A terrific procedural. Those unfamiliar with Canadian law will learn something even as they are entertained. A good read.

A nice read. The DC team up was good and very interesting. My second book by the author and I'm planning to read more in the future.

Classy thriller set in Vancouver

A perfectly easy side-job. Follow the car and take photos if possible. Lance Liu did not realise that this would be the death of him – literally.

So opens Undertow, the second in the Leith/Dion RCMP series set in North Vancouver. Detectives David Leith and Callum Dion both independently move back to Vancouver, where Leith has to cope with leaving his family behind and Dion has to worry about the crash he sustained a year ago, and all that that involved.

Whilst this can be read as a stand-alone book, I do think that to fully follow the chronology of events it would be better to read these two novels in order.

Nevertheless, the murder of Liu and the knock-on effects, combined with a seemingly unrelated murder mean that Leith and Dion have their work cut out to bring the culprit/s to justice.

The plot moves along at a good pace and we are able to contrast Leith, the good, steady, ‘do-it-by-the-book’ copper, with Dion, the ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ copper. Whilst we can empathise with both types, Dion is by far the more interesting and unpredictable.

R M Greenway’s characters are believable and bold and she has produced a book that is entertaining, mysterious and thrilling.

Sméagol

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I enjoyed reading this police procedural and give it 4 stars. I previously read Cold Girl, book 1 in the series and liked it also, so much so that I requested book 2 from the publisher and NetGalley. I recommend reading this series in order.
This book starts with Cal Dion and David Leith, both transferred from Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada, to Vancouver, B.C.'s RCMP office. They are assigned to the suspicious death of Lance Liu. More deaths happen and Leith and Dion go at this mystery from separate directions. Dion and Leith have a difficult relationship--going back to when they first met at Hazelton.
Dion is still recovering from an auto accident in which he was almost killed. He has difficulty with social/working relationships and gets into nasty arguments with co workers. Leith is asked to watch over Dion by their supervisor. Leith believes that Dion is hiding something from the accident, which killed Dion's partner. Dion claims not to remember anything from the accident, but some things have come back to him, and he keeps them to himself. He feels that he is a failure as a police officer, but as in the first book in the series, he plays a crucial role in solving the murders.
While some incidents in the beginning seem unrelated, they all tie together in the end, for a very satisfactory ending. My wife read this book and also rates it 4 stars.
Two quotes:
"What looked like a compact sized country estate spread out within the gates. The broad asphalt parking area could easily accommodate a couple dozen vehicles."
"He sat down, looked across the table at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and all his neatly aligned data points scattered."

Follow Constables Cal Dion and Dave Leith as they solve murders in North Vancouver, Canada. Although this novel is the second in the B.C. Blues Crime series, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone.

I really liked this book and found it a lovely mix of strong characterisation and a very involved plot. Both constables have their failings but are very good second division players. They both try their level best to bring justice to the victims. They are not glamourous all action heroes but ordinary hard working people. Rather than get a brilliant lead to their enquires, Undertow has the other side to police work, how can we make anything out of this mess? Greenaway really engaged me as a reader, as she strongly got across the feeling of being lost within a police investigation, with nothing adding up.

For readers like me who read books in 45 minute sessions, Undertow is just great because when you are away from the story, thoughts about the novel pop into your head, time and time again. What about this character or that character? Were those details relevant? I wonder if someone is behind all this? What the devil is going on?

I liked the chemistry between all the police officers, in and out of work. Greenaway used their different personalities so well, they drew me in and I thought I was part of the team! I found Undertow a very good read because there was so much to consider. It was not one of those books that you just rolled along with as it quietly entertains. Undertow got my cogs turning as my suspicions changed from one character to the next. I loved the way Greenaway pointed her guilty finger at everyone. I got a lot of pleasure from reading Undertow and can find nothing wrong with this novel. At the end of the story I thought WOW! And slowly from memory all the little bits added up together, all those little details were important and what a brilliant plot. I loved getting things wrong in my head along the way, Greenaway has a great skill of leading the reader up the garden path. Undertow is a very good read and it gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

I have read Greenaway’s first novel Cold Girl, which I also voted 5 stars. It is great to find that her writing quality has not slipped and I have now become a fan of her writing. Looking forward to her next novel and I don’t mind which location she uses as the joy is in the characterisation and the plot.

his was the second book by this author and my second book to read by this author. This one was definitely better than the first book.

The book starts out pretty crazy with a high speed chase wherein a man is following another man. Then he decides forget it. However, the man being chased says oh no, your not getting away with this and proceeds to chase his chaser. It just gets hairier after that. There are several people killed in this book and it's really pretty hard to figure out why and who is doing all this killing. Which is a good thing.

There are times when the author leads you to believe that things are going to happen and nothing does. That's a good thing as well.

When everything comes to light at the end, the light bulb goes off and you can see how the hints were there. However, they were so subtle that there was no way to really figure it out. I liked that.

There are some crazies in this book. I liked that too. A great read which I'm glad I got to read and review.

Thanks to Dundurn for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I think because this was book number 2, I did not really appreciate this novel. The writing was good and I like the characters of Dave Leith and Cal Dion, but overall this story didn't really do much for me.

