Really enjoyed this book usually I work out who what and when before the end but this book kept me guessing

R.M. Greenaway is a new author for me, and she definitely is on my list now! I loved the RCMP officers, Dion and Leith, with their problem solving abilities, and the great descriptions of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Can't wait to find more of these well written books.

4 stars
Thanks to Dundurn and NetGalley for sending me this e ARC. I enjoyed reading it. I previously read books 1 and 2 in the series and recommend that you read them in order. Cal Dion is now a uniformed constable, having been demoted because of his actions in book 2, [book:Undertow|30124137] He is still working under detective constable David Leith. They still have an uneasy relationship, but do work well together. Cal has a knack for finding important clues, dead bodies, but also a way of antagonizing colleagues.
This book opens with Cal and Jackie Randall checking out the scene of a dead body, a man thought to have died of a heart attack in the woods. They write it off as a natural death. But then another body is found in an abandoned house. There are strange reports of a werewolf/strange creature seen prowling in the woods. The reader is made aware of who the strange creature is early on. But how this ties into the dead body and who killed who is not revealed until the end. There is another subplot involving a hit and run death. All of these threads come together at the end for a very satisfying conclusion.
Some quotes:
Stefano's thoughts toward his boss: "How did it happen that he was so well read and not a bad writer, yet in her presence, the spoken word got stuck somewhere between his brain and his tongue?"
Leith thinking about a witness/suspect: "Her eyes could not just bake bread, but light candles. Of all the liars Leith had interviewed over the years, this young woman took the prize."

This book ticked all the right boxes for a modern crime novel: damaged cops; over-zealous cops; incompetent cops; dead bodies; missing children; possible cover-ups; psychopaths, and psychopaths-in-training; mental illness; racism and huge plot twists all over the place. As if that were not enough, there are also sightings of a werewolf.
I feel I should have really liked this book, but I felt unable to connect with any of the characters. This is the third book in the series, and perhaps if I had read the earlier books, I would have been more engaged.
However, characters and back-story apart, I did have some problems with the narrative. It took me a long time to get into the book, and to get interested in the crimes. By about half way through, I began to really enjoy what I was reading. But then, there was just one twist too many, and I felt the credibility of the story waned. No, I don’t mean the bit about the werewolf – that was well done.
There is a lot to interest crime novel aficionados here, but, unfortunately it did not grab me.

Werewolf? Hmm. This interesting procedural features two classics in the genre- Cal Dion and David Leith. They both have issues but they interact in a wonderful way. They are also dogged investigators, which serves them well as they try to sort out some odd murders in North Vancouver. Is there a paranormal element or is there mental illness afoot? In any event, Greenaway has written a highly readable and engaging, if creepy, novel. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For fans of Canadian noir.

It is a rainy autumn in British Columbia and a series of crimes are keeping the North Vancouver RCMP team busy. A missing hiker is found dead by his children on an old-growth forest trail in the Lynn Headwaters park. Next, a mauled body is found in the crawl space of an abandoned house in Lynn Valley. RCMP Constable Cal Dion is back in uniform and teamed with ambitious rookie Jackie Randall. While on a routine canvassing task, Dion meets Farah, a most attractive witness. Constable Dave Leith is in the thick of the crawl space murder investigation. The challenge is to first identify the victim and sift through various incoming tips and rumours of mythical creatures in the nearby woods. The Halloween hit-and-run death of a teenager also is a priority for the team. But when Jackie is lured into the woods and bludgeoned to death, Leith and his team have another reason to stop the killer, whose crimes are escalating with stunning speed.

This was a creepy, thrilling read and another strong entry in the B.C. Blues crime series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Dundurn Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

North Vancouver sees a great deal of rain....but rarely does it bring with it deaths so random and unexplainable. Leith and David plod from one location to the next, doggedly pursuing an unknown killer. One who may or may not be able to shape-shift. From one creepy location to the next, the officers interview numerous town characters who are not lacking in story.....just lacking in many clues to lead them toward the criminal mind at large.
I had some difficulty maintaining attention to the writing of the book......the story-line almost seemed to plod along with the heavy steps of the chronically morose and dissatisfied Leith. There were some enjoyable bits of "tongue-in-cheek" humor to help it along however and the ending was fairly satisfying.

