Certainty by Madeline Thien

This first novel by Madeline Thien follows her successful book of short stories, Simple Recipes. The intertwining storyline of the family of Gail Lim moves from Vancouver to Indonesia. Gail is a broadcast producer, married to a medical technician in Vancouver. In the beginning of the book, she has died suddenly in Northern B. C. and the stories are told by various members of her family. In search of her family history, she uncovers secret stories of her parents Martthew and Clara and their lives in Indonesia. The pacing of the novel was somewhat fractured, as there were continual shifts in location, but what I enjoyed was the accuracy of her descriptions of Chinatown and Strathcona in Vancouver.

Gargoyles by Bill Gaston (Writer's Festival Short Stories)

Nominated for the 2006 Governor General's Award for fiction, Gaston's latest collection of short stories is an interesting mix of the contemplative and the shocking, often with a dollop of black humour thrown in. In almost every story a character seems to go over the edge. There's the man in the title story who takes off all the doors of his house in order to make it look like a gigantic gargoyle which will ward off intruders. There's the father who decides it's time to put down the family's aging dog, and then decides he will honour his pet by eating his heart. And then there's Work-in-Progress, my personal favourite, where a writer goes on and on at his own author reading, finally ending up, the following morning, in a bizarre, pitched battle with the sole remaining audience member. Recommended for the adventurous short story fan.

40 Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt

This mystery takes place in Algonquin Bay which is really North Bay, the author's home town. The plot itself revolves around a very disturbed young man who has kidnapped, tortured and killed several young people with the help of a young girl. Inspector Cardinal is trying to solve these missing person cases. As they are trying to solve the past crimes, the kidnappers have a victim that they are holding so there is an element of suspense as the reader wonders whether or not the crimes will be solved in time to save the current victim.

The subplot involves Inspector Cardinal's personal life. His wife suffers from depression and is institutionalized. There is an implication that he has skimmed proceeds of crime money to help fund his daughter's education. His partner is investigating these allegations. The story is well-paced as it moves among the storylines. The characterization is very well done, particularly Inspector Cardinal and the female accomplice. The setting is an important part of the story as well. The writing is adequate but not excellent. But mystery readers who find the characterization to be as important as the plot, will like this author.