Death’s Last Run: A Clare Vengel Undercover Novel by Robin Spand
Soon to be published by ECW Press and available for order from Fernie’s Polar Peek Books
– Reviewed by Angie Abdou for The Fernie Fix’s February 2013 Issue

I have found a novel made for Fernie readers! In fact, it’s a novel so good and so perfect that I predict it will convert even Fernie non-readers. It’s not exactly hot-off-the-press yet, but I can’t help getting an enthusiastic head start and letting you know it’ll be available very soon.

First, I confess that I have not read the previous books in the Clare Vengel mystery series, but I knew the protagonist’s reputation as a young sexy and sassy undercover cop who would rather take risks than respect authority. As it turns out, Clare Vengel also, somewhat unorthodoxly, makes a habit of sleeping with key suspects in the line of duty. The author, Robin Spano, has built herself a reputation as an energetic, daring and very funny writer who appeals to younger readers as well as the traditional readers of mystery novels.

I, therefore, expected Death’s Last Run to be fun, sexy, hip, and hilarious. I was not disappointed; it is all of those things. Death’s Last Run is a wildly fun, adrenalin-fueled ride. Clare dons baggy jeans and a hoody and heads to Whistler to investigate the death of a beautiful snowboarder whose mother is a US Senator. It turns out Sacha, the beautiful snowboarder, was also involved in a drug-smuggling ring, an activity she undertook to make a political point (and perhaps to irk her Republican mother) rather than to earn money.

Usually when I’m reading a novel, my mind is busy working out metaphors, imagery, ideology, thematic preoccupations, and political leanings. While I was reading this book, my mind held one thought:

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

I can’t remember the last time I found such unadulterated pleasure between the pages. I straight-lined Death’s Last Run: top to bottom in record time … and immediately wanted more.

Before I met Clare Vengel, I was not an avid crime fiction reader. Robin Spano has converted me. Big mountains, snowmobile chase scenes, sexy snowboard instructors, a naughty protagonist, hallucinogenic drug trips, Leonard Cohen music, and an appreciation for craft beer – this is my kind of murder mystery!

And the suspense! Will Clare sleep with her hot snowboard instructor? Will she drop LSD to prove she’s not a cop? Will she get the snowmobile started in time to escape the backcountry cabin and get away from the crooked policeman?

I want to put a copy of Death’s Last Run in the hands of every mountain lover, every snowboarder, every beer drinker, every crime fiction fan, every reader. This book is too much fun to be missed, by anyone.

While Robin was writing Death’s Last Run, she often e-mailed me with questions about current snowboarding gear, technique, and slang. I headed straight down to COMMIT SNOW & SKATE and put the questions to the people who would know. Those helpful guys always had the perfect answers. It was fun to flip to the back of Death’s Last Run and see that Robin has thanked both me and COMMIT in the acknowledgments.

Clearly, we need to get Robin to town for a Fernie book launch. I see live music. I see craft beer. I see an audience full of toques. I’m working on it. Stay tuned for event details.