Customer Reviews

Sundowner Ubuntu: A Russell Quant Mystery (Russell Quant Mysteries)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great writer Bidulka is! And I don't mean the story, which is indeed engrossing, but what beautiful sentences he crafts. Articulate, clever, often leading to an unexpected reveal - Bidulka's prose is always artful and he wields it with the skill of a master surgeon.

That was the first thing I noticed about Sundowner Ubuntu - how strong the writing was. Then, I lost track of it, as I became engrossed in his characters and their globe-trotting adventures.

As a hopelessly stay-at-home person myself, I depend on books like Sundowner to take me to the places I wish I had the spirit - and means - to visit. But thanks to Bidulka, I get to experience new lands without ever leaving my favorite reading chair. How cool is that?

There's also a great mystery here, and wonderful, colorful people you'll love getting to know. This was my first adventure with Russell Quant, but it won't be my last.

Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery

In Sundowner Ubuntu, author Anthony Bidulka takes the next big step, nay, a giant leap, in his progression as master storyteller.

Everything begins so innocently (as great adventures often do). A woman appears in Russell's office looking for her son. Twenty years ago she and her husband disowned their child after he fell into truancy and trouble with the law. Now, the father is dead, and the mother is remorseful. She wants a second chance.

It's a good solid case for our Saskatchewan private eye. But the case seems to be over almost before it begins. The son has hidden himself somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of the African continent.
And thats where the excitement begins in what is the most far-reaching, adventurous, action-packed, emotion-laden Quant book to date.

Not only are we treated to the author's first hand knowledge (check out Bidulka's website) of travel through the sometimes beautiful, sometimes trecherous, sometimes gut-wrenching landscape that is modern-day Africa, but we get to accompany Russell on a case that is unexpectedly thought-provoking.

One horrible, childhood mistake has repercussions that spans multiple decades and countries and lives. The thread of ubuntu that gently weaves its way through the book is typical of Bidulka who is king of marrying contrasts and contradictions with real everyday life.
This is a winner.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, as I have enjoyed the previous four Russell Quant books by Mr. Bidulka. I especially enjoyed the exotic African locales in this story; they made for a fresh background against which is set a fairly implausible storyline. However, if you're reading this review please don't let that last statement keep you from reading this creative thriller. The plot is intriguing and I found myself enjoyably compelled to turn the pages, waiting to see what would happen next. This book, like the other Quant stories, is skillfully written and it's exciting, too. Of the five books which have been published, I think this one is my favorite. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Although I'm a married woman of a certain age, living in California with two kids and a fussy dog, I continue to be enamored and amused and in love with this 5-book-old series about a witty, Canadian, gay, male detective who lives in a small city I've never heard of or been to, and who somehow ends up having to travel to mysterious and exciting foreign locales around the world to solve his crimes.

What could we possibly have in common?

Nothing and everything. If I wanted to read about myself I'd give my diary a go. So yes, I love reading about people who aren't like me. But, lets be honest. Despite my preceding statement, we all love to see ourselves in the books we read. So why do I love the Russell Quant series? Why will you?

You will most certainly laugh. Sometimes you'll shake your head and go, 'what is he doing?'. You will cheer for the good guys, try to figure out who the bad guys are. You'll want to book passage on the next plane, train, bus to one of the exotic locations Russell Quant finds himself in (not excluding his curiously intriguing home of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada). You'll cry. You'll feel sad. You'll want to know more about each of the characters. You'll want his mother's recipes. You'll want his dogs. You'll want to hang with Russell in his beautiful backyard during a mythical prairie summer night, chatting about his latest case or boyfriend, over a pitcher of Red Apple martinis. And most of all?

You'll really want the next book in the series to come out SOON.

If you enjoy the Russell Quant series you'll, know doubt, find this one a worthy read too. Bidulka further develops his lead character, leading to some interesting developments, and as usual puts some of his friends in real jeopardy. A fun read. Enjoy.

Some books are well written. Some have interesting plots. Some have memorable characters. Some take us places we've never been. Anthony Bidulka's "Sundowner Ubuntu" does all these things and more.

Those who have followed Russell Quant on past adventures around the world know Bidulka's amazing ability to create an almost palpable sense of place, and he does it again as Russell goes off to Africa in search of a client's long-lost son. Bidulka weaves a rich tapestry of African lore, habits, history, and philosophies.

An exciting read, heartily recommended.

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, a story lovingly told.
Bidulka's everyday man Russell Quant makes me believe even I could have the same adventures as him. Somehow it seems quite possible that a gay detective from Canada could be dining in a South African township, be chased by bad men at Victoria Falls, be abandoned at a Botswana airport, and be set adrift on the Zambezi River. Even upon return to his hometown of Saskatchewan, the story only gets bigger, not smaller.
Twists and turns aplenty but not overdone. The story kept me on my toes, the characters kept me involved. The last chapters had me tense, angry, suspicious, wretchedly sad, and ultimately overjoyed.
With great anticipation I await the next adventure of the very human, humorous,handsome Russell Quant.

There is no question that Anthony Bidulka has talent. What he needs are better editors. "Sundowner Ubuntu", the fifth (not second as incorrectly reported in the Editorial Reviews on Amazon) in his Russell Quant series has a collection of loveable characters, especially the returning ones like his mother. But there are too many new characters who overload and slow down the story. The entire Cassandara Wellness bit belongs in what Russell calls his "Red Herring" file. Following the pattern established in the over-the-top "Tapas on the Ramblas", Russell goes from one exotic point (in this case, Africa) to another where bad things happen. Repetitious and snoozy. However, his descriptions of Africa and the game reserves (where I've been) are dead on and colorful. The denoument is predictable twenty pages out, but it is countered with a major, major surprise in the book's last sentence. Perhaps an unfair comparison, but I couldn't help contrast Bidulka with Robert B. Parker. Both write mysteries featuring a detective (or police chief). Parker moves along swiftly and succintly; Bidulka's recent works (but not his earlier "Amuse Bouche" and "Flight of Aquavit") meander and sashay. That's why I blame the editors. Still, I've bought all five of his books and will be the first to sign up for the sixth.

This book has all the hallmarks of an Anthony Bidulka mystery: danger, intriguing foreign places, surprises, learning about Saskatoon and its colorful residents, and an odd title. While reading the series in order is desirable, each book stands on its own. "Sundowner Ubuntu" is certainly exciting and worth reading. In this case the foreign adventure is in South Africa, but the dangerous residents of the Canadian prairie are well represented, too.

Sundowner Ubuntu begins in author Anthony Bidulka's surprisingly alluring prairie home city of Saskatoon, Canada, with a mother just wanting her son back. Before we know it, detective Russell Quant finds himself "looking for a Canadian needle in an African haystack".

Some of the many memorable moments include our immensely likeable hero dogging his quary through South African slums, going on Safari in Botswana, floating down the Zambezi River surrounded by murderous hippos, and drinking pink champagne in Capetown. Only in a Quant novel would all this seem normal.

This is a series that gets brisker and brighter and funnier and more delightful with every book. If you want a good book to curl up with, any in this series will do.