A Deadly Little List

A suspicious suicide, reluctant detective, generational friction, environmental activism, and local theater provide fodder for a fairly conventional murder mystery, until the accidental death by guillotine of a lead character during rehearsals for The Mikado takes this tale into a nasty little unconventional turn. Set on the misty shores of Vancouver Island, the mystery deepens as historical grievances and levels of resentment gradually emerge with a growing list of suspects. This is a great first novel by a Canadian pair of authors steeped in drama and literature, but grounded in the concerns of the present day. While The Mikado is not at the top of my must-see list, I greatly enjoyed this page-turner, and can only imagine the concealed twists and innuendos that await revelation for true Gilbert and Sullivan aficionados.

Kay Stewart and Chris Bullock's A Deadly Little List is a mystery set on Salt Springs Island, B.C. It teems with suspects ranging from local environmentalists to the cast of a local production of The Mikado. The title of the book comes from the Lord High Executioner's song, "A Little List," that Ko Ko sings because he hasn't met his quota of executions, so murder is afoot. Constable Danutia Dranchuk is new to her position when she is sent to Salt Springs Island to sign off on what local law enforcement sees as an apparent suicide. Her instincts and shrewd observations tell her that this is a murder and the medical examiner concurs. She persuades her superiors to let her investigate further on her own and, by the conclusion of A Deadly Little List, this female constable has successfully proven her detective skills. When Joe Bertalucci, a security guard in a historic cabin destined for demolition by a wealthy land developer, is found dead, the suspicion falls on the local environmentalists who have been protesting. However, a second murder by guillotine occurs on the set of The Mikado within days of the first. The deaths seem unrelated, but while Danutia is tracking down all her suspects, unbeknownst to her, Arthur Fairweather, a drama critic from the Victoria Post-Dispatch, begins his own snooping looking into the murder connected to the Salt Springs theatre festival's Mikado. The mystery unfolds in alternating chapters from the different points of view of Danutia and Arthur until the stories converge for a dramatic ending. Once Arthur and Danutia finally meet, together they catch the murderer. The writing in A Deadly Little List resonates with witty allusions and lovely similes. Danutia is the dominant character with hints about a dark relationship in her past and a commitment to her law enforcement profession. Arthur is a witty Brit drama critic with an ex-wife. The reader finishes A Deadly Little List expectant that Arthur and Danutia will develop a personal relationship in future sleuthing adventures in other interesting settings.