The Boy Must Die

by Jon Redfern

A fourteen-year-old boy has been found hanged and mutilated in the basement of Satan House. It’s the second life the derelict mansion has claimed. The work of a brutal predator? A curse? Or a ritual cult murder? The boy’s death shocks parents in the Alberta city of Lethbridge, and police chief Eddy “Butch” Bochansky knows there will be reprisals. Trying to ward off panic, he persuades his old high school buddy, Billy Yamamoto, to act as a deputy detective and hunt down the killer. Recently returned to the plains, Billy’s just buried his own father and taken over a ranch in the foothills, a five hundred acre spread by Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Convinced he can assist his old friend, Billy takes on his first murder case since retiring from the Vancouver force, where for thirty years he worked in the homicide unit and investigated organized crime. In Redfern’s breathless thriller, the unforgettable Yamamoto and his inherited team of local cops confront child abuse, professional negligence, and racial intolerance while finding connections between the boy and numerous “solid” Lethbridge citizens. Occult activities, drugs, and secret teenage pacts intersect with the world of loan sharks and smugglers as a small-town murder crosses the border and threatens to become an international incident. And then another body is found. Sifting through contradictory evidence, searching for a wholly unpredictable killer, pushed to the hilt, somehow, Yamamoto realizes, the heist of priceless Native artifacts from a U.S. burial site is the key. But can he unlock the mystery before he himself dies?

Genres: Mystery, Canada

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Jon Redfern was born in Alberta. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and has taught there and at York University, Centennial College, and the Siena-Toronto Centre in Italy. Redfern has also worked as a freelance journalist and story editor for the CBC. He lives in Toronto.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (2002): The Boy Must Die
◊ Best Novel (2008): Trumpets Sound No More

Reviews

[Mckinley Inglis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book for a couple reasons; it was different, had likeable, relatable characters, and a decent ending. The end of the book tied all the knots and I was satisfied...but at the same time it was slightly far fetched, although I think that can be expected with most mystery novels. Ultimately, this book kept me interested enough for me to want to finish it, but it was no Agatha Christie, meaning I will forget about it in a couple days. I'm not sure what age group this book is meant for, but I think it should be read by young adults/teenagers.

[Lynn Bornath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked Billy, liked the setting, but about halfway through the book, I stopped caring who did what and why. Read the full review.