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Book Synopsis2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Winner, Mystery 2015 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Best First Novel Nominated Unhanged Arthur Award Winner, Best Unpublished First Crime NovelWhat do a necrophile, a missing boy, and an unsavoury P.I. have in common? Private detective Michael Drayton is about to find out.Twenty-nine-year-old Michael Drayton runs a private investigation agency in Vancouver that specializes in missing persons only, as Mike has discovered, some missing people stay with you. Still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of a young girl, Mike is hired to find the vanished son of a local junk merchant. However, he quickly discovers that the case has been damaged by a crooked private eye and dismissed by a disinterested justice system. Worse, the only viable lead involves a drug-addicted car thief with gang connections.
As the stakes rise, Mike attempts to balance his search for the junk merchant's son with a more
Trade Review. . . a literary achievement. (starred review) * Booklist *
Smart, sharp writing that kicks into gear on the first page. Wiebe is a 21st century Raymond Chandler, and his Vancouver is like Chandler’s LA — its darkest corners are supporting characters. PI Mike Drayton is cynical, funny, and warm-hearted, with a strict moral code and a terrifying temper. What a debut! (E.R. Brown)
The unanimous winner of an Arthur Ellis Award in 2012, Wiebe’s debut novel is something quite special. It promises more from a young writer who looks sure to turn Vancouver into one of the great cities of noir. * The Peak, Simon Fraser University *
Drayton’s sardonic voice in counterpoint to his assistants and supporting players, along with an ending that delivers a knockout punch, make Last of the Independents a debut well worth spending time with. * National Post *
Opening paragraphs don’t get much more bang-on enticing than the one with which Vancouver writer Sam Wiebe kicks off Last of the Independents. It would be nice to quote the paragraph to prove the point, but in a general-interest newspaper, that can’t be done — which is a clue to the opener’s perfect rambunctiousness. * The Tribune *