Creep is the third book in the BC Blues Crime series by author R.M. Greenaway. It is the second book of Greenaway's that I have read. It helped that I had read the second book as far as understanding the characters.

Creep is a crime story..part police procedural and part mystery. I live in the Lower Mainland so I really enjoy reading books that are set here. This series is set on the north shore in North Vancouver. The Lynn Valley setting is very familiar to me. My parents roamed those woods and streams as children and often took us to Lynn Valley Park to walk the suspension bridge and hike in the woods. Beautiful yet brutal forest that is well represented in Creep.

The story was interesting. I am not interested in paranormal stories so I ignored the werewolf hints in the book. We are getting to know the characters in the series better in each book. Dion and Leith are both very interesting. I would add some female characters as police officers...ones that stay alive.

Creep is a good read. I probably was more enthralled with the second book in the series, Undertow. I still need to read the first book which is set up north.

BC Blues Crime series is definitely a series I would recommend. Creep is an interesting book that I know mystery fans will enjoy.

This is the third B.C. Blues crime novel featuring career cops Cal Dion and David Leith. It can be read as a standalone.

Creep is an odd mix of a novel. There is regular police procedurals and strong characterization of Cal Dion and David Leith. But we do not have a simple murder, as there are some accidents plus supernatural elements surrounding Halloween. Putting all these factors into this story, made it rather a muddle.

I did like the workplace humour and found it spot on, making me chuckle often. This humour is very similar to and of the same high quality as Collateral, a four-part British television drama serial, written and created by David Hare, and directed by S. J. Clarkson. It first broadcast on BBC Two on February 12, 2018.

I really enjoyed her two previous novels Cold Girl and Undertow, voting them both the top scores of 5 stars. However, I found Creep to be very disappointing with the plot. I thought the references to Halloween were childish. There was nothing outstanding about the bad guy, the nature of the offences or the detective skills of Cal Dion and David Leith. This novel is still an okay, 3 star read because it was brightened up by two wonderful and charismatic women, Farah Jordan and Jackie Randall.

There was a kind of surprise in the acknowledgements at the end of this book. It then made sense of why I feel like I do about this novel. I feel that Creep has weakened her brand and that she would have been better off releasing this book under another name and replacing Cal Dion and David Leith with new names. .

This book picks up where Undertow left off & there have been a few changes for our 2 MC’s due to the fallout from their last case. Cal Dion is back in uniform, pounding the beat with a shiny new partner who might be a good cop if he ever stopped talking. But oddly enough, Cal is almost content with his lot.

When we first met him (Cold Girl), Cal was returning to work after suffering a head injury in a car crash that killed his best friend. Cognitive blips & difficulty reading/writing were his constant companions. And while he became adept at hiding his limitations from coworkers, Cal was only too aware he was no longer a hotshot detective. Frustration & depression ensued & in book #2 we watched as he went off the rails & risked everything. Now he’s in a better place. Cal’s accepted his faulty wiring & is lucky to still have a job.

Dave Leith was Cal’s partner in homicide. He’s still working elite crimes & trying to get used to big city life. Now their paths cross again as a series of bizarre crimes begin to pop up around the North Vancouver detachment. First a body is found on a derelict property & it’s been there a while. Then a hiker dies mysteriously on a densely forested trail & walkers are spooked on wooded paths. Excluding nosy neighbours, tips are hard to come by. Well…unless you count reports of a wolf-like creature spotted around the cycling trails. Wait…was that a howl?

In alternate chapters we meet Stefano Boone, a young guy who works at a diner. He lives in his parents’ basement, has no friends & he’s…em…kind of going through something. Best to leave that alone until you meet him yourself.

