Death, Made Proud

In the fifth installment of the Urquhart & MacDonald Mystery series, set in the small east coast port city of Barrachois in 1949, new parents Jimmy and Sandy Urquhart enjoy a summer morning when an explosion shatters their tranquility. The blast initially thought to conceal a murder, leads to a baffling discovery: a dead body found in a locked hotel room, with all exits secured from the inside. As the team delves more deeply, they realize that the truth behind these impossible events lies far beyond the confines of the city.  Death, Made Proud by D.E. Ring is a compelling entry into the Urquhart & MacDonald series, deftly merging elements of mystery with a rich canvas of socio-political commentary. The novel progresses against the backdrop of the Canadian steel and coal industries, where labor tensions are recurrent, and characters must navigate personal aspirations alongside collective struggles.  

The story begins with the introduction of a fateful incident at the Maliseet Paint Company, where a fire leads to the discovery of a body that is subsequently identified as Arthur Trenaman, the son of the company's manager. The narrative explores the aftermath of this revelation, unveiling the effects it has on Trenaman's father, Graham, who tragically succumbs to despair and takes his own life shortly after learning about his son's fate. This dual tragedy propels Detective Inspector James Urquhart and his colleague Alec MacDonald into a nail-biting investigation, seeking answers amidst a world where personal and professional lives collide unexpectedly.  

The characters are multifaceted and reflect the varying responses to the era's social upheaval. James Urquhart is portrayed as a dedicated investigator striving to balance his professional duties with the concerns of his family and community. His character illustrates law enforcement officers' weight of responsibility, especially in the face of human tragedy. Alec MacDonald is a foil to Urquhart, exemplifying the confusion and emotional turmoil that often accompany law enforcement, particularly in sensitive cases such as suicide and accidental death. The setting of post-war Canada is expertly executed, with its bustling industrial towns and the struggle between labor and management forming a backdrop to the characters’ dilemmas. The conflict is not merely one of solving a crime but of facing the socio-economic realities of the time, where death—both figuratively and literally—weighs heavily on the spirit of the community. D.E. Ring is a skilled storyteller who melds mystery and social commentary to provide a rich undercurrent that invites readers to reflect on the broader implications of personal and communal identity, especially in a rapidly changing society. The sparkling dialogues and the ensuing drama embellish the already gorgeous writing, making the narrative a hard-to-put-down read — a cinematic experience, indeed!