Sundowner Ubuntu: A Russell Quant Mystery (Russell Quant Mysteries) | 
| Author: Anthony Bidulka
Publisher: Insomniac Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $8.99
You Save: $6.96 (44%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 145624
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 1897178433
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781897178430
ASIN: 1897178433
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Condition: New, unused book.; bkcs
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Product Description
Desperate to right old wrongs, a wealthy client hires Russell Quant to locate her son Matthew, lost to her for twenty years. But can money relieve remorse? Tracking Matthew's life from the drug culture of a pleasant prairie city's underbelly to the stunning vistas, vibrant townships, and wild safaris of Africa, Russell finds much more than he was looking for and faces a difficult question: What happens when the prodigal son resists the return? Anthony Bidulka is an avid traveler, party-giver, and sun worshipper. He lives in Saskatoon. Sundowner Ubuntu is the fifth book in his Russell Quant mystery series.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Bidulka is a fantastic writer July 12, 2008
Anthony Bidulka is, by his own account, a great aficionado of life. He has spent his career in academia, accounting, footwear, food services, and farming. He finally left the world of accounting to pursue writing, and has five mysteries and several prestigious awards to his credit. Bidulka currently lives in a small prairie city in Canada, but has traveled extensively throughout the world.
Russell Quant is enjoying the life of a private investigator with enough cases to keep him busy. He has a gay lover, two lovely dogs, and is content with his lot. Then an elderly lady hires him to look for her estranged son. The only piece of information Quant has to go on is the location of Matthew Ridge's high school. Almost immediately Quant is followed, and a dear friend is viciously attacked. Quant's search finally leads him to Africa, and the life threatening events escalate:
"After an hour or so, the heat intensifying with every passing minute, I moved to the spot buried deepest within a healthy slice of shade. I pulled my feet up on the bench so that I was in a lying position and, using my carry-on as a pillow, tried to doze, but my busy mind kept me from sleep. Eventually, I got up and again paced about the structure, feeling unsure, sweaty, a little sick to my stomach, fighting an unsettling nervousness."
Not only is Anthony Bidulka's powers of observation such that easily translate into a gripping novel, but his sensitivity and willingness to work in gay issues makes his books riveting novels that can't be put down. Russell Quant is a hero who is humble, vulnerable, but intelligent, resourceful, and all too human. The backdrop of Africa is terrifying and exotic. The word UBUNTU refers to a philosophy Africans have of taking care of your fellow man. Bidulka works this philosophy into both the books positive strength and its deepest and darkest aspect.
SUNDOWNER UBUNTU is a refreshing and original tale. Anyone who has traveled to a Third World country will understand its danger value. Bidulka is a fantastic writer, and his Russell Quant mystery series is a real winner.
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Keep 'em coming, please! July 4, 2008
Although I'm a married woman of a certain age, living in California with two kids and a fussy dog, I continue to be enamored and amused and in love with this 5-book-old series about a witty, Canadian, gay, male detective who lives in a small city I've never heard of or been to, and who somehow ends up having to travel to mysterious and exciting foreign locales around the world to solve his crimes.
What could we possibly have in common?
Nothing and everything. If I wanted to read about myself I'd give my diary a go. So yes, I love reading about people who aren't like me. But, lets be honest. Despite my preceding statement, we all love to see ourselves in the books we read. So why do I love the Russell Quant series? Why will you?
You will most certainly laugh. Sometimes you'll shake your head and go, 'what is he doing?'. You will cheer for the good guys, try to figure out who the bad guys are. You'll want to book passage on the next plane, train, bus to one of the exotic locations Russell Quant finds himself in (not excluding his curiously intriguing home of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada). You'll cry. You'll feel sad. You'll want to know more about each of the characters. You'll want his mother's recipes. You'll want his dogs. You'll want to hang with Russell in his beautiful backyard during a mythical prairie summer night, chatting about his latest case or boyfriend, over a pitcher of Red Apple martinis. And most of all?
You'll really want the next book in the series to come out SOON.
 Another fun Russell Quant ride June 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you enjoy the Russell Quant series you'll, know doubt, find this one a worthy read too. Bidulka further develops his lead character, leading to some interesting developments, and as usual puts some of his friends in real jeopardy. A fun read. Enjoy.
A Teller of Tales June 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Some books are well written. Some have interesting plots. Some have memorable characters. Some take us places we've never been. Anthony Bidulka's "Sundowner Ubuntu" does all these things and more.
Those who have followed Russell Quant on past adventures around the world know Bidulka's amazing ability to create an almost palpable sense of place, and he does it again as Russell goes off to Africa in search of a client's long-lost son. Bidulka weaves a rich tapestry of African lore, habits, history, and philosophies.
An exciting read, heartily recommended.
Sundowner Shines! June 3, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
What a great writer Bidulka is! And I don't mean the story, which is indeed engrossing, but what beautiful sentences he crafts. Articulate, clever, often leading to an unexpected reveal - Bidulka's prose is always artful and he wields it with the skill of a master surgeon.
That was the first thing I noticed about Sundowner Ubuntu - how strong the writing was. Then, I lost track of it, as I became engrossed in his characters and their globe-trotting adventures.
As a hopelessly stay-at-home person myself, I depend on books like Sundowner to take me to the places I wish I had the spirit - and means - to visit. But thanks to Bidulka, I get to experience new lands without ever leaving my favorite reading chair. How cool is that?
There's also a great mystery here, and wonderful, colorful people you'll love getting to know. This was my first adventure with Russell Quant, but it won't be my last.
Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery
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