Precious

By (author): Douglas Glover

Douglas Glover’s raucous first novel was a finalist for the Books in Canada First Novel Award and sold out its first and only print run in just one month. Now mystery fans and readers of literary fiction alike can once again enjoy this witty post-modern detective tale by the author of Elle.

The eponymous central character in Precious is a boozy, burned-out reporter with an embarrassing nickname and a penchant for getting into trouble. After three failed marriages and a humiliating stint in a Greek jail, he will do anything for the quiet life. A job as woman’s page editor for the Ockenden Star-Leader seems like just the ticket — that is, until town gossip Rose Oxley winds up dead with a pair of scissors lodged in her chest.

Suddenly Precious finds himself embroiled in a hilariously over-the-top murder mystery, brimming with delicious satire about the newspaper business and culminating in a characteristically outrageous Gloverian showdown with firearms, snowmobiles, and booze. Inviting comparisons with the novels of Jasper Fforde and Ross MacDonald, Precious deftly combines an ingenious literary parody with the plot of a richly satisfying mystery.

AUTHOR

Douglas Glover

Born in 1948 on a tobacco farm in Ontario, writer and critic Douglas Glover is the author of many works of fiction including Dog Attempts to Drown Man in Saskatoon (1985). He currently lives and teaches in upper New York State.

Reviews

Meet Precious Elliot, a boozy, burned-out newsman with am embarrassing nickname, an instinct for self-destruction, and a hilarious sense of the absurd. After three failed marriages and a sting in a Greek jail, he’s ready for a rest. A job as women’s page editor for the Ockenden Star-Leader seems like just the ticket — that is, until Rose Oxley, the town busybody, winds up stabbed to death with her own scissors.
“Sheer high spirits make it a jolly Canadian extravaganza.”
Globe and Mail

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Excerpts & Samples ×

Douglas Glover’s raucous first novel was a finalist for the Books in Canada First Novel Award and sold out its first and only print run in just one month. Now mystery fans and readers of literary fiction alike can once again enjoy this witty post-modern detective tale by the author of Elle.

The eponymous central character in Precious is a boozy, burned-out reporter with an embarrassing nickname and a penchant for getting into trouble. After three failed marriages and a humiliating stint in a Greek jail, he will do anything for the quiet life. A job as woman’s page editor for the Ockenden Star-Leader seems like just the ticket — that is, until town gossip Rose Oxley winds up dead with a pair of scissors lodged in her chest.

Suddenly Precious finds himself embroiled in a hilariously over-the-top murder mystery, brimming with delicious satire about the newspaper business and culminating in a characteristically outrageous Gloverian showdown with firearms, snowmobiles, and booze. Inviting comparisons with the novels of Jasper Fforde and Ross MacDonald, Precious deftly combines an ingenious literary parody with the plot of a richly satisfying mystery.

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

219 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in * 0.64in
333gr

Published:

March 01, 2005

Publisher:

Goose Lane Editions

ISBN:

9780864924148

9780864927897 – EPUB

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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