Miss Montreal

Fast cars, wisecracks and guns galore — what more could a reader ask for? Slammin' Sammy Adler was a talented, well-loved columnist in Montreal. And an old friend of Jonah Geller, an awkward kid Jonah helped one long-ago summer. So when Sammy is brutally murdered in what might be a hate crime, and the police investigation stalls, his dying grandfather begs Jonah to set things right. Montreal is only five hours from Toronto, but Jonah and former hit man Dante Ryan soon find it's a different world, with its own language, conflicts and rules just waiting to be broken. Within hours of arriving they're being watched by the cops, tailed by Syrian thugs, ducked by witnesses and run off a lonely road. Experience all of Montreal's grittiness, contradictions, fabled corruption, seething politics — even its legendary potholes. Maturing as one of recent crime fiction's shining stars, Shrier's latest effort will resonate with anyone who enjoys a topical plot full of twists and virtually nonstop action. Savor Geller's perilous and hilarious adventures with Ryan as told in Howard Shrier's voice: smart, funny and contemporary.