Flight of Aquavit: A Russell Quant Mystery
by Anthony Bidulka
Summary
At the dead end of desolate country road, a late night meeting suddenly becomes an ambush. Gay private detective Russell Quant is faced with personal threats he can’t ignore, a friend who may be foe, and a cagey client with a treacherous monkey on his back. As Quant trails a menacing blackmailer known only as Loverboy, he finds himself immersed in the midnight world of e-dating and parking lot romance. Lured to New York City, Quant tests his wit, wisdom and wiles from the Old World grandeur of Fifth Avenue to the kaleidoscope world of Broadway’s electric nightspots.
Excerpt
It was a little after 11 p.m. on a frigid Tuesday night. I kept the Mazda’s engine running while I waited, having little desire to lose my nose and ears to frostbite. And for the umpteenth time that evening, I wondered if this rendezvous was a good idea. What was I doing here, meeting a man I didn’t know on a cold, dark, stormy night? Okay, it wasn’t stormy but it was really cold. He had my cellphone number and the colour and make of my vehicle. I knew nothing about him. But since I was already here, I decided I might as well see it through.
I didn’t have long to wait. A dark green Dodge Intrepid, a few years old, pulled in front of McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee Merchants two parking spots ahead of mine. I watched as the sole occupant of the car released his seat belt, fumbled with gloves and pulled his hood over his head. The door of the car stuttered open just as a gust of bracing December wind, laden with razor-sharp ice crystals, bore down upon it. The man threw his shoulder into the door and successfully swung it out far enough to allow him to exit. Without hesitation he approached the driver’s side of my car and leaned down to look in at me. I rolled down the window.
“You’re Russell?” he asked with an accent I couldn’t quite place—Aussie maybe.
I checked him out. He had dark eyes under heavy brows, a thick jaw covered with a later-than-five-o’clock shadow and big teeth that were very white. Maybe thirty. Something about the texture of his skin, his wintertime getup and cold-tinted cheeks made him look like a ski instructor—and given that this was flat Saskatchewan, no doubt an out-of-work ski instructor. “Yeah,” I said with a smile to return his. “I’m Russell. You’re Hugh?”
He only nodded. “Whaddaya say we go somewhere more private to do this?”
“Uh, sure,” I agreed, lamb-like.
“You follow me, right?”
“Okay. Where are we headed?”
“Got your cell with ya?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll jes give you a ring if it looks you’re not keeping up. Mother, it’s gettin’ brisk out here.” He trudged back to his car, calling over the wind, “Follow me, right?”
This couldn’t be a good idea. What was I doing?
Reviews
“A quality achievement for a first time author. Bravo!” – Midwest Book Review
“… witty dialogue, smart commentary and plenty of good, sharp writing.”– Globe & Mail (Toronto)
“Few…could match [Quant’s] over-the-top cleverness with words or archness of observation.” – Canadian Book Review Annual
Author's Biography
Anthony Bidulka’s mystery series tells the story of a half-Ukrainian, half-Irish, gay, ex-farm boy, ex-cop, Canadian, prairie, world-travelling, private detective living a big life in a small city.
The Russell Quant series is a multi award nominee and was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men’s Mystery.