Hamilton native, author Chris Laing, is the creator of the popular mysteries featuring P.I. Max Dexter. Set in post WWII Hamilton, his third opus, A Family Matter is the best of a strong series.
A two-bit local con-man invites Max to an urgent meeting to talk about a mother – Max’s mother to be precise, a maternal presence he’s not missed for 20 years and counting.
There’s a mob war brewing and Max’s special assistant and lover is still recovering from crossing one of the Barton St. Mob. Add Max’s mother and Christmas 1947 might just deliver more lumps of coal than Birk’s sparklers.
Laing’s debut novel, A Private Man, was short-listed for Best First Novel for the Arthur Ellis awards and he hit his stride with number two. A Family Matter – the third well-written mystery is proof positive that poise, humour and longevity are Laing’s strengths. A Family Matter is emotionally strong with the rhythm of the Hammer and the colour and action that makes it a page turner. Laing’s story telling is a unique reflection of the heart beat of Hamilton streets in 1947 and reminds me of how the late British author Colin Dexter captured the spirit of Oxford UK.
Enjoy a murderous trip down Hamilton’s memory lane as only Laing can tell it.
Don Graves
Canadian Mystery Reviews on Goodreads.com
****
A FAMILY MATTER (A Max Dexter Mystery)
Chris Laing’s latest book, A Family Matter, is the third in his series on Hamilton private eye Max Dexter. From the first page it picks you up and drops you into the Hamilton of 1947. With vivid writing and an encyclopedic knowledge of what was going on in post-war Hamilton, Laing transports you to a real place where you can almost taste the food and feel the grit. For anyone who likes crime fiction and local history this is the ideal read. I couldn’t put it down.
Margaret Houghton,
Local Hamilton author and historian
****
“1940’s Hamilton obviously lives again, thanks to your writing.”
Stewart Brown – The Hamilton Spectator’s former entertainment reporter, man about town, and the author of Brant Inn Memories, a nostalgic memoir of the famous dance spot published by North Shore Publishing, Burlington, Ontario.
****
A Family Matter is available on-line at
, SMASHWORDS.COM and perhaps at your local public library.