Maid of the Mist

by Colin Bateman

Not a lot happens in Niagara Falls. It's a sleepy Canadian town full of honeymooners and tourists, and that's how Inspector Frank Corrigan likes it. He saw enough trouble as a cop in Northern Ireland. Now he's happy dealing with parking offences and the odd drunk, although since his wife left him and took their daughter, 'happy' may not be quite the word.

Then a reincarnated Native American princess by the name of Lelewala canoes over the Falls - and survives. Or so she says. And Frank falls in love. And finds himself confronting the greatest terrorist of the age at an international gathering of drug dealers.

And that's before the music starts...

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Colin Bateman was a journalist in Northern Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Divorcing Jack, won the Betty Trask Prize, and all his novels have been critically acclaimed. He wrote the screenplays for the feature films of Divorcing Jack, Crossmaheart and Wild About Harry. He lives in Northern Ireland with his family.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is garbage.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is the myth, there's the mob but I detected no mozzarella whatsoever - there's an empty pizza box at one point. I found myself missing Bateman's more usual Northern Irish milieu but his transplanted to the Canada side of Niagara works nicely enough. It is at once an enjoyable crime thriller romp and desperately sad.

[Ellen Hooley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was well written, the story was good but....I couldn't like the characters. Not my favourite Colin Bateman but worth a read if you can borrow off a friend or pick up in a charity shop.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great wee yarn, can't believe it's taken me so long to discover Bateman.

[Steve Marley · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favourite authors, but not his best

[Gregory Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good and back to basics for Bateman. His newer novels play too much on his comedy writing style whereas this has nice touches of comedy with very serious points. A ‘fun’ crime drama.

[Rich B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite of his books, but I still enjoyed re-reading this. I’d forgotten how much fun this author’s books are.

It's a (mostly) light and funny action / crime drama that doesn't overstay its welcome.

The story's lead is Inspector Frank Corrigan, a former Northern Ireland cop, now working in Canada, in the town next to Niagara Falls. He's called to deal with a mysterious woman found floating in the river below the falls claiming to be the return of a long-term Indian spirit legend.

Meanwhile, a formerly famous but now faded music star finds himself in a spot of trouble with the local cops too after an incident with a young fan. As Frank investigates, the plot thickens as the music star reveals there's a convention of international drug bosses going on in town. And that he has a family connection to one of them.

It moves along quickly. It's got lots of funny lines and pulls in at least two characters from his previous books and ties up their storylines nicely.

If it's got a downside, it's that there's a lot going on, with many characters to keep track of. Plus, a few times, characters seem to do things to move the plot a certain way, rather than take more sensible and obvious options.

There are also a few loose ends plot-wise as if the author couldn't quite work out whether to use them fully or not (e.g. the interactions with the local Native American people). But as you get a smattering of sex, drugs and rock n'roll with lots of humour and action, plus very likeable characters, you can overlook these and just enjoy the mayhem. A good funny read.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing. The cover confused me for a start - I picked it up half thinking it was a Chris Brookmyre (not the first time I've confused these two authors) but even after then was confused because the format of the book suggested it might've been aimed at a Young Adult audience - which (I assume from the plot) it wasn't.

But it was OK - an Irishman with a secret in the past has started a new life in the quiet Canadian town of Niagara.. that is, till a reincarnated Native American princess gets washed up in the river, a pop star is involved in a fatal accident, and there are all kinds of resonances with drugs and killings and gangsters. In some ways it did work as well as other books of this ilk I have read, but it did feel confused and over-crammed in places, and the 'humour' descended into 'wise asscrackery' frequently. I am pretty sure I didn't fully understand it because I lost track of things in the last quarter, but this was because I couldn't be arsed to keep up with quite how many characters and twists the author chose to cram in.

[Stephanie Augustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it possible for Colin Bateman to outdo himself? He certainly tried here but some parts were just too ludicrous even for him. But overall a good book to get lost in... while learning a bit about the IRA and Northern Ireland conflict. As usual, you are rooting for a Bateman hero because he is surrounded by such DICKHEADS. Also a cautionary tale against, drug, drugs, and drug kingpins. Chapter and Verse had less violence, and yet more entertainment and story [to me, at least]. Then again Chapter and Verse was 4 years later...so, progress? I still want to finish the entire pantheon of Bateman lit.

[Scotchneat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an early Bateman that I missed somehow. And is common with him, how to sum up the plot.

Okay. Woman is found in Niagara River, dressed as the Maid of the Mist (no, the real one who went over the Falls). Plus there's murder, fights with Russians, pizza, a love story, and a secret society of Native Americans who know something about Marilyn Monroe's death.

I forgive him all of the stuff he gets wrong about Canada and Niagara Falls (about which I know quite a bit) for his audacious plots and smack-em-up humour.

Not one of his best, but I enjoyed it.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is Elmore Leonard Lite...the story of an ex-British Police Officer self exiled to Niagara Falls in Ontario after a particularly nasty incident in Northern Ireland. A bit of a drunk with a truly troubled marriage he encounters a weird conspiracy on the part of Drug Lords with bits of the war on terror mixed in and an odd band of Indian Warriors intent on protecting an Iroquois legend involving a beautiful Indian Maid and suicide to prevent or exterminate great evil. Sound bizzarre? Well to some extent it is but there are truly manic moments and the writing isn't bad.

[Tim Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this author before and enjoyed him, and I did enjoy this, but there is just so much going on it's really hard to keep up! Or maybe that's just me. Still the pages kept turning, and it was clever and funny.

[Paul McBride · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off promising, funny edgy but rapidly deteriorated and by page 90 I was struggling to get through it. Overall it was a painful ordeal to get through it.

[J. Paul Murdock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read but...

Nice read. The usual Colin Bateman stuff. The 'but' is for the one star taken off. Maybe I was distracted but I didn't quite find it so gripping. Ho hum...

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Niall · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun little romper of a book,