There are other characters that flesh out the story lines & several will trigger your spidey senses. As the investigations progress, Cal also has his suspicions. Thing is, it’s hard to know if he’s on the right path. Is the person of interest really a little hinky or has Cal’s memory just sprung another leak?

This is book #3 in the series & it’s my favourite (so far…). It’s not just the multi-story lines, great twists & characters I’ve come to know. It’s also the writing. I can’t help but feel the author has really hit her stride. The flow & pacing make for an effortless read with little nuggets of info dropped in all the right places that make it hard to put down. The prose is self assured & economical with enough description to create an atmosphere that is dark, foreboding & tense.

The pace picks up near the end as the puzzle pieces begin to click together. It’s like a fog lifts to reveal startling truths. There are some satisfying conclusions (for 1 character in particular…what a git!) but not everything is neatly folded up & put away. An event from Cal’s past has lingered in the background like a spectre since the first book & it’s starting to take shape. If details surrounding the crash that re-wired his brain come out….well, Cal’s going to have a very bad day. Or decade. That alone guarantees I’ll be in line for book #4.

Recommend reading in order due to ongoing story lines that reference the characters’ personal histories & evolving relationship.

A very dark novel set in the harsh Canadian wilderness. The first part captures the beauty of the environment so well that it's hard not to picture yourself walking in the woods along with the characters. I haven't read the first volumes in the series and in some cases it's not a problem, but here it felt like I was missing something important. The characters are complex enough, they are three-dimensional and well drawn, but their dynamics were not that easy to grasp without the background information. But the main reason why this novel failed to grab my attention is that there were too many threads for me to keep tabs on. Some parts I liked a lot, but others were more far-fetched. What I liked the most was definitely the atmospheric descriptions of the woods where there may be a beast, a man, or a combination of the two. My favorite character was not a recurring one, but a witness that becomes the love interest of one of the police officers. Farah, a hippy chef, singlehandedly provides the story its beating heart.

Constable Cal Dion previously a detective, has landed back on uniformed patrol after being in trouble during summer. His partner, Constable Randall, is young, ambitious and hoping a big case might ensue a spot in the Serious Crimes Section.
Corporal Michelin Montgomery emits enthusiasm and has quickly become popular in the North Vancouver detachment. Monty lites up a room, loves children, has an impressive curriculum vitae and shares many thrilling life stories.
Constable David Leith can’t understand why he really doesn’t like Monty and he is trying to cope with Monty’s endless charm and charisma. Leith is socially awkward and lonely after leaving his large extended family.
Dispatch had not listed this callout as a crime. There was much talk of werewolves and yetis from the locals. Residents were calling in tips ranging from suspicious looking cats and dogs to UFO’s.
This book is a complex, plot driven story with a need to know the answers.

Needed to have read the previous books

This is the third book in the series and although I followed the plot, which I quite enjoyed, I found certain events confusing. There are various bodies, the potential for various killers and the possibility of a werewolf on the prowl.

However, the main detectives solving the case, Calvin Dion and Dave Leith did not really come through as characters for me, I think because I never fully understood their back stories which presumably were explained in the previous books.

We learn that Detective Dion has been involved in a car crash that killed his best friend and also resulted in him splitting up with his girlfriend but there also seems to be a possibility that he also killed another person and that one of the other detectives is trying to prove this but I couldn’t quite grasp what had really happened which spoilt this book for me.

Likewise, Dave Leith, married with a wife and daughter, seems to be spending most of his time trying to find a place to live. The main storyline seems to be involving Corporal Michelin Montgomery trying to cover up a hit and run committed by his fiancée Tori which gets embroiled in the other murders.


The ending and unravelling of the plot also did not really convince me and did not inspire me to go back and read the previous books.

To end on a positive note, I did enjoy the almost gothic descriptions of the area in North Vancouver and the writing is good but I just felt I needed to have read the other books.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Cal Dion and David Leith return in this third book, this time in search of a different kind of killer.

A mauled body has been found in an abandoned house. The only possible witnesses are young boys who swear it was a beast of some sort ... maybe something like a wolf, running or loping on 4 feet. Talk of the town has now shifted to the killer being a werewolf.

