Obsidian: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King

Picking up from the previous novel, A Matter of Malice, Thumps DreadfulWater, a Cherokee ex cop, returns from following new leads in his search for the serial killer who murdered his girlfriend and her daughter. All that happened in what seems to be a lifetime ago. After the murder, with no suspects in sight, DreadfulWater quit his job in Eureka California, headed out across country, and by happenstance, ended up in Chinook.  

He settled in to the community and started making a living as a fine art photographer and solving the occasional crime. The community of Chinook plays a significant role in this series. Al's cafe, where characters eat breakfast and banter with each other, puts me in mind of The Dead Dog Cafe, a satirical radio play written by Thomas King and produced by Kathleen Flaherty for CBC radio. (You can listen to the first in that series here.)

While Thumps was away, a community of women met and put together a list of questions for him to answer. The survey deals with his relationship with Claire Merchant, Chief of the local Blackfoot tribe. She wants to adopt a baby girl and while Thumps isn't sure about this, he wants to try building a relationship with Claire and the child. But before moving forward into his new life, he has to deal with the unsolved murder in his past. 

Thumps' friend, Leon Ranger, a black cop who writes romance novels, arrives unexpectedly in town. Ensconced in his brand new motorhome, he is now retired and ready to spend some time with his old buddy. I enjoyed the many conversations between the two of them. 

“You’re still shooting film?” Leon banged his hand against the side of his head. ”Darkrooms and nasty chemicals?”

“Nothing wrong with film.”

“You do know,” said Leon, dropping his voice an octave, “darkroom fumes are what killed the dinosaurs.”

It's a good thing Leon showed up. The serial killer, who the two of them refer to as Obsidian, because he leaves a piece of obsidian in his victims mouths, has turned up in Chinook. As the murders start piling up, local law enforcement drag Thumps and Leon into the case. They have to solve it soon since Obsidian is stalking Thumps and threatening the people he loves. 

Like other books in the series, this novel is rife with Thomas King's signature humour and important contemplations about life. 

“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”

It's full of gorgeous writing with lines that make me swoon. 

"Of course there was no rush, no reason he couldn’t just stand by the car and wait for the dawn to find the river and fill the land. Sometimes doing nothing was the appropriate response to uncertainty.

Sometimes, doing nothing was the answer."

I sure hope this isn't the last in the series.