The Road to Heaven - (Patrick Bird Mystery) by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Paperback)

About the Book

Patrick Bird is a police academy cadet burnout turned PI who works divorce cases and catches people with his camera doing dirty deeds in dark rooms. But his easy routine is shattered when he starts the Linklater case. Sixteen-year-old Abbie Linklater has been missing from home for three days. Her mother believes Abbie's getting an abortion. Her twin brother thinks she's studying at the library. Her best friend could care less. Her father has no idea, but has an aversion to involving the police. Before the sun sets on the first day of his investigation, Bird has roamed the streets of Toronto looking for a runaway, caught a drifter prowling in the Linklater's backyard, been led to a creepy church with a cult-like following, sparred with the client, been hit by a car, and discovered some loose ends in a bank robbery gone wrong from a decade earlier.

Book Synopsis

FINALIST FOR THE MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA 2025 EDGAR AWARDS
A gripping noir mystery introducing artless young detective Patrick Bird, set in Toronto's Parkdale during the tumultuous '60s.

Patrick Bird, police academy burnout turned PI, works divorce cases, using his camera to catch the unfaithful and the lonely looking for love in rented rooms. But his easy routine is shattered by a new case involving a missing girl.

Sixteen-year-old Abbie Linklater hasn't been home for two days. Her stepmother believes Abbie's getting an abortion. Her twin brother thinks she's studying at the library. Her best friend couldn't care less. Her father has no idea; he just wants her home without involving the police.

Before the sun sets on the first day of his investigation, as Bird roams the streets of Toronto looking for the runaway, he's caught a drifter prowling in the Linklaters' backyard, stumbled into a creepy church with a belligerent minister, sparred with the client, been hit by a car, and discovered some loose ends in a bank robbery gone wrong a decade earlier.

And that's before he finds the body.

Review Quotes

The Road to Heaven is a compelling debut and a must read for fans of the hard-boiled genre. Stefanovich-Thomson masterfully recreates the seedier side of '60s Toronto with pitch-perfect description in this intriguing mystery of a family in crisis. Conflicted PI Patrick Bird proves a sardonic narrator with anger issues and his own dark secrets, making him the unlikely hero tasked with finding the family's missing teenager. A beguiling and well-crafted mystery.

Patrick Bird has had a difficult life, made more difficult by the massive chip on his shoulder and the way he upsets people with his impudence and smart mouth. But things start looking up when he lands a gig as a PI. He's pleased when his boss presents him with a challenging case: to find Abbie, the missing teenage daughter of wealthy local businessman Trent Linklater. But it's not just that Abbie is missing; it's the reason she's missing that makes the case so difficult. Abbie was looking into her mom's fatal shooting during a bank robbery 14 years ago, which left Abbie and her twin, Nelson, orphaned. Her dad then married the kids' nanny, and the relationship between Abbie, Nelson, and their stepmom has been rocky, to say the least. But the more Patrick investigates, the more baffling the case becomes. The truth he eventually discovers is a shocking tale of family tensions, promiscuity, callous ambition, greed, and deadly revenge that leaves Patrick unsettled and dissatisfied. Set in Toronto in the 1960s, this twisty noir thriller will appeal to fans of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy.

The compressed time frame adds a propulsive element to the narrative and the author is adept at deploying plot turns at appropriate and surprising intervals, lending the story a vibrancy that keeps the reader plowing forward relentlessly.

A riveting, fast-paced mystery, with aspects of noir and historical fiction thrown in for good measure. Patrick Bird is a young, cynical detective hired by a secretive rich man to track down his missing teenage daughter, Abbie. This seemingly simple plot takes place in a fascinating setting (Toronto, Ontario, mid-1965). At the time, Toronto was rapidly expanding, and youth culture was starting to challenge pious norms in a notoriously uptight city. Did Abbie run away to join the counterculture or is something more sinister afoot? Detective Bird keeps on the case, in a well-written book with multiple plot pivots that keeps everyone guessing until the end. I hope to read more books featuring Detective Bird's adventures in Toronto-the-not-so-Good.

A taut noir that introduces Patrick Bird, a rookie PI who is as self-destructive as he is effective. This edge-of-the-chair page-turner is full of suspense, evocative settings, and unforgettable characters trapped in a web full of secrets and lies.

Having published Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson's Black Orchid Novella Award-winning story, it's a special delight to welcome his first novel. From the setting - a richly evoked Toronto in the sixties - to the cynical but committed narrative voice, to the dark family dynamics that complicate the search for a missing teen, The Road to Heaven will bring this terrific new talent to broader audiences. P.I. Patrick Bird is a character I hope to encounter again, and again.

In this taut and stylish debut, Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson plunges the reader headlong into a Toronto period piece affectionately stage lit by noir. The opening scene's flashbulb pop exposes the loneliness and corrosive underbelly of a thickly peopled mystery. PI Patrick Bird's dogged pursuit of a missing persons case is captured with a wry awareness of a gaping postwar generational divide and a pitiless eye for intimate affairs.

