Black Rock: An Eddie Dougherty Mystery

(Paperback)

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Description

Montreal 1970. The "Vampire Killer" has murdered three women and a fourth is missing. Bombs explode in the stock exchange, McGill University, and houses in Westmount. Riots break out at the St. Jean Baptiste parade and at Sir George Williams University. James Cross and Pierre Laporte are kidnapped and the Canadian army moves onto the streets of Montreal. A young beat cop working out of Station Ten finds himself almost alone hunting the serial killer, as the rest of the force focuses on the FLQ crisis. Constable Eddie Dougherty, the son of a French mother and an Irish-Canadian father, decides to take matters into his own hands to catch the killer before he strikes again. Set against actual historical events, Black Rock is both a compelling page-turner and an accomplished novel in the style of Dennis Lehane.

Reviews

"[An] excellent historical procedure ... Well done history and a really good plot line." -- Globe and Mail
"[McFetridge]'s prose remains stripped back and forceful, the action propelled by laconic dialogue and the likeable Eddie Dougherty's refusal to allow politics to interfere with his personal pursuit of justice ... It's a fascinating backdrop, too." -- The Irish Times
"Canadian author/screenwriter McFetridge has earned critical praise for Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (2008) and other previous works, but is still looking for a 'breakout book.' With its well-etched family drama and dynamic historical background, Black Rock might finally be the one." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Spellbinding franglais dialogue and a superb police procedural are set against the backdrop of a seminal period in Canadian history." -- Winnipeg Free Press
"This is an extremely good crime novel, brimming with historical verisimilitude ... with a richly detailed protagonist and a seriously compelling mystery." -- Booklist

Author Bio

John McFetridge, author of the Toronto Series, which includes Dirty Sweet and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, became fascinated with crime when attending a murder trial at age 12 with his police officer brother. McFetridge has co-written a short story collection, Below the Line, and wrote for CTVs TV series The Bridge. He was born in Montreal, and now lives in Toronto with his family. Visit him online at johnmcfetridge.blogspot.com.