Tag: Book Reviews

The Detroit Shoemaker

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The Detroit Shoemaker
by Barbara Reaume Sandre

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Aug 28, 2025 

This book took me completely by surprise. Not usually a genre I read, I was quickly consumed by the story of a French family who emigrated from France, settled in Montreal, and then helped to establish the cities of Detroit and Windsor.
The author’s research is extensive and meticulous, tracing her family’s roots back several generations.
The story delves into Canada’s fur trade and French migration south along the St. Lawrence Seaway to the birth of Detroit, in the form of Fort Pontchartrain.
The level of survival skills and determination of our pioneering ancestors is nothing short of amazing.
Every local history buff should snag a copy of this book.

Support Your Local Authors

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In this day and age of Elbows Up and buy Canadian, please consider supporting your local authors. There are at least a hundred in Southwestern Ontario that I know of and probably another hundred or so that I don’t. I’ve met several of these writers over the years and am amazed at the talented people that surround us.

Many of us can be found on giant websites or bookstores such as Amazon or Indigo but you can also find certain local authors in your neighbourhood bookstores like Biblioasis, Juniper, Riverbooks and StoryTellers.

We’ve recently added a new bookshelf at StoryTellers, stocked full with various titles from your local authors. It’s just inside the front door so be sure to check it out on your way into the store. Linda, the owner, can tell you about many of our books along with hundreds of other titles from other more famous authors she has in stock.

Please support your local author.

The Never Game – Jeffery Deaver

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The Never Game (Colter Shaw, #1)
by Jeffery Deaver (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review May 31, 2025 

It’s maybe more like 3.5 stars to me.

I do like Deaver’s new protagonist, Colter Shaw, but personally think he went into far too much detail with the back story about Shaw’s past. Granted, it’s nice to know how he acquired his skillset but it was a bit more than I really needed to know. Actually, I found it a bit confusing, trying to separate past from present more than once throughout the book.

The story is fresh and interesting, taking us into the gaming industry and giving us an in depth look inside the minds of both vide0 game creators and players.

I stumbled across a TV series called, Tracker, which currently runs two seasons on the Disney channel. Watching the show has given me a new appreciation for Colter Shaw and his ongoing quest to locate missing people.

The Eagle Has Flown – Jack Higgins

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My Review

Edmond Gagnon

Author 17 books50 followersMay 17, 2025

I couldn’t give this book any more than 2 stars since I was bored and stopped reading after 100 pages – if a story can’t get my interest in that time then it’s not worth finishing.
For a war story, I expected a lot more – not just a lot of backroom dialog that barely moved things along.
If you think this book is as good as The Eagle Has Landed, you’re in for a big disappointment.
My loss if it got any better in later chapters and pages.

Quicksand – Murder Unresolved

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My latest Norm Strom Crime novel has just been released – available in eBook on Amazon NOW. The release in paperback there and on your other favorite book site is coming soon.

Quicksand is a fictional story of an unsolved local murder that occurred in a quiet lakefront village where Norm Strom resided before moving back to Windsor, Ontario. Annie Gladstone is run down in broad daylight by a hit and run driver who is never identified or arrested.

One of Strom’s co-workers, a fellow cop, was dating Annie and is questioned about the incident. Her estranged ex-husband quickly becomes a person of interest and later the main suspect. An arrest is made several years later and the Gladstone family relives the entire event in court.

The case is still open and the murder remains unresolved to this day.

Monster – Jonathan Kellerman

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Version 1.0.0

Jonathan Kellerman Set (Monster, The Web, When The Bough Breaks)
by Jonathan Kellerman

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Aug 18, 2024  

This novel is a slow-starter and a bit of a yawner…taking over 300 pages before Detective Milos Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware latch on to what seems like a viable lead.
As usual with this pair, there is way to much speculating and theorizing between them while trying to piece together murder details and possible suspects.
I’m also not a fan of excessive fluff…long-winded descriptions of every person and place in the story.
But the plot is a decent one that starts with one gruesome murder, then two, and what later becomes a trail of bodies left behind by a sadistic serial killer.
Not Kellerman’s best in my opinion, Monster is worth the read but I wouldn’t rush to put in on the top of your reading list.

On Dangerous Ground – Jack Higgins

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On Dangerous Ground (Sean Dillon #3)
by Jack Higgins

Edmond Gagnon‘s review, Jul 05, 2024  

I like Jack Higgins writing style and enjoyed this story but have tired of characters like Sean Dillon, the spy or ex-soldier of some type with all the special skills necessary to save the world.
At least this tale is of a different sort, tying past with present, while trying to locate a lost artifact that could change the political fate of at least one country, let alone the financial interests of other countries and criminal enterprises as well.
There’s enough action to keep readers turning pages, and although I felt they were predictable, a few plot twists made the story more interesting.

The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly

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The Dark Hours (Renée Ballard, #4; Harry Bosch, #23; Harry Bosch Universe, #36) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Feb 09, 2024 

I gave this book four stars but I feel it was only worth 3.5.
There is nothing wrong with the story and perhaps I was less impressed because the protagonist was mostly Renee Ballard, not my favorite Connelly character.
Technically, it’s a Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel but the latter only makes a limited appearance later in the story as the female detective’s backup.
In The Dark Hours, Ballard juggles two cases, murder and rape, but struggles with everyone else in the “new L.A.P.D.” to get the job done. Of course, she can always count on retired Detective Harry Bosch for help.
The story picks up pace as Ballard bounces between the two cases, and then races to the finish line to wrap up all the bad guys in messy finale.

The Forgotten – David Baldacci

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The Forgotten (John Puller, #2)
by 

David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Jan 25, 2024 

I like Baldacci’s style and his character John Puller, in my opinion his version of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. Both men have military experience and the same moral compass when it comes to helping people and doing what’s right.
The Forgotten has become an all-to-familiar tale of human trafficking at it’s worst. In this case it’s the rich getter richer by stealing the poor from their homes, threatening their families, and selling them off as slaves.
That’s the story in a nutshell but there’s lots of intrigue and action, John Puller style.
The Forgotten is a good read.

The Gods of Guilt – Michael Connelly

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The Gods of Guilt (The Lincoln Lawyer, #5; Harry Bosch Universe, #25)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Jan 16, 2024 

Michael Connelly has become my favorite author, mostly for his Harry Bosch series but I do like the Lincoln Lawyer series as well. Especially when there are little crossovers between the two protagonists who are half brothers.
Like some of the best lawyers I know personally, Michael Haller is not perfect and has his own life issues to handle while he does his best to represent his clients, guilty or not.
Although mostly predictable, The Gods of Guilt is jam-packed with courtroom action and a few little surprises that Haller pulls out of his magic hat.
This story didn’t knock my socks off but was a very good read.