Miss Montreal
Authors: Howard Shrier
“From start to epilogue,
Boston Cream
is a mystery thriller of insight, compassion, with an infectious sense of urgency that drives to a conclusion both real and satisfying. Author Howard Shrier masterfully links the dialogue to the pace, the setting and the plot with an energy that makes readers feel they’re absorbing the story at a rate almost too fast to take in.… I suggested in an earlier column that Shrier was an author to watch. In
Boston Cream
, he’s arrived.
—
The Hamilton Spectator
“Crime writers should look over their shoulders: Howard Shrier started strong, and he’s only getting better.
Boston Cream
is a well-paced, atmospheric tale, with assured writing, believable characters and engaging protagonists.”
—
Spinetingler Magazine
“Shoot ’em up action mixed with clever dialogue and thought provoking conundrums.”
—
Women’s Post
“As with his previous books, Shrier keeps the pace moving at a brisk clip, ups the ante with surprising … plot twists, and makes the reader care about Geller and Jenn.”
—
Quill & Quire
“I am so glad to have discovered Shrier. Geller is a richly different character.”
—Crimespace
“There is a reason Shrier consistently wins the Arthur Ellis, Canada’s highest crime fiction award: he tells a really good story. Relish the local color, cultural nuances, and successive waves of action.”
—
Library Journal
(starred review)
“Explosive.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
WINNER OF THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL
“Shrier … writes with an easy assurance and a killer sense of humour.…
High Chicago
is a great addition to the mystery shelf.”
—
NOW
(Toronto)
“Howard Shrier’s first novel,
Buffalo Jump
, won the Arthur Ellis Award for best first novel.
High Chicago
, his second, will definitely be short-listed for another. It’s got the same stellar characters, the same clever plotting, and, if anything, an even better story.”
—The Globe and Mail
“
High Chicago
confirms Shrier as an author to watch for, both in Canada and abroad. It’s a mystery that peels away the urban layers of big business civility to expose the raw flesh of reality underneath.”
—The Hamilton Spectator
“Combining fast-paced action with well-structured plots, and featuring a complex but likeable protagonist, Shrier’s novels are fast winning him legions of loyal fans. If you enjoy contemporary hard-boiled tales with nuanced characters, check out
High Chicago
; you won’t be disappointed.“
—Sherbrooke Record
“Shrier is one of the most exciting new voices in the mystery genre. This sophomore effort is sure to please.”
—
Village Post
“With
High Chicago
, Shrier cements his reputation as a fine mystery writer. I suspect and hope that he and Jonah will be around for a long time to come.”
—
Canadian Jewish News
“
High Chicago
is tighter, tauter, and speedier than its predecessor. I am looking forward to the next American city to receive a flying visit from Jonah Geller and his crew.”
—Yvonne Klein,
reviewingtheevidence.com
“Shrier’s first Jonah Geller mystery was terrific;
High Chicago
is even better.”
—Linwood Barclay, bestselling author of
No Time for Goodbye
and
Too Close to Home
“A plot brimming with greed, deceit, violence and murder makes
High Chicago
a fast-paced, entertaining read.”
—José Latour, bestselling author of
Crime of Fashion
“A fast-moving and violent tale that proves your deadliest enemy is probably the person sleeping right beside you. I hope Geller returns for a third book.”
—Lee Goldberg, writer and producer
“
High Chicago
is often funny, sometimes violent, and always thoughtful, with a powerful sense of place throughout. Toronto may have just found its Spenser in PI Jonah Geller, and I can’t wait for his next case.”
—Sean Chercover, award-winning author of
Trigger City
and
Big City, Bad Blood
WINNER OF THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL
“Howard Shrier’s first novel,
Buffalo Jump
, is a winner.”
—National Post
“Contemporary Canadian crime writers are not exactly plentiful in number, and … Howard Shrier is a welcome addition to their ranks.… Continue[s] the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Robert Crais with a hearty and promising Maple Leaf Twist.”
—Quill & Quire
“Delivers a fast plot with the requisite brutalities.”
—Joan Barfoot,
London Free Press
“A great debut novel from Montreal-born Torontonian Shrier, and it introduces PI Jonah Geller in what is certainly going to be a fine series. The plot is tight, the characters engaging, and this one even has a believable—and sympathetic—bad guy.”
