for fans of quick-paced writers like Simon Kernick, Gregg Hurwitz, Lee Child, and others. But this is more than compensated for by the rich characters and settings in HANDS LIKE CLOUDS.

You are definitely transported to the Gulf Islands in the book - not only can you 'see' the natural environment, you can almost feel, hear, smell, and taste it as well.

Something different for crime fiction fans, and an enjoyable read.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 in the Elias McCann series. Remittance man McCann is the coroner on a British Columbia island.

Elias McCann series - When environmental warrior Ira Connaught turns up hanging by the neck from an ancient rain-forest cedar overlooking the wasteland of a clear-cut on Clayoquot Sound, everyone seems content to declare his death a suicide. For reluctant community coroner Elias McCann, Ira's death looks increasingly like a murder.

[Pat]

Not bad...but not a super mystery either. Tried his 3rd novel and the author repeated every description of the characters and their background over again which was introduced in his first novel....I got tired of reading the same thing over...so I gave it up.

[Jim Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting characters, a great setting and a viable storyline

[Diane Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well..........I almost bailed on this book a couple of times but when I found out the author lives about four blocks from my home, I thought I better give it my best shot. So i did and it was ok. At least it's fairly well-written [for the most part] from an English/grammar/punctuation point of view. "Barrettes" are not "berets" tho! :)