Five Ways to Disappear: B.C. Blues Crime

In Greenaway’s brisk sixth B.C. Blues Crime novel (after 2020’s River of Lies), the officers of the North Vancouver RCMP, including lead investigator David Leith, are called early one morning to the home of Lawrence Follick, a brewery employee and hobbyist metal worker. Follick’s body lies in his front yard, the spike of a lawn ornament thrust in his throat. Soon afterward, a unicycle-riding clown is killed in a local park. The deceased is later identified as the CEO of the Vancouver branch of Global Health, a pharmaceutical company. This leaves the police looking for his killer—and in a quandary about why the man was wearing such a bizarre costume. Since the reader is privy to the identities of the murderers, the suspense lies in seeing how or whether Leith and his colleagues, who often interpret clues and motives differently, will figure out who’s guilty. These and other crimes are skillfully entwined into a satisfying skein of serendipitous coincidences. Those who prefer character-driven police procedurals will be rewarded. Agent: Carolyn Swayze, Carolyn Swayze Literary (Canada). (May)