The Delicate Storm

The New York Times

Whenever he is describing the scenery in this cold, harsh place, Blunt writes with the flashing grace of an ice skater skimming over a frozen pond. — Marilyn Stasio

Publishers Weekly

Blunt forgoes the shock and violence of his previous crime novel, Forty Words for Sorrow (winner of the British Crime Writers' Macallan Silver Dagger Award), in this standout sequel-though one might not think so after reading the grisly opening. Det. John Cardinal of the Algonquin Bay, Ontario, police force is called in to investigate the severed arm of a white male that has been dragged out of the woods by a neighborhood dog. After the remaining pieces of the body turn up and the man is identified as an American citizen, John and his French-Canadian partner, Lise Delorme, are immersed in a case that involves more bodies, a 30-year-old unsolved murder with ties to the violently separatist Quebec Liberation Front, and clashes among various law enforcement agencies, including the Mounties, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the local police. There are also the ordinary and extraordinary personal problems of the wonderfully drawn characters. Cardinal's wife is clinically depressed, and his father is sick. Lise's ethnicity does not help her win the trust of the locals. The novel's fascination lies not only in the meticulous unspooling of the plot, but in watching Cardinal and Delorme uncover the lattice of events linking the political clashes of the past and the covered-up crimes of the present. The detectives maneuver gingerly through a beautiful but dangerous landscape frozen beneath the weight of a once-in-a-century ice storm. In a genre where writers often compete to create vile, loathsome villains perpetrating outrageous crimes, Blunt stands as a master craftsman who shows us not only darkness, but also decency. (June 2) Forecast: A tame jacket won't help this noteworthy thriller, but word of mouth is sure to be strong. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Following up his successful debut, Forty Words for Sorrow, Blunt scores again with a story also set in northern Ontario's Algonquin Bay and featuring detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme. When two bodies are found in the woods and a local doctor is murdered, Cardinal and Delorme's investigation leads them to an unsolved 30-year-old killing linked to Quebec terrorists. Are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police involved? What clues can be found in such far-flung places as Montreal and New York City? The plot races toward the finish line but not at the expense of the characters. What puts this book above the average tale of psychological suspense is the depth of Blunt's character study. We feel that these are real people; each is well rounded, and his or her links to other characters in the novel are explored in depth, as are their relations to the unique local culture. Recommended for public libraries.-Fred M. Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Canada's tiny, frigid Algonquin Bay, home to more bears than people, is relatively quiet during an unexpected winter thaw until two bodies are found in the woods within a three-day span. One, which may belong to a visiting American accountant, has been chomped on by bears. The other, bearing signs of rape, is identified as nice Dr. Winter Cates, who recently treated Det. John Cardinal's dad for a heart condition. While Cardinal, working the bear case, bumps into territorial disputes with the RCMP, lies and obstruction from the CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service), and hints of FBI encroachment, Det. Lise Delorme focuses on Cates's demise. Before they become convinced they are seeking the same perp, they must eliminate a trapper and a mobster from their suspect list and reexamine a 30-year-old murder chalked up to members of a terrorist cell seeking separatism for Quebec-and especially to the long-missing Yves Grenelle. There'll be links to Quebec city and New York, but the downbeat resolution, which follows Cardinal's dressing-down for prematurely arresting a local nabob, occurs right in Algonquin Bay, during a political fundraiser managed by Paul Laroche, a real-estate mogul with high-powered connections. This time out, author Blunt, who's already trained his microscope on Cardinal's feelings for his wife, a hospitalized depressive (Forty Words for Sorrow, 2001), turns to his relations with his father, with telling sidelights on Canadian politics and prejudices. Beneath the unfortunate mishmash of coincidences is a humdinger of a plot. Agent: Helen Heller/Heller Agency