Little Boy Blues

The third entry in the Camilla MacPhee series finds the feisty Ottawa victims' advocate looking forward to life without her bete noire assistant, the annoying Alvin Ferguson, who has secured a job at an upscale local gallery. Just before Camilla can hoist a cold one in celebration, word comes from Alvin's family in Sidney, Nova Scotia, that his vulnerable younger brother has disappeared. The usually acerbic Alvin is paralysed with grief, but Camilla comes to the rescue, along with the martial strategy of the venerable Violet Parnell. In a borrowed Buick, they make a whirlwind trip to the Maritimes in search of clues to the boy's sudden vanishing. Brain-damaged by a tragic accident years ago, is he the angelic innocent he seems, or does his naivete mask a darker side? Is his quirky family a loyal team, or do they have something to hide, too? What are the police concealing in their Young Offender files?Maffini keeps the plot boiling as Alvin and Camilla comb alleys and interview a chip stand owner to trace Jimmy's last hours, stirring up old sins which threaten to destroy guarded lives. As usual, her trademark tongue-in-cheek humour provides a counterfoil to serious events: "You don't hear a slogan that says 'See Canada by Dark,' and for good reason." The redoubtable Mrs. Parnell plans World War II strategy as their unlikely squad, fuelled by Tim Horton doughnuts, speeds across provinces. Gussie the dog provides flatulent companionship and readers discover a touching new side to the cats-eye-glassed Alvin. Serving as an attractive and compelling frame is the famed Ottawa Bluesfest, a music festival which may be playing Camilla's swan song.