Saints Rest by Luke Francis Beirne
Review by James M. Fisher
Saints Rest by Luke Francis Beirne is set in a dreary Saint John, New Brunswick and centers around Frank Cain, a private investigator. Think Dashiel Hammett’s Sam Spade or the Continental Op, and you’re on the right track for a great read. This is Mr. Beirne’s third book (a novella actually), all published by Baraka Books. His previous two novels, Foxhunt and Blacklion, dealt with political subterfuge in Cold War era Britain and Ireland during “The Troubles” respectively. Both highly rated by this reader.
Saints Rest is a complete departure from those two fine novels, but is an interesting little story, nonetheless. Frank Cain works for the Cormier Agency (the owner, Randy Cormier the only other employee) and so far, they have only handled surveillance and corporate stuff, (“it pays the bills” as Randy says), but Frank is looking for something more interesting. It soon arrives in the person of Malory Fleet. Not the femme fatale of detective books and movies, but a woman, as Frank tells us, who is “looking forty or way past it.” Malory’s son Jason was shot dead by bikers, but she’s interested in finding Amanda, his girlfriend who disappeared. She claims Amanda was like a daughter to her, and with her missing, she has nobody. Randy is reluctant to take on a missing person’s case, but Frank (who has a passing interest in the story) wants Randy to take it on. Randy relents, and Saints Rest is off and running.
Saint John is a perfect city to set a neo-noir story in. As Canada’s oldest incorporated city, it is a major port and being on the bay of Fundy, is legendary for its fog. As with any city, there are sketchy places to explore, and Mr. Beirne takes us through a few of them. Frank too has his own sketchy past, and is still carrying a torch for Madison, his ex-girlfriend. More than torch, as he often parks outside her dwelling just to see who’s coming and going.
“Snappy dialogue and realistic characters make Saints Rest such anenjoyable book.”
Snappy dialogue and realistic characters make Saints Rest such an enjoyable book. Frank Cain has that world-weary aura around him, as many of the people he interviews do. Perhaps it’s the city. Set during a cold, slushy miserable winter, the atmosphere is palpably dreary.
It’s a constant source of amazement for me as a reader when a writer can use memorable characters and good dialogue to move the story briskly along. The fact that Frank describes chain-smoking Malory Fleet as “forty or way past it” conjures up someone you’ve met in your life. Later, a young pregnant woman is described as “about twenty-five and at least twenty must’ve been hard.”
Saints Rest is a struggle between the past and present. There is little or no future for Frank, especially as he soon finds himself in over his head in his relentless search for the missing Amanda. The answers to Frank’s questions about his life are enshrouded in the Saint John fog and are not as easy to find as he battles his way to a climax he could never envision.
About the Author
Luke Francis Beirne was born in Ireland and lives in Canada. His debut novel, Foxhunt, was published by Baraka Books in 2022. His work has also appeared in outlets such as Hamilton Arts & Letters, Counterpunch, and Honest Ulsterman.
Book Details
Publisher : Baraka Books (March 1 2025)
Language : English
Paperback : 180 pages
ISBN-10 : 177186379X
ISBN-13 : 978-1771863797