Action and mystery in Kevin Major’s ‘One for the Rock’
Kevin Major is primarily known for his young adult fiction (“Hold Fast”), but he’s also written non-fiction (“As Near To Heaven By Sea”). plays (“No Man’s Land”), and even had his work adapted for opera (“Ann and Seamus”). Now, with “One For The Rock,” he’s trying his hand at a crime thriller, one set in contemporary St. John’s.
The central character is Sebastian Synard, former teacher turned tour operator. His company, On the Rock(s,) explores “the charms of my hometown — its coloured rowhouses, infamous intersections, hidden alleys, its rapid-fire conversations, bustling food and drink scene.” Sebastian is particularly attuned to the latter. He enjoys good cuisine, innovative or traditional, and schedules meals at establishments like The Fish Exchange and Mallard Cottage. And his drinking palette is such that he has a blog devoted to fine scotch, pairing different tastes with appropriate literature: Distill My Reading Heart!
On the personal front he’s recently divorced, and distinctly touchy on the subject of his ex-wife Samantha’s new boyfriend, Inspector Frederick Olsen, an RNC officer. Exchanges between Sebastian and
Samantha quickly devolve into terse shutdowns, even on the one subject they are most invested in, the welfare of their teenage son, Nick.
But, though Sebastian might be stewing, he’s not exactly pining. He’s got work to do. His very contrariness (he left off teaching, for example, in a bit of a huff) lends him a certain energy and focus. His tour business is now in its second year and really showing promise. His upcoming group, first of the season, arrives in a few days and it’s time to review the participants, who provide simple bios, as in food preferences, allergies, and mobility issues, when they sign up. This batch includes the Mcvickers, a married couple from London, Ont.; Lois Ann Miller from Red Deer who “recently climbed Kilimanjaro”; Lula Jones from Tennessee, 80-plus but still game for a hike; Renée Sipp, possible enticement, from France; and Graham Lester, so far a monosyllabic enigmas from Toronto.
Sebastian, though fresh into the tour scene, already knows an expedition’s success or failure depends on the group alchemy. And this one’s seems all right. Everyone assembles in the Delta lobby on time. There’s a bit of joking, and apparent eagerness to experience the city’s adjacent wilderness and its hopping gourmet spots. First on the itinerary is a trek of Signal Hill.
“Eyes peeled for icebergs and whales,” he tells “the stouthearted six,” although Graham seems more intent on texting on his white iphone, and Lois Ann is setting her on fast pace, venturing too far ahead of the others. “Puffin! Puffin!” Sebastian falsely signals, in an attempt to shepherd them all together. Their excursion is reaching that point on the trail where a chain rail is the only hold against a plummet down the cliff. “Remember, glide your hand along the chain as if it were a handrail,” Sebastian advises his charges. “If you’re not fond of heights, look straight ahead.”
They make their careful way across, and the path widens enough to accommodate the passage of a hardy jogger. There’s even an iceberg, a growler, as a visual reward. But then — “Where’s Graham?”
Sebastian retraces their path, but there’s no Graham in sight. Did he turn around for some reason and hike the steps to the parking lot? Sebastian remembers he has Graham’s number, and calls his cell. “There’s tinny music coming from somewhere … I peer over the edge, and there it is.” The phone is just an arms-length away, and below that, prone and still, is Graham.
So Sebastian calls 911, the RNC arrive, and of course Olsen is in charge of the investigation. It might be Sebastian’s antipathy towards the man that causes Sebastian to withhold evidence: namely, Graham’s phone, which he retrieved before the first responders arrived. But Sebastian is also curious — what was so important that Graham paid more attention to it than the path and his surroundings? Besides, if there’s evidence there he can always get it to the cops somehow. They’d never be able to tell he accessed it — could they?
There’s some friction on the home front, too. His son, lovely, funny Nick, is unhappy with his mom’s new relationship, and wants to spend more time at his father’s. But that’s against the separation agreement. And no — Sebastian has no intention of getting a dog. Enter (barking) the affectionate Gaffer.
“One For The Rock” is a fastpaced read, with lots of action unfolding over just a few days. Some plot twists do require a certain leap of faith, but the narrative is steadied by Sebastian’s wry, perceptive character, including his offbeat, genuine affection for one of the hapless players embroiled in the hijinks, and, especially, his parental connection to Nick. And the story strolls nimbly and sure-footedly around an au courant St. John’s.