Opposite Sully’s Gym
EXCERPT
Two white men sat in the Dodge Dart in the strip mall’s parking lot watching the oncoming traffic: the transport trucks and family sedans, the commuters and tourists, the station wagons and lone men in pickups with dogs hanging their heads out the window. Gaffer, behind the wheel, was the older of the two, thinner, and with less hair. He pushed his wire-framed glasses up his nose and stared at the road that rose to meet the bridge, leading, almost due north, over the river to America. In the passenger seat, Raul took the second last bite of a hamburger; mustard, half a pickle slice, and chunks of raw onion dripped from what remained in his hand onto the greasy paper on his lap. A clump of relish clung to the bottom of his moustache; his lank hair hung long on either side of his thin face covering his ears completely. When he opened his mouth to push in the last piece of lunch, two sharp eye teeth showed. He closed his full lips and chewed, crumpled the empty paper, dropped it into the bag lying on the seat, and tossed it out the window onto the asphalt.
“That was stupid,” said Gaffer.
“Eating makes you sleepy.” Raul hadn’t finished chewing his food, and it showed when he talked.Gaffer’s face tightened and he jerked his glance back to the road. Raul cranked the window up, angled his body on the bench, lay his head against the glass, and closed his eyes. The air grew a little warmer.
Gaffer sat facing the line of vehicles, slowing, stopping, and lining up for customs before crossing into the United States, but his gaze was directed at the traffic coming the other direction, down the long ramp and entering into Canada. The sun passed behind a white cloud and the shadow raced along the road, onto the lot, over the parked car, and up the bridge linking Windsor to Detroit.
“You don’t make sense, Raul. You insist on coming out here when you know it’s not safe, and then you do stupid things like —”
“What’s not safe?”
“Your being here. Calling attention to us by throwing litter out the window. You’re looking for trouble.”
“There’s no law against two citizens sitting in a car watching traffic. You want me to pick it up?” Raul wasn’t watching traffic; his eyes were still closed. He scratched at the lonely patch of hair beneath his mouth. “No law against it.”
PRAISE FOR OPPOSITE SULLY’S GYM
In Opposite Sully's Gym, Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson works a noir twist into a notorious real-life moment to great effect. Taut, gripping, and utterly compelling, this is historical suspense of the finest calibre and a must-read for fans of hard boiled detective fiction.
– Tom Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The Treasure Hunters Club
One of the most riveting thrillers I've ever read. Stefanovich-Thomson deftly places the reader back to 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King. The Toronto setting is beautifully observed, with vivid descriptions of the rooming houses, the police service, current events, even the cars and mores of the time. Stefanovich-Thomson ratchets up the tension like a master, unfolding twist after twist, to an absolutely unexpected final chapter. The best book I've read this year.
―Melodie Campbell, award-winning author of The Silent Film Star Murders
Move over Chandler; move over Hammett; here comes Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson. Writing in the mode of the noir genre, Alexis has woven a dark tapestry that is threaded through with passages of exquisite beauty. Add to that thoroughly engaging characters and a compelling story and you have an outstanding book. I look forward to more Patrick Bird stories.
— Maureen Jennings, author of The Detective Murdoch Mysteries
Opposite Sully's Gym is a perfectly paced slow-burn mystery that’s also one of the best crime novels I’ve read in years. Patrick Bird reminds me a lot of Howard Engel’s great PI Benny Cooperman but with a darker and grittier edge.
―Wayne Arthurson, Arthur Ellis award-winning author of The Red Chesterfield and The Leo Desroches Series
Opposite Sully’s Gym is a layered, slow-burn noir that blazes to a stunning and unexpected climax. Stubborn and compelling wannabe P.I. Patrick Bird wends through the vividly realized streets of 1960s Toronto in a mystery that respects the classics while carving out something gritty, humane, and unforgettable.
– Amy Tector, Author of The Dominion Archives Mysteries
Opposite Sully’s Gym is a layered delicacy of classic noir fiction. The taut suspense-filled plot is structured around wonderful prose reminiscent of Ross MacDonald. This is a character-driven novel where the time period and setting carry equal weight to the main character. If you love classic noir, Opposite of Sully’s Gym is not one to be missed. Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson is definitely an author to watch.
―David Putnam, author of The Bruno Johnson Series
Opposite Sully’s Gym is that rare mystery which combines a dark, suspenseful whodunnit with a vivid, engrossing historical setting. I haven’t been so wrapped-up in a novel since Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress. Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson is a terrific writer!
―Ash Clifton, award-winning author of Twice the Trouble
A rare and wonderful find: a novel set in Toronto in the late 1960s that weaves the real life story of James Earl Ray hiding out here with a flawed hero we want to keep reading about.
– Robert Rotenberg is the bestselling author of One Minute More
Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson has spun an absorbing mystery out of one of the most unlikely chapters in Toronto's history. Opposite Sully’s Gym is a compelling page-turner that takes you into the city's shadows, finding intrigue in the local connections to an earth-shaking assassination.
– Adam Bunch, author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love
Stefanovich-Thomson follows his Edgar-nominated debut with this taut, skillfully-crafted novel set in the turbulent Toronto of the late Sixties. Equal parts murder mystery and historical thriller, Stefanovich-Thomson perfectly captures the paranoia of the era and the grit and grime of Toronto’s streets, factories and rooming houses. Well-paced and witty, Opposite Sully’s Gym is a love letter to the great PI stories of the 20th century, when all a detective needed was a keen mind and a good pair of shoes. In Patrick Bird, Canada has, at long last, our answer to Lew Archer.
– J.J. Dupuis, author of The Creature X Mystery Series