It must be awfully cold in Saint John, New Brunswick – at least that’s what Frank Cain, narrator of Saints Rest, the upcoming novel by Luke Francis Beirne, tells readers. But that’s not all he tells them. Unspinning an intricate tale that transports audiences from the docks and city centre to deep woodlands and rural farmland, this film noir–esque book is an engaging and speedy read – the ideal companion to an evening spent curled up by a fire.

Saints Rest follows the story of Cain, a private investigator tasked with discovering the whereabouts of a young woman who disappeared the previous year. The twist? She is the main suspect in a murder case, the victim being her own boyfriend. The twist to that twist? It’s her boyfriend’s mother who wants her discovered, but not for the reasons one might expect. Using the dreamy small-town feel of Saint John as a background for unfolding this tale, the plot winds down various roads and country lanes, almost burying readers in suspense, before concluding in a series of grand revelations. As the story progresses, readers discover that behind this sleepy town facade lies a much deeper bundle of mysteries. 

Seeing Saint John through the eyes of an expat (Cain is originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, while Beirne himself hails from Ireland) adds to the sense of unease that this novel emanates. Always slightly out of the loop, whether that be within the case or his own life, Cain appears to be constantly grasping for an element of truth and familiarity in an unknown environment. His lack of deeper personal connections to the city also makes the reader question his motivations for becoming involved in the case: who is he truly looking for as he plunges deeper and deeper into this intrigue? The young woman or himself? The hauntingly moody and mysterious background of Saint John, as Beirne describes it, seems to be the ideal place for this pursuit of self-discovery. “The ocean sky has presence,” Cain ruminates in one scene. However, the question of whether Cain belongs in this setting lingers until the final pages of the novel, making readers wonder if Cain will ever manage to find deeper meaning on the city’s streets.

While this novel delivered on all the aspects of a classic mystery tale, I felt myself longing for a stronger sense of place and richer character development. I wished to be better familiarized with the intriguing setting; however, the descriptions of Saint John felt incomplete and lacking in recognizable details. Cain’s restlessness aligns with his sense of being an outsider, but also made the storyline feel rushed, preventing further development of place. Additionally, although the book ends with multiple eye-widening revelations, the characters’ actions, and their underlying motivations, remain unexplored. Despite his role as a private investigator, Cain seems intriguingly resigned to the idea that they might remain so. 

Saints Rest invokes images of smoky, curtained rooms where everyone wears a fedora and a three-piece suit, smokes a cigar, and plays pool, shooting the breeze as they ponder last night’s shootout. Being transported into such scenes in a uniquely Canadian setting (Dollarama, Tim Hortons, and the Oilers, anyone?) was an engaging and fun reprieve. Although unanswered questions lingered as the book fell shut in my lap, the escape into the wintry countryside was a welcome one indeed.mRb