Shutterbug

A Willows and Parker Mystery #11

by Laurence Gough

Vancouver’s streets are awash with unusually pure heroin. Addicts are dying like flies, but in this port city at the far end of the continent, junkies are a dime a baker’s dozen, and nobody’s counting. Then several dealers join the parade of the newly dead – and all of them worked for ancient crime kingpin Jake Cappalletti. The cops sniff a pattern.

Then there’s April. She was lap-dancing when she met Wayne. He swept her off her feet at the end of her shift, just as soon as he’d finished dumping her parasitic ex-boyfriend into the trunk of his Caddy. Part of Wayne’s appeal is his raw ambition. He intends to replace Jake.

April wants to be a contributing factor in her new man’s climb to the top. When the killing stops, Wayne’s going to need a fall guy, somebody to play multiple-murderer-for-a-day. So April kidnaps Lewis, a semi-successful con artist, and teaches him some very bad habits. Wayne’s so busy with murder and mayhem that he neglects April, and pretty soon she starts to believe she might be falling in love with Lewis.

But, as usual, she could be wrong.

Meanwhile, as the homicide squad engages in an intensive hunt for the most prolific killer in the city’s history, police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker have other – more personal – concerns. Willows, finally divorced, is free to marry Parker. But sometimes freedom’s just another word for plenty left to lose. Claire wants children; Jack already has two. As the investigation heats up, Willows believes that he and Parker won’t have time to spare for nagging domestic issues.

Like April, he could be wrong.

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Laurence Gough, who lives with his wife and two children in Vancouver, has written twelve Willows and Parker mysteries: The Goldfish Bowl, winner of an Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel from the Crime Writers of Canada; Death on a No. 8 Hook; Hot Shots, winner of an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year; Serious Crimes; Accidental Deaths; Fall Down Easy; Killers; Heartbreaker; Memory Lane; Karaoke Rap; Shutterbug; and Funny Money. His international thriller, Sandstorm, won the Author Award (fiction) from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1991.

Series:
* Willows & Parker

Reviews

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows a seedier side of Vancouver but its incorporated with humour, with the continuing series with Detectives Willows and Parker – two detectives who are in a relationship. It’s a crazy quick read with just about everything you want in a good story.

[Bonnye Reed]

MyNextRead

[Caribou Reviews]

I got an ARC from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Influences of this book seem to be Dick Tracy (movie) or Sherlock Holmes (modeen movies), definitely the the Good Fellas and Sopranos, finally comic books or movies like Sin City and Watchmen.

It is a good blend of detective and mobster but sadly very predictable from what I did read. Its narrative feels like you are listening to the author recount the events like a witness or sports caster, just like in the Good Fellas.

This book is honestly funny. The narative is very dark and amusing. It comes with a great authors note stating its a work of fictional entertainment. The statement itself is entertaining and a preview of what to come; a million pop references.

"Sad but true, the delicious On-On restaurant no longer exists. I should mention that the On-On was never owned by a drug dealer named Sammy Wu. Mr. Wu is a figment of my imagination."

"Shutterbug is a more or less light-hearted work of fiction, neatly categorized by Graham Greene as an‘entertainment.’ Light demands shadow."

I'm not sure what the final copy will be like but this eBook is full of typos, from wrong words (think instead of thing), lack of spaces between words (likethis every few wordsorsentences). This is once per paragraph and distracting. The book lacks paragraph spacing in its format and doesn't have its chapters separated (yet?).

Every character introduction has a reference to an actor or movie character more than a description (sometimes it has both and the description is a marathon). It gives the impression that characters and situations are stock and tropes. Shutterbug is pleantiful in pop culture adjectives and adjectives in general that they feel like filler or extreme running commentary.

Unfortunately this is another book I can't seem to get through and finish. Its too wordy and the commentary style is not something that appeals to me right now. I love breaking the forth wall. Its fun but I prefer it in moderation. Its a fun read but not something I would devote time for right now. I may read it again when bored in a doctors office or on a plane, etc.

I will withhold on giving a rating for now. I may come back to this title in the future, especially if there is a legible, edited copy but I'm not interested in a rant marathon at the moment. I will update my review if and when this happens. This will be a when I think as it was entertaining.

If you like detective, commedy, sitcoms, Sopranos, the Good Fellas, etc. This is for you. CSI and NCIU not so much as its very light hearted.

Additional note:
I went back to NetGalley an noticed all the positive feedback from big sources (The Toronto Star, The Times - London (Ontario?), The Halifax Chronical (Herald whoever that is) and awards the author has received. I hope that was the edited copy given to the press and not the ARC given to NetGalley. :)

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Press for a review copy of Shutterbug, the eleventh instalment of his Vancouver based series of police procedurals.

Willows and Parker are called to the scene of another drug addict's death. A couple of details seem off, like a syringe in his right arm when he's right handed, but not enough to warrant a murder investigation. Then there is another death which they are about to write off when they find another body in the wardrobe, again death by overdose, but as this one has a phone stuffed in her mouth it's time to investigate further and what they find is a series of murders with all the victims being drug dealers. In the meantime April has kidnapped Lewis and is turning him into a drug addict, much to the disgust of her husband, Wayne.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shutterbug. It is different from the other novels in the series I have read. It concentrates very much on Willows and Parker with little mention of the other detectives in the squad and there is a surreal humour to many of the situations described which include rubber dolls, Dalmatians and frog hunting (my lips are sealed on further explanation so you'll have to read it). The subject matter, heroin addiction and the dirty business of supplying it, is gritty but the tone is lighter and is matched by the warm weather.

Willows and Parker are at a turning point in their relationship. He is now divorced, she has moved in permanently and they are considering a joint mortgage to pay off his ex-wife but never seem to get round to organising it. They seem closer than ever.

Shutterbug is a good read with plenty to keep you interested and reading so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc from Netgalley.

Whew, what a wild and crazy ride! This book has a bit of everything thrown in, which made for a quick read. I enjoyed it from start to finish.