Fresh Grave in Grand Canyon – Lee Patton (Bold Strokes Books)

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Bold Strokes Books

Lee Patton, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Nothing Gold Can Stay (written as Casey Nelson), returns to his Award-nominated character Ray O’Brien (last seen in Love and Genetic Weaponry: The Beginner’s Guide) in his latest mystery Fresh Grave in Grand Canyon. Ray, a high-school drama teacher, volunteers as a research assistant on a Wildlands Society expedition through the Grand Canyon: for three weeks, the Canyon will be closed to the public so that the team can record mud and seed scatter data from the Glen Dam Canyon Release, part of an effort to recreate pre-dam river surges in the Canyon. Joining Ray are the expedition leader (Jenny Bridger, a family friend), two other Society volunteers (Annette and Tess), a Texas couple (Jack and Carol Carne), an oarsman (Glen Hayes), an oarswoman (Faith Brattle), a guide in training (Tycho Bracken), a Park Ranger (Dukarić, nicknamed “Duke”), and the cook (Hannah Pinch—Jenny’s mother-in-law; or rather, ex-mother-in-law). Naturally, in a group this size, comprised from individuals of varying backgrounds (and amounts of emotional baggage), tensions arise and conflict ensues; however, by the 42nd mile of a 300-mile river trip, Jack (who quickly establishes himself as the least popular expedition member) is found dead on a secluded beach in the Canyon, presumably murdered.

The tension begun in the first half of the novel only increases as the second half follows Ray and Jenny as they try to solve the mystery: suddenly, eighteenth-century Mormon graves and shipwreck memorials become ominous foreshadowings. Ray (and the reader), naturally, after meeting the other characters and learning their backgrounds, have certain expectations as to who might have a motive, which are deftly subverted by Patton; the narrative twists and turns nearly as much as the Colorado River. Complicating this narrative further is the intense attraction Ray feels for Duke: however, Duke, like everyone else on this expedition, is fighting numerous demons. Even if he reciprocates Ray’s attraction, should Ray follow through on it? (Ray, like many characters in long-running mystery series, has not had a stellar track record regarding romantic partners.)

The mystery of how Jack died is only one stratum of Patton’s novel. Interspersed throughout each character’s story is the story of the Grand Canyon itself, from its multi-million year old fossils to the more recent lore of the humans who have explored and died in it. In addition to his research into the history of the Grand Canyon, Patton has rafted the Colorado River through the Canyon twice, and he communicates a sense of wonder and awe that makes me want to see the Canyon for myself (and also check to see if the places in the novel mesh with the actual physical Canyon).

And of course, Jack’s death is not the only mystery in this novel. Will Ray’s attraction towards Duke be returned and develop further? (And talk about dramatic foreshadowing: the novel’s opening scene between Ray and Duke is hot. I was reading just as much to find out how that mystery turns out as much as whodunit.) So this novel asks several, all compelling, questions: How did Jack Carne die? What does responsible stewardship of the Grand Canyon look like? Will Ray and Duke become an item? These questions and more will keep you turning the pages to uncover the answers.

Reviewed by Keith John Glaeske

Sloth – Joanne Askew (Queer Space)

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Queer Space

The rise of COVID has affected every facet of our society, and our literature is no exception. Apocalyptic, dystopian scenarios now seem to be more popular than ever, some set closer to reality than others even though reality is getting harder to distinguish from fiction. Into this bleak landscape strides Joanne Askew’s novella, Sloth, a story of how two women cope with not only the virus but the dissolution of the life they had together.

A year into the carnage wrought by the Sloth virus, which kills if you can’t run get your heart rate up every three hours, Natali and Lana are on the lam, looking to find a rumored treatment center. But traveling is difficult in this post-collapse environment, and the two meet up with some interesting characters before achieving their goal. And that goal comes with a high price, indeed.

If that sounds vague and insubstantial, please understand this is a novella which works best in terms of mood and character rather than a plethora of plot, and the details I could give you would serve as spoilers and flatten the emotional peaks. Askew works for an atmosphere of freefall dread where anything can happen, mostly bad, and she accomplishes that from her opening scene, in which Tali kills a suffering child who is dying, trapped so he can’t run to increase his heart rate.

In the hands of a less capable writer, this could be pretty turgid stuff, but Askew is excellent at her craft, spinning the story with lively, vivid images and memorable, though simple, dialogue. And even though it’s short on plot, it still has emotional twists and turns that will keep you reading and wish the story hadn’t ended so quickly.

Speaking of its brevity, if I can find fault here, it’s that Askew hasn’t left the camera aperture on this landscape open long enough. It’s over far too soon for me, but this glimpse into a world somehow even more desperate than ours may be just about all some can tolerate. Either way, Sloth is an interesting and absorbing read.

JW

© 2022 Jerry L. Wheeler

The Rebellious Tide – Eddy Boudel Tan (Dundurn Press)

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Dundurn Press

I enjoyed and wrote about Tan’s first novel After Elias last year, totally impressed with his intense characterizations and interesting plotting. So, I was looking forward to this release. I won’t keep you in suspense but can share that it’s on a par with if not superior to Tan’s first book. Moreover, when I finished it, I didn’t feel as if I’d read it before. As with After Elias, The Rebellious Tide is an excellent ride that keeps its destination a secret until the very end.

Thirty-year-old Sebastien Goh has just lost his mother, and his father is only known to him as a mysterious sailor who abandoned them. Despite this (or because of it), Sebastien becomes obsessed with finding him. He actually tracks his father down, finding him the commanding officer of a cruise ship sailing the Mediterranean. He joins the crew, observing his father and trying to figure out why he ran away. In the meantime, an assault on one of the crew causes some outrage. Sebastien sides with the workers in a revolt against the officers. Engaged in that battle, he also finds the secret his father has hidden on the ship. The question is what to do with it.

Goh borders on stalkerish at first, but Tan refuses to make him a one-note character, giving him the more neutral air of a detective on the hunt for his father until the plot turns on a dime, and the book becomes bewitchingly layered. But Goh isn’t the only creep in the midst. His father is particularly loathsome in many respects, but that’s where I have to stop cold. I don’t want to give away any of the wonderful turns upon which the narrative is predicated.

You could also call this book The Militancy of Sebastien Goh, because in a number of respects that’s exactly what happens here. Goh is not only politicized because of the workers’ revolt, but this event transforms his worldview and gives him a place to look other than back on his relationship with his now-dead mother. And the revolt comes with its heroes and villains and martyrs, all of whom are delightful to meet–including Goh’s love interest. But we know these guys will never be a couple. It’s just not Goh’s destiny.

Rich in detail and deft in plot, Eddy Boudel Tan’s The Rebellious Tide is a wonderful read that will keep you intrigued until the last page. Highly recommended!

JW

© 2022 Jerry L. Wheeler