FROM SWEETGRASS BRIDGE

Bidulka’s whodunit digs beneath the surface of everyday Saskatchewan life to uncover hidden truths.

Merry Bell, a trans woman, recently returned to her hometown of Livingsky, “broke, alone, [and] about to turn thirty.” She hopes to earn enough money to move back to Vancouver, British Columbia, by opening a private investigation agency. Soon after starting her business, she receives a request to investigate the disappearance of Dustin Thomson, the star quarterback from the local pro football team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Shortly after she agrees to take the case, the player is found dead, drowned downriver under Sweetgrass Bridge. The police, initially uncertain whether to declare his death an accident, become increasingly convinced it was suicide. Merry is fairly certain that his death was due to foul play, and she refuses to give up her investigation, despite being stonewalled by the cops. As Merry digs deeper, she frequently flashes back to her childhood and her more recent experience of transition. Alongside this main story is a subplot involving Roger Brown, a cross-dressing man who’s married to interior designer Brenda Brown, whose office is next to Merry’s; he hosts a popular true crime podcast as his alter ego, Stella, and begins investigating who’s sending mysterious, threatening notes to Merry. These two storylines are each engaging in their own right and thematically similar, but they don’t always smoothly intersect. Nevertheless, the novel’s fast-paced storytelling, featuring carefully revealed clues and a series of double crosses, will ensure that readers stay hooked on the case. Throughout, Bidulka shows a command of natural dialogue, creates sharply defined, realistic characters, and maintains a relatively bouncy tone, despite the occasionally heavy subject matter. It’s a fresh narrative that effectively employs the familiar beats of classic detective fiction.

A suspenseful and resonant story that will captivate dedicated mystery fans and newcomers alike.