From Sweetgrass Bridge by Anthony Bidulka
Whispering Stories
Review by Julie
March 15, 2024
‘From Sweetgrass Bridge’ is the second outing for private investigator, Merry Bell, from the pen of Canadian-based author, Anthony Bidulka. Merry has returned home to Livingsky after a stint working in Vancouver. Her caseload remains static and she has been supplementing her income by working as a security guard. She is naturally delighted when a new enquiry email pings into her inbox and she quickly enlists the cousin of quarterback, Dustin Thomson, as a new client. Dustin has gone missing and Merry is tasked with finding him. She gradually delves into the background of this Indigenous celebrity sportsman, seeking answers to questions the police seem reluctant to pursue.
As a secondary thread, we again meet Roger whose wife has a design company located next to Merry’s PI office. Roger hosts a true crime podcast as his alter ego, Stella. Roger/Stella would dearly love to become part of the team at LSI and ever keen to impress, has started an independent investigation into some anonymous letters Merry received after she first arrived.
The author remains faithful to the format of the first book in this series and we continue to see aspects of Merry’s personal challenges with the emotional side of her transition and her feelings of isolation. We also explore Roger’s psyche as he struggles to rationalise his need to be both Stella the podcaster and Roger, the electrician who is also a husband and father.
The descriptive passages and settings are evocative with the pace remaining even. Methodical processes lead the reader through the layers of the investigation to its conclusion. My only small gripe is a bit of head-hopping. Sharing the thoughts of more than one character in a segment can be confusing but, as it wasn’t repeated too often, it didn’t distract from the overall impact of the story.
This is an enjoyable and well-written book with some repeat appearances from Merry’s foils from the first story although each book stands alone. I particularly like the dynamic Merry is establishing with her new acquaintances and hopefully she will have more luck in attracting clients going forward. I award five stars.
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