Aloha, Candy Hearts (35 page)

Sure, I was alone. And maybe I’d stay that way. But it felt good to have my head out of the sand. It felt good to feel my heart hurt.

It felt good to ask myself the tough questions about love and have an answer that I wholeheartedly believed in, no matter the consequences.

Weaving only slightly, I took my drink and crossed the sidewalk to the beach, and headed for the ocean. The closer I got, the lights of the public walkway faded away, and dark enveloped me like a soothing hug. The sand felt gritty and wonderfully abrasive against the skin of my bare feet. When the first tendril of tingly cold water rushed across my toes, I stopped. I threw back my head and pulled in a deep breath of sea air.

Nothing had ever felt better than that moment.

Until the next one.

My phone vibrated against my thigh. I pulled it from my shorts pocket and saw that a text message had just arrived. It was from Ethan Ash. After many ellipses, it read:

“……………………………………………………………..I WILL.”

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Praise for Anthony Bidulka’s previous books

“Quant makes for a riveting hero…the kind of friend you want to have—unless you’re a killer.”

–Mystery Scene Magazine (New York)

“…an entertaining read, fast and funny and with lots of tender moments.”

–NOW Magazine (Toronto)

"Saskatoon’s master of suspense ratchets up the tension...”

–Planet S (Saskatoon)

“Bidulka’s skill makes the story so vivid that we feel as if we are the friend holding the flashlight while Quant explores the tunnel ahead.”

–Wayves (Halifax)

From the calm Pacific to the storm-tossed prairie, a teasing puzzle turns into a frightening game of cat and mouse for gay PI Russell Quant.

Russell can’t be sure whether a dead man’s surprising last gift will take him on a treasure hunt or a treacherous game of life or death. With a series of clues span-ning decades—from a shocking modern-day murder to Saskatoon’s dark, hidden past—he revisits the harsh realities of early homesteading, investigates the blackmail of one of the literary world’s most esteemed writers, and digs for clues at the site of a never-forgotten scourge. As past reveals future, the hunter becomes the hunted.

Racing to keep up with his latest case, Russell must balance his professional life with the demands of a wedding, a memorial, and at least one home-cooked meal at Mom’s. With the Hawaiian sand barely shook free from his hair, Russell is confronted, professionally and personally, with the harsh consequences of indecision. Saying aloha is not always easy.

Welcome to the world of Russell Quant….

Anthony Bidulka is an award-winning writer who, like his pro-tagonist, lives a big life in a small city on the Canadian Prairies.

He also loves to travel the world—meeting people, sampling local foods, walking sun-drenched streets, making good use of swim-up bars, and being awed. Please visit his website at www.anthony bidulka.com. This is the sixth book in his Russell Quant mystery series.

ISBN 13: 978-1-897415-38-2

INSOMNIAC PRESS

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Canada $19.95 U.K. £9.95 U.S.A. $15.95

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Cover design by Mike O’Connor Cover photograph by iStock.com D32

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