—The Globe and Mail
“A debut novel with a well-juggled storyline brimming with dry humour, a cast of oddball characters, and graphic scenes that come alive with action. A must-read for summer.”
—
The Hamilton Spectator
“This first book by Shrier is top-notch, a page-turner to rate with the best of them and with some memorable characters. It also contains just the right dose of cynicism and dark humour, both of which mark the best of the private-eye novels.”
—
The Guelph Mercury
“A cast of compelling oddballs; a complex, funny and always surprising hero, and a plot as fresh and twisty as today’s headlines—Shrier juggles them all deftly and nails his first crime novel with the aplomb and impact of a seasoned pro. A completely satisfying read that made me wish Jonah Geller could work cases on my shows.”
—René Balcer, Emmy-winning executive producer/
head writer of
Law & Order
, creator of
Law & Order
Criminal Intent
, winner of the Peabody Award, and of four
Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America
“A crime story that is both thrilling and thoughtful.”
—Kelley Armstrong, bestselling author
of the Women of the Otherworld series
“Jonah Geller has a strong and individual voice.… He is contemporary, appealing, and fresh in several senses of the word.”
—Yvonne Klein,
reviewingtheevidence.com
“Journalist turned actor turned author Howard Shrier has a great new first novel.”
—Craig Rintoul,
bookbits.ca
Also by Howard Shrier
VINTAGE CANADA EDITION, 2013
Copyright © 2013 Howard Shrier
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Published in Canada by Vintage Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, in 2013. Distributed by Random House of Canada Limited.
Vintage Canada with colophon is a registered trademark.
Lyrics from Blue Rodeo’s “Montreal” used with permission from Jim Cuddy/Greg Keelor and Thunder Hawk Music.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Shrier, Howard
Miss Montreal / Howard Shrier.
(Jonah Geller mystery series; 4)
eISBN: 978-0-307-35959-9
I. Title. II. Series: Shrier, Howard. Jonah Geller mystery series; 4.
PS8637.H74M57 2013 C813′.6 C2012-908595-2
Image credit: Superstock/Getty Images
v3.1
In loving memory of my grandmother,
Jean Wolfson Seidman (1911-2012)
CHAPTER 01
I
t was me who gave him the nickname Slammin’ Sammy. At Camp Arrowhead, the summer we were twelve—what turned out to be my last summer there. The next year our family went to Israel for my bar mitzvah, and the year after that my father died unexpectedly and uninsured, and we fell out of the middle class like skydivers. We moved from our house to a cramped apartment, and there was no more summer camp for the Geller boys, at least not out of the city.
Sammy Adler was without doubt the least coordinated, least athletic person, male or female, in the camp. Tall, gangly, flat-assed, he ran like Frankenstein’s monster, knees knocking together, ankles weak, his feet slapping the ground like a bird headed for extinction. His height made him of occasional use in basketball or volleyball, but on the softball diamond he was what we then called a spaz. And still would. A glove on his hand was like a metal pan ready to clank. Balls hit or thrown to him caromed off his shins or bounced through his legs cleanly. To say he threw like a girl would be an insult to most girls in the camp. There was nowhere to hide him in the field, unless you needed a guy to turn and watch a ball sail over his head while everyone else yelled, “Go!” And at the plate, he’d stand flat-footed, with the bat on his shoulder, and swipe at the ball, stiff as a turnstile, usually
after it had crossed the plate. His strikeouts or accidental grounders elicited groans, forehead slaps and sometimes thrown hats. If he came to the plate with two out, his teammates went to find their gloves. The rally killer was up. The automatic out.
The counsellors, who were supposed to be our coaches, were no help. Natural athletes themselves, they didn’t have the patience or know-how to break his swing down and rebuild it. They just barked a stream of the usual stuff at him:
Bend your knees. Draw that bat back. Keep an eye on it. Don’t be afraid to swing away. A walk’s as good as a hit. Swing! Not at that. That’s eye level. There—why didn’t you swing at that one?
Sammy needed someone else to help him, and he needed it soon. Colour War had just been announced: an intense three-day competition when the campers split into two teams, Blue and White, and took each other on in all sports, land and water. The winner was always declared by means of fireworks set off on a floating dock in the lake, a burst of either blue stars launching and slowly showering down, or of white. Cheers from the winning side, cries from the other. Hugs here; over there a few boys trying to over-console teary-eyed girls.