Sam Wiebe, acclaimed author of the Wakeland series of Vancouver-set crime novels, will read from his latest novel, Ocean Drive (Harbour Publishing) — a fictional look at the dark side of White Rock — at an event in the city this Saturday (May 4).
The reading and book signing will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at White Rock Public Library.
Wiebe, who has referred to his new book as “a Pacific Northwest Fargo,” explains in his promotional material that he was taken with the idea of “dark things” that happen in a “very nice place, involving people you normally wouldn’t suspect” — much like the Coen Brothers film.
In Ocean Drive, Wiebe, who grew up in White Rock and attended Semiahmoo Secondary, conjures a tale of a murder-by-arson of a college student that sparks gang violence in the city limits, and also in South Surrey at Softball City and along Zero Avenue.
In the fast-paced narrative, the writer, whom the Toronto Star has described as “Vancouver’s terse poet of a city in decline,” tells the story of Cameron Shaw, a young paroled killer, and White Rock RCMP’s detachment commander, Staff Sgt. Meghan Quick. Both find themselves swept up in events beyond their understanding, revealing long-established roots of crime that run deep in the community.
The event is presented by the Friends of the White Rock Library.
The library is located at 15342 Buena Vista Ave.