Good mystery with interesting characters. Marie is a college professor who teaches about whales. Her paramour, Romeo, is a police detective. when homeless and indigenous people are found dead, Romeo believes that the deaths are not accidental and when Marie tries to help a student who has been the victim of a sexual assault, she doesn't realize that her situation might be linked to Romeo's investigation. Lambert develops a fine mystery but her true strength is giving us characters that we truly care. Great second installment in what is sure to be a long running series. My only complaint is that there are so many characters to keep track of initially that the story was a bit confusing at times.

Before I started this book I went back and read the first one. That got me hooked so I eagerly got started on this one. I was not disappointed in the story line or the characters and I do hope there will be others in this series.


This book followed currents issues prevalent in our society with the disappearance and disregard of indigenous women and the "Me Too" movement. The setting of this narrative is Canada and they are not immune to these problems either. The combination of a police inspector and a retired marine biologist may seem out of place but they make it work and aid each other in tracking down a very sadistic killer with an unhinged personality, with coworkers taking care of the well known celebrity with a dirty secret.

If you enjoy the works of Louise Penney I urge you to give this one a try. I don't believe you will be disappointed.

While a worthwhile subject, a lot of contextual information felt shoe-horned into the story: statistics, dates, cultural references, progressive ideals, etc. This had the effect of feeing a bit preachy. I also felt that because there were so many characters, it was difficult to keep track and I ended up losing the thread of the story. Some storylines felt unfinished, and the killer’s revelation was very unsatisfying - What was the deal with Isaac. Otherwise, a good description of Canadian winter and a very worthy subject matter.

I never really felt invested in any of the characters, and the multiple plot lines never really seemed to sync up for me, even in the end. I appreciate when an author tries to bring attention to issues of social justice and equity, but I felt like facts and stats about rape and the treatment of Inuit women were more of a lecture or report than a natural part of the story. The last book I read, These Women, was a masterclass in letting the voices of underrepresented people speak for themselves, so this book pales in comparison.

328 pages

4 stars

This is a very busy book. There are many, many characters for the reader to keep straight.

This book takes on the task of illuminating the devastating effect that Montreal winters have on the homeless, both First Nations people as well as others. There is also a serial killer running loose who has a very twisted idea of justice, and a very well-heeled rapist.

Marie and Romero's relationship deepens and they both learn the value of making adjustments and concessions in a relationship.

The descriptions of Montreal in the winter are breathtaking. While, I've been to Montreal, I have never been in the winter. (Too cold for me little Nebraska flower that I am...) The environment, the terrain and the sheer beauty of it all are all described extremely well. The hardships of not only the homeless, many of whom suffer frostbite or even freeze to death, but also of the ordinary people who are not “sentenced” to living on the street.

The book is well written, but the plotting is a little confusing at times due to the sheer multitude of people introduced in the story. One almost needs a chart. I liked Marie and Romeo (terrible name, however), for their maturity and love for one another. I appreciated the interspersal of occasional French phrases here and there as it gave me a chance to practice my rusty French.

I want to thank NetGalley and Second Story Press for forwarding to me a copy of this entertaining book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

4.5* rounded up. I have not read the first in the series, but this stood well on its own. It is set in Montreal, a city I know reasonably well, and the sense of place and the descriptions of the neighbourhoods and the traffic and the weather were very evocative and accurate. It concerns the deaths of a number of the homeless community in downtown Montreal, some Inuit, others not, and also the rape of a young woman. There are a lot of characters introduced at the beginning. I read this more or less in one sitting, which helped with keeping track of who everyone was, and by the end they were mostly all connected.

The plotting was good and I liked the writing, which gave a good sense of Montreal's bi-lingualism. I'm deducting half a star for the places where the author rather obviously lectured the reader about the problems of the Inuit, or the frequency of assaults on women for example. She did such an excellent job for most of the novel demonstrating the practical effects of these issues through the plot or through realistic conversations between the characters, but every now and then there would be a paragraph or two of background information just inserted in, or one character would sit another down and unsubtly explain something at great length.

Nevertheless, highly recommended.

This is 3* from me.
A new author to me, a crime drama set in the Laurentians, north of Montreal. The Main characters are professor Marie Russell and Detective Romeo Leduc.
I didn’t gel with the location or it’s snippets of history I’m afraid. The bits of french dialogue added seasoning, but wasted on me.
Engaged with Nia and Christian a homeless couple with their dog. Their story tugged on my heart strings.
I found the pace reasonable
Interesting information about whales. Although found the delivery of the info about the Inuit a bit dry.
I found the book quite emotive.
There is one part that I can’t remember being fully tied up at the end.