Catherine Coles
Coles’ Notes
The County of Lennox & Addington Libraries are pleased to announce that What We Buried by Robert Rotenberg will be the official selection for 2024’s One Book, One L&A community reading program.
Robert Rotenberg is one of Toronto’s top criminal lawyers and the author of several bestselling mystery novels, including Old City Hall, The Guilty Plea, Stray Bullets, and Stranglehold. What I love about Rotenberg’s novels, besides the intriguing plots, is their strong sense of place. He writes in vivid detail about landmarks in Toronto that you are probably familiar with, but his characters also regularly venture outside of Toronto. For instance, when I worked at the Haliburton County Public Library, readers were always excited to point out the various local haunts they discovered in Old City Hall. Truly, if you are looking for a Grisham-esque read with Canadian flavour, Rotenberg’s novels should be your go-to.
What We Buried, Rotenberg’s latest book, follows Toronto homicide detective Daniel Kennicott, who fans will remember from previous novels. Nearly 10 years ago, his brother was shot and murdered just days before a trip to the small Italian city of Gubbio in Umbria. The case was unsolved and, of course, continue to haunt Kennicott. Is there a connection to the car crash that killed their parents years before? He is certain the Italian trip somehow played a part in his brother’s death and decides to finally make the journey himself to hopefully shed some light on the family tragedy. Meanwhile in Toronto, two of his former colleagues, Detective Ari Greene and Chief of Police Nora Bering, haven’t given up on solving the cold case. As Kennicott traces his brother’s steps in the rolling hills of Umbria and uncovers shocking family secrets, Greene and Bering continue to unearth new theories and evidence.
War crimes, Nazis, and the resistance all play a part in this multi-layered story and, since it was inspired by a painful real-time WWII event, it has an effective and well-researched historical bent. That is to say, I think this novel will be enjoyed by mystery enthusiasts and history buffs in equal measure.
We encourage everyone in the County of L&A to “get on the same page” by reading What We Buried this spring and summer. In October, during Canadian Library Month, we will welcome Rotenberg to a special event in Napanee where you will have a chance to hear him speak about his writing process and the legal career that inspires his work, as well as the meticulous research that went into this latest book. Mark your calendar for Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. and please stay tuned for further details.
Reserve your copy of What We Buried at your branch of the County of L&A Libraries, or online at CountyLibrary.ca.