by Giles Blunt
First published 2006
Black flies swarm across northern Ontario each year after the brief spring ends, attacking birds, animals, and the residents of Algonquin Bay with bloodthirsty fury. The season brings out humanity's worst impulses. On a Friday evening, a woman appears in a local bar. She cannot remember who she is or how she arrived in town. When her memory returns, she recalls evidence of a horrific crime. Detective John Cardinal faces another investigation in this isolated Canadian town, where emptiness and loneliness permeate daily life. This time, catching the killer requires Cardinal to enter unknown territory filled with dark rituals and ceremonial murders. The third novel featuring the flawed inspector draws from real events.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: dark-secrets, flawed-protagonist
Setting: Algonquin Bay, Northern Ontario
Period: 20th-century
288 pages · Paperback · Amber
Content warnings: murder, violence