A journalist returning to career after gambling addiction almost ruins his life investigates murder of a Native prostitute. Didn't finish, found protagonist unsympathetic.

Leo Desroches is a reporter for an Edmonton newspaper. When we first meet him, at a crime scene in a field just outside the city, we are told little else, except that he has A Past. We learn more about him slowly, as the story develops. Since the narrative is in the first-person from Leo's viewpoint, he controls when and what information we receive.

One of the first things he shares is that he is a descendant of the people who settled the area, not just those who came from Europe to hunt and trap, but those who crossed the Bering Strait, the aboriginals. We soon learn that he knows little of the native side of his heritage, his mother having only recently acquired treaty status.

The book opens as he is invited by the ranking detective (in a move atypical for most law enforcement personnel) to view a murder scene in which the victim is a young native woman named Grace Cardinal. When his editor learns of this, he assigns Leo to write a story that shows the humanity of the victim.

Completely coincidentally, the newspaper (which is never named) appoints Leo as their Aboriginal Issues reporter, and he meets people who had known Grace before she became a prostitute. As he delves into Grace's background, he realizes that there might be much more to the story than he'd first imagined.

At the same time as he's investigating Grace's murder, he is attempting to rebuild his own life. Exactly why this rebuilding is necessary is also shared with us a little at a time, but it's not a spoiler to reveal that Leo once had a gambling problem, which caused his wife to divorce him and distance herself and their children from him. One of the reasons that Leo is working so hard to succeed at the newspaper is the possibility of rebuilding a relationship with his son and daughter.

As well as being a well-constructed mystery and an extremely well-written story, Leo's story rings true to someone who grew up in the Edmonton area. Although Leo's editor would fire me for drifting into personal territory, I have experienced the bitterly cold winters and have seen the inner-city homeless (both native and non) huddling in the foyers of buildings to keep from freezing to death.

It is very true that aboriginals who have visibly native features are treated very differently from others, and Arthurson handles the delicate subject matter with tact and grace. The continuing adventures of Leo Desroches are eagerly anticipated. ( )

Loved reading a book set in Edmonton. Arthurson had me laughing on the first page when he described the police officer investigating the scene who was keeping his hands in his pockets "because like most of us this time of year, he didn't think it was cold enough for gloves. But when he stepped outside he realized his mistake. Of course, he could have gone back into the house to get them, but that would have entailed several minutes of searching through a drawer or box or cupboard of winter clothing that had been forgotten since sometime last spring. And admitting that this collection of clothing still exists is a major psychological step in the annual life of a Western Canadian ..."

The book moves along, the "hero" is definitely flawed, the information on First Nations/Aboriginals is nicely woven in without getting too pedantic or preachy, and the ending surprised. A very enjoyable read and I look forward to more from Arthurson. ( )

Leo Desroches is certainly down on his luck. On meds for personality disorders, a recovering gambler, he lost his family and his job due to his addictions. As a newspaper report, when a newspaper strike occurs, he's hired as a scab by an old acquaintance who Leo had trained in what seems like a lifetime ago.

First on the scene of a dead body found in an isolated Edmonton, Canada field, Leo is allowed in the evidence tent on site. The victim is a young, native prostitute, Grace. This scoop gives Leo a chance to show his writing capabilities and he investigates to put a life to the body he saw. In interviewing Grace's friends and co-workers, he learns that there have been other such murders over the past 15 to 20 years. This news leads Leo on a mission to uncover whether there is a serial killer in their midst.

Leo is an unusal character doing unusual things (which I won't divulge). He is on the receiving end of an inordinate number of beatings and some of his 'ah ha' moments weren't so apparent to this reader. And while most of our lives aren't as extreme has his, I imagine many people will relate to him.

I liked this book, was surprised at the ending and look forward to Arthurson's next installment in the Leo Desroche series (I'm asusming it's a series.) ( )