The Concrete Vineyard by Cam Lang (Review)

 * I received a copy of this book for my honest review*



As the townsfolk of Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL), the 'First Capital of Upper Canada', gather on the hallowed grounds of Fort George to celebrate the nation's 150th birthday, Edward Mitchell, the town's modern-day patriarch, lies dying in a nearby vineyard. The old man, a retired history professor, was clearly murdered ... but by who?


A revered man with no apparent enemies, the only potential clue to his death is a 'for sale' sign that was erected earlier that day at the front of his grand, historic estate-the most valuable and coveted piece of property in town. But as the murder investigation unfolds, it seems that real estate is perhaps not the only motive for Edward Mitchell's murder.

At first, inexperienced, unenthusiastic homicide detective, Bryan Dee, hopes solving the murder will be a slam-dunk, but he soon realizes he is in over his head. Knowing nothing about property law, he turns to his boyhood friend, Kris Gage, an urban planner who has conveniently returned to his hometown to help his parents move.

Gage is convinced that if they follow the money trail, they'll find their suspect ... but Dee soon discovers that his seemingly innocent best friend has a connection to the dead man that can't be explained. Then, when another prominent citizen-the dead man's best friend goes missing, the heat is on.

Together Bryan and Kris try to make sense of what is going on. What would motivate the chilling death of one man and the disappearance of the other? Was land acquisition the motive for the murder? Was their devotion to heritage preservation upsetting local builders? Did it have anything to do with allocating federal funds given to the town to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday? Or was someone simply out to settle a score?

Meanwhile, Bryan must decide whether to trust his best friend or not as they try to weed out who the greedy culprits destroying the charm and history of their beautiful, little hometown are, making them both wonder why, 200 years after the War of 1812, a different battle is being waged ... and whether Niagara-on-the-lake has become Niagara-on-the-take.

Buy it now at: 

Check out the author's site : https://camlangauthor.com/ 

MY THOUGHTS

I know this isn't what I usually review but once in a while I do like to switch things up and read other genres.   I used to read more Mystery books but in the past few years, I haven't been reading those much because I tend to be picky. 

The Concrete Vineyard by Cam Lang is a Canadian Mystery book and of course since the book takes place in Canada I just had to read it.

I admit I have never been to Niagra-on-the-lake but now I want to go visit (once it is safe to travel of course).

I have to say that I very much enjoyed this book very much. The story is very well written and kept me entertained.  This is one I couldn't put down because I just needed to know more.

Even though I do not usually re-read mysteries, I know this is one I will be reading again at some point in the future and I will be looking out for more books by Cam Lang.

I do very much recommend this. 

I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. 

Comments

  1. Jack SpringerFebruary 14, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    Discovered this book last month. An incredible read. Full of early Canadian history and lessons in urban planning and active transportation. Oh, and it's a pretty cool and unique mystery.

    ReplyDelete

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