"Vancouver's Terse Poet of a City in Decline"
Sunset and Jericho on the CBC, reviews and interviews, more
I spoke with Ryan B. Patrick for CBC’s The Next Chapter about Sunset and Jericho, Vancouver, and crime fiction. When he asked what I recommended people do in the city for the summer, all I could offer was taking the AquaBus around False Creek—but I stand by that.
Sam Wiebe takes Readers to the Mean Streets of Vancouver in Sunset and Jericho
My mom is getting ready to downsize, which for me means cleaning, de-cluttering, and getting her and my 39-year-old brother to start thinking about new and more sustainable living arrangements. Mostly it means cleaning. Last week I emptied a tool shed that had holes in the roof, bagging up old jars of malathion, canisters of motor oil, shovels with no handles, rodent and racoon leavings. The week before, I helped empty my brother’s fish tank, which for several years had sat in the front room, full of brackish water and dying fish, giving off a foul and unhealthy smell.
I mention this along with the book reviews to give you an idea of the summer I’ve been having. High praise, deserving or not, paired with thankless and disgusting chores. There’s something ironic about being called a “terse poet of a city in decline” while you’re up to your arms in fish slime. Also something fitting.
“Done well, the detective novel lately has been more socially relevant and prying than most so-called serious literature and Sunset and Jericho is a prime example.”
Andrew Hood, The Bookshelf
“Vancouver’s terse poet of a city in decline outdoes his own high standards with a harrowing account of kidnappings, gruesome tussles and political rhetoric. Taut, flecked with cynicism and hope, and disturbingly atmospheric, it’s a mystery to savour set in a hard-boiled world just a few blocks down the street.”
The Toronto Star
“Like a socially conscious Mickey Spillane novel for the 2020s, if Spillane’s private eye Mike Hammer respected women and took racial and gender diversity for granted.”
Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free Press
Sunset and Jericho is on the 40 Canadian Books to Read This Summer list from the CBC, and the Best of 2023 (So Far) list from the Toronto Star. A big thank you to my publicist Fleur at Harbour.
I also thought it was neat that Hart Hanson, the showrunner of Bones and author of The Driver, enjoyed the book, too.
Very few reviewers will outright crap on a novel, especially by an established author. But it’s pretty common to see “Fans of books set near water will sure get a kick out of this one” faint praise. The praise for Sunset hasn’t been faint. I’ve heard from people who say it’s their favourite Wakeland book, others who started with Sunset and are eager to read the rest.
I don’t have a favourite, but Sunset and Jericho seems to strike a nerve with people who feel that life in North America has become hostile for the middle and working classes. That’s certainly how I felt when I wrote it.
New book in the works for 2023—a standalone, out next spring. Details soon.
Many thanks for the great writing and gret stories.