This story had two murders that are not immediately known to be conected. The trail of data is complex and leads to a variety of suspects. The two main characters are police officers, a genius at detection, who has been brained damaged in a violent car accident named Dion and David Leith who is tasked with watching him by a senior officer.

Their relationship is difficult at best but fruitful in the investigation. The story revolves round those associated with a failing night club, Diamonds. It is a story in which you believe you have identified the villain but then the story surprises you. The ending is graphic but fitting.

I appreciate Netgalley offering me a copy of this novel for an unbiased review. This is a novel I recommend to readers who enjoy multiple suspects and multiple lines of investigation going at the same time. This is well done since the loose ends come together nicely at the end.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and the story line was interesting and kept my attention all the way through to the end of the book. A solid 5 out of 5.

Book #2, in the BC Blues Crime series

One year has passed since the first story ended. In this installment we have Constables Leith and Dion back together working in North Vancouver. It doesn’t take time before they get deeply involved in a pair of hugely intricate murder cases: one tragic cold case and the other the double murder of Cheryl Liu and her baby daughter. Everything soon morphs in one incredible tangle where nothing is sure and no one is really telling the truth. We need to decipher all this as we go along and follow Leith and Dion tackling the 2 investigations.

As in her previous novel “Cold Girl”, Mr. Greenaway penned another multilayered mystery that dilly-dallies a lot and is way longer than necessary. I would say it is one of those books you love or hate for that reason. The author pays great attention to small details slowing every down to a crawl. Leaving aside action which is so scattered you rarely see some I needed to change tack, put my mind to it in order to keep up with this puzzle. As it slowly revealed itself piece by piece the mystery started to grow on me and I didn’t mind pushing on.

This novel is definitely a character driven mystery with many players to keep track of some of which may show up in one or the other investigation or not at all….that was also a challenge. The style is a little different and is quite unique and may have all the attributes to make it fascinating but as in the first book I found it to be a hard book to get into. The style may not have totally appealed to my taste but this does not mean “Undertow” is not a well-written and captivating mystery, it is in many ways. It simply wasn’t meant for me.

Thank you Dundurn and NetGalleys for this ARC

A pretty good read. Interesting characters and setting, pretty well written, though the characterizations aren't fully compelling. Some good complex situations to unravel. A few places that needed better editing to remove grammatical mistakes, which always jar me when trying to immerse myself in a story. Overall I felt that the author was attempting to give us three-dimensional characters but didn't quite know how to pull it off.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Dundurn for an advance copy of Undertow, the second novel in the B.C. Blues Crime series of police procedurals set, this time, in North Vancouver.

Two of the protagonists from the first novel, Cold Girl, have independently relocated to North Vancouver and both are hating it. Dave Leith because he misses his family, hates the lack of space in the city and doesn't feel accepted by his colleagues, Cal Dion because he isn't the man he used to be when he worked there previously - a serious car crash has impaired his cognitive abilities - and because he has a secret he can't afford to be revealed. Both hope for redemption in the big cases that have just come in - the murder of a family, closely followed by the murder of a millionaire club owner. How these investigations pan out and how these two men deal with them is the basis of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Undertow. The plot has plenty of twists and turns, some of which I could guess but most I couldn't so it kept me up too late, glued to the pages. It is clever in the way it unfolds, through many layers and circles, to a conclusion. This may make it sound difficult to follow but it isn't as it's all linear and logical. I admit that I struggled to keep track in the previous novel, Cold Girl, but Undertow is much more streamlined.

The characterisation is good as well, from the two protagonists to the supporting cast who all seem realistic. Dave Leith is the slow and steady type, a family man not given to flashes of brilliance but shot through with determination. Cal Dion is completely different. His cognitive problems mean he can't always concentrate or remember basic facts, never mind write concise reports, but he has an instinctual ability to arrive at the right conclusion, even when he can't explain it. Their contrasting styles cause a bit of friction but it is a winning combination.

Undertow is a good read so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

4 Stars

Both Calvin “Cal” Dion and Dave Leith move back to the Vancouver RCMP office from the north. While Leith is surprised to see Dion there, Dion is worried about “faking” to some degree just how much he has recovered from his car crash.

The first murder they catch is the Liu family. Missing from the scene are a vase and a child’s bootie. Both mysteries seem to make no sense. The only surviving member of the family is four-year old Joey. Joey gives confusing and conflicting account of what happened that night. But who can blame the young child?

Sergeant Bosko is concerned about Dion’s lapses is attention and his reporting style. And something else is bothering him. He asks Leith to keep an eye on him.

Another murder is committed at a rural house. A wealthy man is found in his garage, beaten and suffocated by means of leaving his car running in the garage. Immediately, the questioning of his family members commences.

Meanwhile, Dion drives out to the scene where his accident took place. He worries about the sign telling people that the land is for sale. Does that mean that contractors will be digging the place up soon?

Dion walks out on his job. He connects with one of the suspects, Jon,at his nightclub, Diamonds. Staying at Jon’s nightclub, he ignores Leith and Sergeant Bosko’s repeated phone calls. Bosko finally threatens him with arrest if he doesn’t come in to talk to him.

Another person dies. Murder or accident?

Through a convolution of circumstances, Dion figures out who committed the murders. It is a twisted trail he follows. I did not figure it out until Dion explained it to Leith. It was a brilliant move by Ms. Greenaway.

I want to thank Netgalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this well written book.