Raw and twisty, The Road to Heaven takes you through hell to get to the promised land. Painfully human, we bear witness to what happens when people's longings crash into bright lights and dark alleys. Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson's prose reads like poetry, spare, yet laden with symbolism and meaning. A bright new star is shining among us . . . a brilliant debut.

Witty and whip-smart, Stefanovich-Thomson dazzles his readers with fresh twists on every page. He dares you to keep up.

The Road to Heaven is a compelling debut and a must read for fans of the hard-boiled genre. Stefanovich-Thomson masterfully recreates the seedier side of '60s Toronto with pitch-perfect description in this intriguing mystery of a family in crisis. Conflicted PI Patrick Bird proves a sardonic narrator with anger issues and his own dark secrets, making him the unlikely hero tasked with finding the family's missing teenager. A beguiling and well-crafted mystery.

-- "Brenda Chapman, author of the Stonechild and Rouleau and the Hunter and Tate mysteries"

Patrick Bird has had a difficult life, made more difficult by the massive chip on his shoulder and the way he upsets people with his impudence and smart mouth. But things start looking up when he lands a gig as a PI. He's pleased when his boss presents him with a challenging case: to find Abbie, the missing teenage daughter of wealthy local businessman Trent Linklater. But it's not just that Abbie is missing; it's the reason she's missing that makes the case so difficult. Abbie was looking into her mom's fatal shooting during a bank robbery 14 years ago, which left Abbie and her twin, Nelson, orphaned. Her dad then married the kids' nanny, and the relationship between Abbie, Nelson, and their stepmom has been rocky, to say the least. But the more Patrick investigates, the more baffling the case becomes. The truth he eventually discovers is a shocking tale of family tensions, promiscuity, callous ambition, greed, and deadly revenge that leaves Patrick unsettled and dissatisfied. Set in Toronto in the 1960s, this twisty noir thriller will appeal to fans of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy.

-- "Booklist"

The compressed time frame adds a propulsive element to the narrative and the author is adept at deploying plot turns at appropriate and surprising intervals, lending the story a vibrancy that keeps the reader plowing forward relentlessly.

-- "Toronto Star"

A riveting, fast-paced mystery, with aspects of noir and historical fiction thrown in for good measure. Patrick Bird is a young, cynical detective hired by a secretive rich man to track down his missing teenage daughter, Abbie. This seemingly simple plot takes place in a fascinating setting (Toronto, Ontario, mid-1965). At the time, Toronto was rapidly expanding, and youth culture was starting to challenge pious norms in a notoriously uptight city. Did Abbie run away to join the counterculture or is something more sinister afoot? Detective Bird keeps on the case, in a well-written book with multiple plot pivots that keeps everyone guessing until the end. I hope to read more books featuring Detective Bird's adventures in Toronto-the-not-so-Good.-- "Nate Hendley, author of Atrocity on the Atlantic and The Beatle Bandit"

A taut noir that introduces Patrick Bird, a rookie PI who is as self-destructive as he is effective. This edge-of-the-chair page-turner is full of suspense, evocative settings, and unforgettable characters trapped in a web full of secrets and lies.-- "Liv Spector, author of The Rich and the Dead"

Having published Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson's Black Orchid Novella Award-winning story, it's a special delight to welcome his first novel. From the setting -- a richly evoked Toronto in the sixties -- to the cynical but committed narrative voice, to the dark family dynamics that complicate the search for a missing teen, The Road to Heaven will bring this terrific new talent to broader audiences. P.I. Patrick Bird is a character I hope to encounter again, and again.-- "Linda Landrigan, Editor, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine"

In this taut and stylish debut, Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson plunges the reader headlong into a Toronto period piece affectionately stage lit by noir. The opening scene's flashbulb pop exposes the loneliness and corrosive underbelly of a thickly peopled mystery. PI Patrick Bird's dogged pursuit of a missing persons case is captured with a wry awareness of a gaping postwar generational divide and a pitiless eye for intimate affairs.-- "Andrew Steinmetz, author of Because"

Raw and twisty, The Road to Heaven takes you through hell to get to the promised land. Painfully human, we bear witness to what happens when people's longings crash into bright lights and dark alleys. Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson's prose reads like poetry, spare, yet laden with symbolism and meaning. A bright new star is shining among us . . . a brilliant debut.-- "Jane K. Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries"

Witty and whip-smart, Stefanovich-Thomson dazzles his readers with fresh twists on every page. He dares you to keep up.-- "Nina Dunic, author of The Clarion"

About the Author

Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson won the 2023 CWC Best Crime Novella Award. The Road to Heaven, featuring detective Patrick Bird, is his first novel. He lives in Toronto.