That's about right

Our man in Washington applauds Gargoyle, the much anticipated first novel by Andrew Davidson.

"The Christian mythology gets a bit heavy toward the end, and The Gargoyle is overcooked by at least 75 pages, but nothing is certain in this swirling novel of tales and legends. The narrator has seen enough horror movies to know that "a burn victim may 'get the girl' -- but usually only with a pickax." After all, he admits, "Marianne Engel's love for me seemed built on so flimsy a premise that I assumed it would come apart." Nothing he -- or you -- can assume about this spectacularly imaginative journey will help navigate its twists and turns. Before it's all over, like Dante before him, our narrator must visit Hades, and like every chapter of The Gargoyle, that's a hell of a story, too."

He's right on all counts.
Andrew Davidson drops by on Sept. 25, but the book will be on the shelves tomorrow.

Also dropping tomorrow, is the new Andrew Pyper. The Killing Circle is another winner from one of my favourite Canadian writers. The guy has a bazooka for a narrative and literary chops to burn.
Pyper's most intriguing talent lies in keeping his man characters almost entirely separate from what goes on around them until just the right time in the plot. Everything unfolds at the right time, the pace is quick, but measured and for me reading the Killing Circle was like watching a master carpenter.

The main character Patrick Rush is recovering from his wife's death and after floundering at his TV-related job, he decides to channel the novel he thinks is in him and joins a writer's circle. Shortly after the only real talent in the group reads aloud, Patrick finds himself at the centre of a series of murders; and soon after members of the Circle start to disappear.
Excellent stuff, this.
I'm going to enjoy turning both crime fans and literary types onto this one.
Note the appearances at Words Worth and Word on the Street.

Posted by David