April Fool (Arthur Beauchamp),Used

Product DescriptionAn irresistible story of justice heading off the rails.Arthur Beauchamp, the scholarly, selfdoubting legend of the B.C. criminal bar (and one of Deverells most amiable and crafty protagonists), is enjoying his retirement as a hobbyist farmer on B.C.s Garibaldi Island when he is dragged back to court to defend an old client. Nick the Owl Faloon, once one of the worlds top jewel thieves, has been accused of raping and murdering a psychologist. Beauchamp has scarcely registered how unlikely it is that the diminutive Faloon has hurt anyone when his own personal life takes an abrupt turn. His new wife, Margaret Blake, organic farmer and environmental activist, has taken up residence fifty feet above ground in a tree she is determined to save for the eagles and from the loggers. Beauchamp shuttles between Vancouver and the island, doing what he can to save the tree and get his wife back and defend Faloon.Part courtroom thriller, part classic whodunit, April Fool sees Deverell writing at the top of his form as he puts these characters through some entertaining and very surprising twists and turns.ReviewWinner of the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best NovelApril Fool thrusts itself brashly into the readers psyche like a lumberjacketed logger at a blacktie affair. Ruggedly individualistic, demanding and determined, its characters are shrewdly etched and realistically rendered. Globe and MailDeverell brings back one of his classic characters, wily B.C. Queens Counsel Arthur Beauchamp, in this droll, witty novel about crime in the Gulf Islands. Toronto SunThe dialogue crackles, the style is sharp and compelling, and its a treat to spend another book with Beauchamp. Vancouver SunDeverell burrows into Beauchamps soul, and we see almost everything unfold through his addled but fascinating perspective. Vancouver ProvinceDeverell writes breathless prose, commas flying here and there with exuberant abandon, as he dissects the nuttiness of his various locations. . . . April Fool spills over with idiosyncratic characters. Edmonton JournalHugely entertaining. Calgary HeraldDeverell is one of Canadas best and funniest mystery writers. Ottawa CitizenReaders gladly follow all of Deverells distinctly drawn characters through tiny outposts on Canadas West Coast to the courtrooms of Victoria and Vancouver and the fine hotels of Europe. He is a master storyteller with a wonderful sense of humour. The story flows effortlessly, and readers are twigs on the river, along for one hell of a ride. Quill & Quire[Deverell] is a hugely amusing and selfassured writer, and when you have his gifts it is hard to go wrong. National PostAbout the AuthorDeverell's acclaimed first novel, Needles, which drew on his experiences as a lawyer, won the $50,000 Seal Award. Since then he has published one work of nonfiction, A Life on Trial, and twelve further novels, including his latest, April Fool, which won the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. April Fool has just been released in paperback.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Nick the Owl Faloon is sitting beside a stone fox by the name of Eve Winters, who is apparently some kind of shrink. Theyre scoffing up freshcaught sockeye, sharing a long table with four couples from Topeka, Kansas, who are up here on a wet spring holiday. In spite of all the happy talk, the Owl picks up there is an edge to this dinner, the men regretting they brought their wives along. A fishing extravaganza that put them back a few yards each, and they bring their wives when theyd rather get plotzed and bond.Though square, they are nice average people, and Faloon hopes theyre well insured so hes not going to feel bad about the coming nights entreprise risque, his plan to whack their rooms out. Two weeks ago, while here on a previous dining experience, he made a clean play for the master key, slipping