Sundowner Ubuntu: A Russell Quant Mystery

…a lost son…a mother’s pain…from the seeds of childhood violence to the stunning vistas and tinderbox safaris of Africa…

A mother’s pain. A million dollars. A missing son. Desperate to right old wrongs, a new client hires Russell Quant to locate her son, Matthew, lost to her for twenty years. But can money relieve remorse? Through good old-fashioned detective work, Russell peels away the layers of a carefully-concealed life, grown from seeds of traumatic childhood and violence. Tracking Matthew’s life from the schoolyard drug culture of a pleasant prairie city’s underbelly to the stunning vistas, vibrant townships and tinderbox safaris of Africa, Russell finds much more than what he was looking for.

Ever adept at making both friends and foes, worlds collide as Quant runs a gauntlet of uncharted danger. Thrust into the unfamiliar role of bad guy, stymied by seemingly insurmountable distrust and base fear, Russell cuts a blistering swath through covert threats and overt bullets. But as he searches for his Canadian needle in an African haystack, the brutality escalates. Confronting his own role in the cause and effect of scars and anger, retribution and revenge, Russell Quant faces a difficult question: What happens when the prodigal son resists the return?

Praise for Anthony Bidulka and Sundowner Ubuntu:

“With his fifth in the series of Russell Quant mysteries, Saskatoon’s Anthony Bidulka continues to serve up a blend of winning ingredients.” – The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

“Bidulka builds engaging characters.” – The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

“Truly amazing is Bidulka’s sense of sights, sounds and smells. Like a good journalist, he gives exquisitely detailed descriptions of the settings and provides history lessons…” – The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

“…mixed tide of ‘exhilaration, apprehension and appreciation’…a fitting description of what any reader will get out of this book.” – The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

“The latest Russell Quant mystery is terrific, the best of the series.” – The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“This witty series is…very smart.” – The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“…another tale of intrigue, danger, international travel and culinary tidbits.” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“Bidulka continues to gain strength as a writer, and with his mastery of the English language.” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“…a treat for any reader.” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“…decadent passions of travel, fine wines, and cuisine are woven into the narrative in an organic fashion that a lesser writer would have had difficulty with.” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“Bidulka…keeps the danger and actions sequences choreographed in such a way as to keep you from putting the book down…” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“…an enjoyable read that keeps you hooked.” – Outlooks Magazine (Calgary)

“Bidulka’s books are almost giddily charming, and his latest, though it deals with serious subjects, is no exception.” – Calgary Herald (Calgary)

“Quant’s search takes him to places as beautiful as they are terrible, and as lethal as they are lovely.” – Calgary Herald (Calgary)

“Even if you’ve never read a Russell Quant mystery, you’ll feel like he’s an old friend with the candid narrative and down to earth dialogue.” – The Yellowknifer (Yellowknife, NWT)

“…believable, witty, and laugh out loud funny.” – The Yellowknifer (Yellowknife, NWT)

“Anthony Bidulka’s Russell Quant novels offer an engaging variation upon the pattern established by [Joseph] Hansen and extended by writers like Michael Nava in the Henry Rios series and Sue Grafton in the alphabet series.” – Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide (Boston)

“One of the most engaging features of the series is the shifting balance of…relationships as personal crises arise among his friends to which Russell must attend while working on a case.” – Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide (Boston)

“Much of the delight of the novel stems from Bidulka’s juxtaposition of the ‘local color’ of the Canadian prairies with the steamy, exotic grasslands of South Africa….” – Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide (Boston)

“Russell…is more likely to try to negotiate his way out of a tight situation with a quip than with fists.” – Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide (Boston)

“That Russell should be saved by an animal while on a case that has thrust him into a world where Westerners callously kill big game for sport is rich cosmic, rather than comic, irony.” – Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide (Boston)

“Anthony Bidulka is a larger-than-life, card-carrying bon vivant and eccentric.” – The Sherbrooke Record (Sherbrooke, QC)

“The protagonist of Bidulka’s crime novels, Russell Quant, is likewise a Canadian original.” – The Sherbrooke Record (Sherbrooke, QC)

“…the Russell Quant mysteries are unmistakably stories for our times.” – The Sherbrooke Record (Sherbrooke, QC)

“…Bidulka brings a fresh voice to Canadian crime fiction, with a sense of humour that is often outrageous and always original; he provides his readers with a cleverly-crafted tale full of twists and turns, and challenges readers to broaden their perspectives.” – The Sherbrooke Record (Sherbrooke, QC)

“The ending…is as satisfactory as any I have recently encountered, but I was not expecting it. Yet the author plays scrupulously fair with the reader.” – reviewingtheevidence.com

“If the mystery is totally engaging, Russell’s personal development is as compelling.” – reviewingtheevidence.com

“One senses this is the author’s most personal novel to date.” – reviewingtheevidence.com

“Despite all the darkness in the novel, this is the author’s most joyful to date. It is also his finest, a work that radiates a deep sense of humanity and wisdom.” – reviewingtheevidence.com

“Bidulka is an experienced writer…and it’s apparent from the first three lines.” – Wayves (Halifax)

“Fast-paced, somewhat slick (but in a positive way) this is not an easy book to put down.” – Wayves (Halifax)

“The characters in Sundowner Ubuntu are deftly drawn, with even the minor characters coming to life in distinctively individual ways.” – Wayves (Halifax)

“My first reaction in reaching the end of this book was to head to my computer to find how to get a hold of the four earlier books in the series…” – Wayves (Halifax)

“…a satisfying episode in Quant’s ongoing professional saga.” – PGN (Philadelphia)

“Not only (are) Anthony Bidulka’s powers of observations such that easily translate into a gripping novel, but his sensitivity and willingness to work in gay issues makes his books riveting novels that can’t be put down.” – Midwest Book Review

“Russell Quant is a hero who is humble, vulnerable, but intelligent, resourceful, and all too human.” – Midwest Book Review

“SUNDOWNER UBUNTU is a refreshing and original tale…Bidulka is a fantastic writer and his Russell Quant mystery series is a real winner.” – Midwest Book Review

“All dangers aside, though, when you’re through with this riveting book, you might find yourself booking the first flight to Cape Town. See you on the plane!” – Mystery Scene Magazine (New York)

“Despite many reminders of how messy and even unpleasant human existence can be, there is a peacefulness about this novel that is new to the series.” – Lambda Book Report (Los Angeles)

“The novel is by all odds the author’s most masterful to date…” – Lambda Book Report (Los Angeles)

“…beautifully written and deeply wise.” – Lambda Book Report (Los Angeles)

“Bidulka pulls out all the stops to give the reader an exciting ride.” – Lavender Magazine (Minneapolis)

Read Chapter One