Customer Reviews

A Hummingbird Dance

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A young man is reported missing, near the T'suu Tina Nation in rural Calgary. While there is nothing specific to connect this with any other event, it seems far too coincidental that this happened exactly the same date that another young man disappeared the year before, and exactly two years after another young man from the area was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident by four cowboys, which was never solved. Detectives Lane and Harper learn that all three dead men were housemates, as was a fourth young man whose body is discovered bludgeoned to death four days later. Their investigation takes them to the home of one of the tribe elders, Eva Starchild, who lives with a mentally impaired bear of a man, Norm, who is very protective of her. The last of the housemates tells the detectives that Eva is somehow responsible for the deaths, but this seems unlikely after Lane gets to know the woman. It's a case that gets tougher as it develops, when the detectives become the target of a sniper, and later investigation leads to the surviving housemate as the possible killer, although there doesn't seem to be any motive.

Gary Ryan is back with his third outstanding "Detective Lane Mystery," and it was well worth waiting for. As in the first two, Ryan develops the events of the mystery with as meticulous detail as he does the characters in the book, so that you truly feel you know the people involved. Detective Lane is gay, living with his partner Arthur, plus a niece and nephew who were each essentially tossed away by their parents. His partner Harper is straight, married, and the new father of an infant girl, but also has a nephew (who happens to be gay) living with him. The book goes into the interaction of the families alone and together, and shows that the fear of having a partner in a risky profession is something shared by both of their spouses. This book also provides an interesting perspective into the beliefs and traditions of "First Nations" people, and provides a lesson on how police should behave when dealing with those of a different culture. Loved it, and can hardly wait for #4 in the series. Five hummingbird-kissed stars out of five!

This is the first Detective Lane volume that I have read, and I look forward to reading his preceding two works. There is a quiet ease in his writing, and a sensitivity that must make him a great teacher. Well-written, thoughtful without being "heavy." A good addition to the increasing number of gay detectives.