The Red Chesterfield
The Red Chesterfield by Wayne Arthurson, published by University of Calgary Press in 2019, is a unique exploration of crime and mystery. This edition spans 101 pages and is presented in English. The narrative follows M, a bylaw officer living with two brothers in their parents’ old house, who stumbles upon a red chesterfield in a ditch while investigating a suspicious yard sale. This discovery leads M into a murder investigation, intertwining personal and professional challenges as they navigate a world filled with Russian gangsters, biker gangs, and the complexities of family dynamics.
Readers will find a blend of mystery and magical realism as M grapples with the implications of the severed foot found alongside the chesterfield. The story delves into the lives of M’s brothers, K and J, as they confront their own dilemmas, including K’s questionable political affiliations and J’s journey through young adulthood. The Red Chesterfield challenges traditional crime fiction tropes, prompting reflections on the lengths one might go to solve a crime, whether it be murder or the fate of an abandoned piece of furniture.
Official synopsis Publisher
M is a bylaw officer, living with two brothers, in their parents’ old house. While investigating a suspicious yard sale, M discovers a red chesterfield sitting in a ditch. Looking closer, M finds a running shoe-and a severed foot.
Now M is involved in a murder investigation. Meanwhile, older brother K’s work for a new political party begins to seem suspicious, while younger brother J navigates the complicated world of young-adulthood, and boss Rhonda demands more and more attention, M must navigate a world of Russian gangsters and neglected wives, biker gangs and suspicious coincidences. On top of everything else, M is determined to track down the owner of that red chesterfield and make sure they get a ticket.
The Red Chesterfield is a delightful, unusual novel that upends the tropes and traditions of crime fiction while asking how far one person is willing to go to solve a crime, be it murder or the abandonment of a piece of furniture.
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