April Fool [Hardcover]

William Deverell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

An irresistible story of justice heading off the rails.

Arthur Beauchamp, the scholarly, self-doubting legend of the B.C. criminal bar (and one of Deverell’s most amiable — and crafty — protagonists), is enjoying his retirement as a hobbyist farmer on B.C.’s Garibaldi Island when he is dragged back to court to defend an old client. Nick “the Owl” Faloon, once one of the world’s top jewel thieves, has been accused of raping and murdering a psychologist. Beauchamp has scarcely registered how unlikely it is that the diminutive Faloon has hurt anyone when his own personal life takes an abrupt turn. His new wife, Margaret Blake, organic farmer and environmental activist, has taken up residence fifty feet above ground in a tree she is determined to save for the eagles and from the loggers. Beauchamp shuttles between Vancouver and the island, doing what he can to save the tree and get his wife back — and defend Faloon.

Part courtroom thriller, part classic whodunit, April Fool sees Deverell writing at the top of his form as he puts these characters through some entertaining and very surprising twists and turns.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel

“April Fool thrusts itself brashly into the reader’s psyche like a lumber-jacketed logger at a black-tie affair. Ruggedly individualistic, demanding and determined, its characters are shrewdly etched and realistically rendered.”
— Globe and Mail

“Deverell brings back one of his classic characters, wily B.C. Queen’s Counsel Arthur Beauchamp, in this droll, witty novel about crime in the Gulf Islands.”
— Toronto Sun

“The dialogue crackles, the style is sharp and compelling, and it’s a treat to spend another book with Beauchamp.”
— Vancouver Sun

“Deverell burrows into Beauchamp’s soul, and we see almost everything unfold through his addled but fascinating perspective.”
— Vancouver Province

“Deverell writes breathless prose, commas flying here and there with exuberant abandon, as he dissects the nuttiness of his various locations. . . . April Fool spills over with idiosyncratic characters.”
— Edmonton Journal

“Hugely entertaining.”
— Calgary Herald

“Deverell is one of Canada’s best and funniest mystery writers.”
— Ottawa Citizen

“Readers gladly follow all of Deverell’s distinctly drawn characters through tiny outposts on Canada’s West Coast to the courtrooms of Victoria and Vancouver and the fine hotels of Europe. He is a master storyteller with a wonderful sense of humour. The story flows effortlessly, and readers are twigs on the river, along for one hell of a ride.”
— Quill & Quire

“[Deverell] is a hugely amusing and self-assured writer, and when you have his gifts it is hard to go wrong.”
— National Post

About the Author

Deverell's acclaimed first novel, Needles, which drew on his experiences as a lawyer, won the $50,000 Seal Award. Since then he has published one work of non-fiction, A Life on Trial, and twelve further novels, including his latest, April Fool, which won the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. April Fool has just been released in paperback.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771027117
• ISBN-13: 978-0771027116
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,315,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome breath of fresh air..., December 25, 2010

By 

Buffalo Barnes (live from Maui) - See all my reviews

This review is from: April Fool (Mass Market Paperback)

While desperately searching for something to read in the laundry room bookcase, I happened upon this book. What a score! I have seldom laughed out loud while reading a murder mystery but I did with this book. Filled with great characters, one I would swear was patterned after myself, hilarious courtroom scenes AND an engrossing murder mystery to boot. This is the literary equivalent of a Marx Bothers movie. All the plot threads are handled well and none are given short shrift at the expense of another. "Zany" without trying too hard. Pick it up and read it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deverell - an amusing and creative author, February 1, 2010

By 

Lani (Sunshine Coast, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: April Fool (Mass Market Paperback)

if you like the law and a mystery this is the book for you. Deverell breaks down the stuffiness of the law courts with an interesting and amusing look at the characters, judges, felons etc. Great read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable crime novel with a unique style and nice sense of place, September 10, 2009

By 

Craig Sisterson (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: April Fool (Mass Market Paperback)

April Fool marks the return of one of Deverell's most beloved characters; Arthur Beauchamp, a Denny Crane-esque legal legend now retired to a hobby farm on one of British Columbia's Gulf Islands. Beauchamp's quiet life is upturned when his environmental activist wife decides to protest logging by living in a tree, at the same time as a roguish ex-client is accused of a heinous rape and murder.

The heroically fallible Beauchamp is forced onto an entertaining rollercoaster combining courtroom thriller with mystery whodunit. For readers, Deverell's unique writing style - melding quirky characters, witty dialogue, contemporary themes, and literary touches into a richly authentic Canadian setting, makes the ride all the more worthwhile. Recommended.