A Stab at Life

Former bookseller Richard King has created two memorable characters in his mystery novel, A Stab at Life. Annie Linton, RN, is a nurse in the Emergency Department of the Gursky Memorial Hospital in Montreal and Gilles Bellechasse is a detective in the Major Crimes Division of the Montreal Police Force. Gilles is in charge of investigating a series of murders that have occurred in a park and the area surrounding the Gursky Memorial located in the Cote-des-Neiges area of the city. Suspects include members of a vigilante group devoted to getting drug dealers out of the park, a jealous husband, a mysterious woman of whom nude drawings turn up in one of the murder victim’s bedroom, and competing drug dealers. Annie’s excellent diagnostic skill plays a critical role in solving the crime. King’s mysteries are reminiscent of the originators of the mystery genre such as Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. A Stab at Life will delight fans of murder mysteries and have them waiting impatiently for the next novel in the series.