Aloha, Candy Hearts

There are only a few series where the books just don't come out fast enough for me. The Russell Quant series by Anthony Bidulka is one of them. I know nothing about Saskatchewan, or even much about Canada, I'm not a gay man. I've never been to any of the places Russell Quant travels to. Still, I somehow feel connected to the characters and the world they live in. In Aloha, Candy Hearts, Russell Quant is fresh from enjoying some beach time in Hawaii with his significant other (where something very important happens - but I won't spill the beans!). He heads home to his prairie oasis, his loving dogs, his quirky friends and family, and a mystery that starts before he's even off the plane. Who knew history and archiving could be so interesting? Really. With the mystery solved, Russell barely escaping with his life, the story ends up with our lovely detective back in Hawaii, for a scene you do not want to miss. Hooray. Russell is back and better than ever.

Bidulka, Anthony. "Aloha Candy Hearts: A Russell Quant Mystery", Insomniac Press, 2009. Finding Balance Amos Lassen Russell Quant is back and trying to find a way to balance his professional life with a wedding, a memorial and his mom. He is missing clues in a case he is working on and the answers he has only lead to more questions. An acquaintance of his was killed in a parking lot and Russell is led to a poem that perhaps could be a map to treasure or maybe extortion. As he investigates the case he finds the hidden history of Saskatoon by getting information on an early homestead, a second-run movie house and a fallen sports hero. Russell has to deal with both the past and the present and from murder there is blackmail and from blackmail there is still more murder. The cast of characters here are wonderfully drawn and Anthony Bidulka knows how to do this. This is the sixth installment in the Russell Quant series and if you have not read any then you have really missed something. This is like all the others as the story is imaginative and the plot is well-developed. It's a good escapist read which is well written and full of action.

I've learned with the Russell Quant books that a title is not just a title. In every case in this clever series, the book titles allude to much more than the words themselves imply. Indeed, a mainstay of the series is that the detective eventually finds himself somewhere in the world, away from his cozy prairie home. But if you want to learn about Hawaii, buy a guidebook. Certainly the author, Anthony Bidulka, draws vivid depictions of his foreign locales du jour (in this case Honolulu, Hawaii), with nuanced description of food, wine, weather, and the smell of the wind, but he never overshadows the two most important components of these books: 1. the mystery, and 2. the characters. That is why we keep coming back to these books. That is why so many people love them. In Aloha, Candy Hearts, there are good by's and hello's aplenty, and a unique mystery combining the little known world of archivists, the lives and loves of literary giants, and even an true life Olympic heroine fallen from grace. A joy to read.

I was once known to be a literary snob. At the urging of friends, I began reading genre fiction. One of the more curious mystery titles I was suggested, was the first Russell Quant book, Amuse Bouche. I've now just finished devouring the sixth in this adorable and endearing series, Aloha, Candy Hearts. I stretched out the final pages as long as I could, feeling a bit heart sick. Not only from the deeply rewarding, heartbreaking yet still uplifting ending, but because I knew the story of detective Russell Quant, his family and friends in charming Saskatoon, and rich adventures around the world would come to an end too. At least until the next book, which I dearly hope comes out soon. Do not be fooled. I urge you literary snobs, pick up a mystery or romance or fantasy novel, you may be surprised at what you find, and the joy it will bring you.