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SensualPoet · 08-14-2011, 07:27 PM

I have lived in Toronto almost my entire life, and vaguely in downtown Toronto my entire adult life. I love this city, warts and all ... so I am sucker for new writers setting their tales in my front yard. And back yard. If "The Streets of Toronto" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as if that ended in "San Francisco", my heart skips a beat, nonetheless, every time. So what a joy to discover the work of Robin Spano and her first novel Dead Politician Society starts out with murder of the mayor and an undercover rookie cop is sent in to sort out the possible involvement of a secret student-faculty society on the campus of University of Toronto. This well plotted mystery has great pacing, entertaining characters and a satisfying resolution.

Clare Vengel, rookie cop, is being given a one-way chance to advance her career: infiltrate Dr Mathew Easton's "Political Utopia for the Real World" class and, more specifically, the shadowy SPU that may be behind the sudden poisoning of Toronto's mayor. Clare's boss is irascible, unsupportive and close-lipped as the investigation proceeds along parallel paths, leaving Clare to sort out what clues she stumbles across. Clare's classmates are a mix of idealists, with their own issues trying to make it through school, and there are several of them ... but who could be involved in the murder ... make that murders ... as the tale progresses? There are other key characters, too: like the mayor's ex (as in divorced) wife, currently enjoying a lesbian fling with one of Easton's students; and a couple of reporters at the local newspaper ... and the killer, who sends taunting tweets, and promises a book deal to an aspiring writer. It's not long before it's clear there is a list of victims to be poisoned (causing the caterer who seems to be a common link no end of consternation) ... but who is next and can the carnage be ended?

Although I'd sorted out the killer a bit earlier than I would have liked, the details and secondary plots and involvements were a pleasant surprise. There are a lot of characters here, and not enough time to flesh them all out (including our heroine), and folks are all just a little bit too nice (hello, this is Toronto the Good), and I did find the constant ping pong among the different layers of the tale jarring ... but it's so well plotted, and the pacing so strong, these flaws are forgivable. A second book in the series is already announced for a fall release.

Available as a Kindle or Kobo ebook for under $9.

08-14-2011, 07:27 PM	#415
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Robin Spano - Dead Politician Society I have lived in Toronto almost my entire life, and vaguely in downtown Toronto my entire adult life. I love this city, warts and all ... so I am sucker for new writers setting their tales in my front yard. And back yard. If "The Streets of Toronto" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as if that ended in "San Francisco", my heart skips a beat, nonetheless, every time. So what a joy to discover the work of Robin Spano and her first novel Dead Politician Society starts out with murder of the mayor and an undercover rookie cop is sent in to sort out the possible involvement of a secret student-faculty society on the campus of University of Toronto. This well plotted mystery has great pacing, entertaining characters and a satisfying resolution. Clare Vengel, rookie cop, is being given a one-way chance to advance her career: infiltrate Dr Mathew Easton's "Political Utopia for the Real World" class and, more specifically, the shadowy SPU that may be behind the sudden poisoning of Toronto's mayor. Clare's boss is irascible, unsupportive and close-lipped as the investigation proceeds along parallel paths, leaving Clare to sort out what clues she stumbles across. Clare's classmates are a mix of idealists, with their own issues trying to make it through school, and there are several of them ... but who could be involved in the murder ... make that murders ... as the tale progresses? There are other key characters, too: like the mayor's ex (as in divorced) wife, currently enjoying a lesbian fling with one of Easton's students; and a couple of reporters at the local newspaper ... and the killer, who sends taunting tweets, and promises a book deal to an aspiring writer. It's not long before it's clear there is a list of victims to be poisoned (causing the caterer who seems to be a common link no end of consternation) ... but who is next and can the carnage be ended? Although I'd sorted out the killer a bit earlier than I would have liked, the details and secondary plots and involvements were a pleasant surprise. There are a lot of characters here, and not enough time to flesh them all out (including our heroine), and folks are all just a little bit too nice (hello, this is Toronto the Good), and I did find the constant ping pong among the different layers of the tale jarring ... but it's so well plotted, and the pacing so strong, these flaws are forgivable. A second book in the series is already announced for a fall release. Available as a Kindle or Kobo ebook for under $9.