A young boy is attacked and bitten by a man in wolf form. A missing hiker is found and there are signs that he was fleeing something awful. He was so terrified that his heart gave out. So who .. or what ... is the killer?

The constables start their investigation amid rumors and ghost stories. And so appropriate as it is Halloween .. when all the creeps and crazies appear.

This is a character driven story which leaves the reader pondering on the paranormal...or is it a case of mental illness? This well-written mystery has deftly defined characters. The two Constables have their own issues and this case is going to tax both of them. I love the spookiness of the location ... dark, deep woods full of who-knows-what, especially when the sun goes down.

Many thanks to the author / Netgalley / Eidelweiss for the advanced digital copy. A special Thank You to Dundurn Publishing who solved my problem in less than 5 minutes ... I could not have asked for more.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Book#3, B.C. Blues Crime series

This 3rd mystery featuring Cal Dion and David Leith is a well created and a haunted tale set against the dark side of Vancouver’s North Shore. “Creep” has also elements of a gothic suspense I loved, some quite spooky making the experience a compelling read I enjoyed immensely. Ms. Greenaway stories are getting better with each outing.

As in the previous novels “Creep” is an exciting wild ride into police procedural with deeply characterized RCMP officers as main players. Dion and Leith are on the hunt for a killer who may be responsible for the death of a hiker and also for the mauled body found in a derelict house. Reported sighting of wolf, werewolf and large dogs….is the perpetrator human or beast……. As the investigation unfolds people are starting to think yes there is a werewolf on the loose….

Mental illness and paranormal, a mix that makes one ponder why some lose concept of normalcy and in which world they live on. Ms. Greenaway brings to her story a keen understanding of frailty and is at her best when she brings us into the forbidding wilderness and plunges us along with her characters into hugely intricate murder cases. Strong narrative all through gives strengths to the investigations inevitably holds us captivated, glued to every word from start to finish.

After 3 books, this author has finally won my heart. Her writing is economical, her plotting taut and her knowledge is sound. Well-done.

I was a little disappointed in this book. Creep did have a few moments of gruesome that got the reading juices flowing; but then it ended.
The main character Dion was a policeman with a past. Hiding a secret he was always wondering when he’d be found out and who else knew. This was a little intriguing as a reader; but it failed to go anywhere.
The end of the book was much better. There were twists and turns and in no way could I foresee the outcome.
Overall, it was a good read

Review: CREEP by R. C. Greenaway
(B. C. BLUES #3)

CREEP is an exciting wild ride of a police procedural thriller, third in R. C. Greenaway's B. C. BLUES series, about RCMP officers in British Columbia, Canada. Deeply characterized, this mystery leaves the reader pondering exactly what is reality: what is the line between mental illness and the paranormal, and at what point does a seemingly "normal" individual completely lose the concept of right vs. wrong? I pondered also why, in this era of modern medical research and widespread education, mental illness can still be so readily overlooked or ignored, to tragic consequences.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn for the eARC.
Wow, how I loved this book! This 3d in the Canadian series is so good and getting better with each outing...my favorite so far.
Dion and Leith are on the hunt for a killer who seems to be responsible for the death of a hiker and a hideously mauled body found in an abandoned house. But is the perpetrator a man or a beast? Reported sightings of a wolf or large dog are giving rise to talk of a werewolf.
Cal Dion is still suffering from a faulty memory as well as severe depression and trying hard to keep it together. Leith doesn't trust him, the 2 of them have a difficult relationship, not helped by the fact that Dion is wracked with the guilt and fear he's carried around with him since the deadly car accident that killed his partner and friend.
It's obvious who the 'wolf' is as the story unfolds, but the end came as quite the surprise!
Having lived in Canada for 20 years I am always on the lookout for books set in that great country and am so pleased to have found this series. Dion and Keith are both interesting and likeable; the writing is excellent, the setting makes me want to jump on a plane to B.C. and the stories are unique and refreshingly different. Did I mention I love this series? Hopefully there are many more to follow!