Opposite Sully's Gym - (Patrick Bird Mystery) by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A missing tenant, an irate mother-in-law, and a killer hiding in a Toronto rooming house -- out-of-work PI Patrick Bird is back in business.

Patrick Bird thought he was helping his mother-in-law collect back rent from a deadbeat tenant at her Ossington Avenue rooming house, not starting a new investigation. But when he discovers Jack Turner's third-floor darkroom is demolished and the photographer is missing, the other tenants come under scrutiny: Mr. Yusuf, the international student training to be a doctor; Danny Blinken, the shifty taxi driver; and Shirley Burton, the young nurse far from home.

As Bird investigates, he uncovers information about a former tenant. James Earl Ray, who assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just weeks earlier, had been hiding out in a room on the second floor.

The case takes Bird and the police down a path of intrigue reaching right into the centre of one of the most infamous assassinations of the twentieth century and leading our truculent PI to just about the toughest spot he could imagine.

Review Quotes

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"

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"

About the Author

Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson is the author of the Patrick Bird detective novels. The first book in the series, The Road to Heaven, was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Shamus Award. He is a past winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award and The Crime Writers of Canada Best Crime Novella Award. He lives in Toronto.