[Undertow] is set in St. John’s immediately after the Second World War, a time of social upheaval. Curran makes the most of it… [He] captures the nuance and rhythm of Newfoundland speech, his prose is clear and his dialogue crisp… Curran is a writer to watch.
Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail
The time is 1947 and the feeling one gets is of a black and white film. The book starts slowly, giving you a sense of place and time. This is not a light mystery, it has substance and local interest.
Independently Reviewed
Undertow is a great read and its author is to be congratulated for keeping his readers in suspense throughout this book. Curran has also managed to provide a great sense of place in his descriptions of St. John’s of that era… It is to be hoped there will be other Inspector Stride mysteries to come from the pen of Thomas Rendell Curran!
John C. Perlin, Newfoundland Book Corner
Newfoundland continues to export literary stock well worth its salt. A case in point is Thomas Rendell Curran. Historically interesting... Undertow offers a suspenseful journey... The author paints a convincing picture of the bleakness and majesty of [Newfoundland].
Mike Gillespie, The Ottawa Citizen
Curran has evoked the time period beautifully, adding just enough telling detail, and moves the story along at a good pace. And the ending, while violent, is both unexpected and believable. Undertow is well-delivered and sure to garner fans.
Joan Sullivan, The Telegram, St. John’s
Curran keeps unveiling each twist and shift with an adeptness that makes us want to race to the end of the novel. I read the book in one sitting, unable to put it down.
Pat Hayward, Downhomer Magazine
Thomas Rendell Curran’s new novel is, like Newfoundland itself, haunting and beautiful, majestic and bleak. In a complex tale of murder and retribution, Curran pulls us into a post-war Newfoundland so real, so nuanced and so fascinating that we never want to leave. Read this book for the history. Read this book for the characters. Or read this book for the sheer elegance of the writing and the tale. But definitely read this book.
Alex Brett – Author of the Morgan O’Brien Mysteries
Thomas Rendell Curran has followed up his brilliant debut novel, Undertow, with an even better second book. We’re back in 1947 St. John’s, Newfoundland. Inspector Eric Stride, of the Newfoundland Constabulary, returns in a spellbinding story. This book makes wonderful use of Newfoundland history, turning it into a complex tale that will keep you glued to the page. This is a beautifully written and researched book, which can be enjoyed as a historical work, a mystery, or a plain good read.
Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
With The Rossiter File, Thomas Rendell Curran’s Inspector Stride series graduates from promising to must-read. As with Undertow, The Rossiter File is a literary whodunit that combines the qualities of an intriguing murder mystery with a well-researched historical novel. Curran’s writing is vivid and bracing (and) The Rossiter File is full of wit and drama.
Joan Sullivan, The Telegram (St. John’s, Newfoundland)
The Rossiter File (is) part two of Curran’s new series, launched auspiciously in 2002 with Undertow, which was immediately shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The Canadian publishing industry was put on notice: Here’s a writer to watch. The Rossiter File (is) a book as elegant as it is mysterious. Few crime books can immerse a reader in another culture quite as efficiently as Curran does. His characters are a troubled, completely human lot. Curran’s book, which he describes as a complex tale of privilege and tragedy, should be included on every beach-reading list.
Mike Gillespie, The Citizen (Ottawa)
I draw an important distinction between a whodunit and a mystery. The former keeps the reader outside the story, peering in to find out who the culprit might be; the latter brings the reader inside the story for a good look around to better understand what is happening. The former helps you to pass the time; the latter helps you to understand the time. Mr. Curran writes mysteries.
John Chenier, The Hill Times (Ottawa)
An important fact about this book is the tremendous amount of research that Curran has done to recreate the St. John’s of the late 1940’s where dark rum and cigarettes are consumed in vast quantities by most of the people involved. The point being that anyone who is old enough to remember the St. John’s of 1947 will find the descriptions of this old city to be amazingly detailed and accurate. Like the streets of old St. John’s full of twists and turns, Inspector Stride’s investigations bring him to the realisation that the murder of Samuel Rossiter has deep-seated roots in one of the most powerful merchant families of St. John’s. Suffice it to say that Curran once again keeps his readers on their mettle until the very last page …
John C. Perlin, WHN Publications Limited (St. John’s)
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This page was last updated on: February 15, 2006.