Quarrel with the Foe

The cover illustration is by Group of Seven member Franklin Carmichael.

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The first Paul Shenstone mystery. A WWI veteran turned Toronto police detective takes on the murder of an industrialist — only to find the case tangled with men he knew in Flanders.

What will Detective Shenstone’s choice be if he has to arrest one of his own comrades? He has promised the victim’s attractive and independent daughter that he will bring the perpetrator to justice, but bonds forged in war are not easily broken.

“Yeah, I was at the battery that May afternoon when Horny Ingersoll had everything between his legs cut away by a piece of exploding field gun. When he hooked on the lanyard and gave it a pull, the breech block just flew apart. Even the gunners were stunned by the noise. The officer had telephoned for high explosive shells, and it was beyond miraculous none of the rest of us was hurt.”

— from Quarrel with the Foe

“From its brief but powerful descriptions of First World War horrors to its careful but lively descriptions of Toronto life in the 1920s, the book is a winner. Beyond that, and more importantly, Bradshaw has written a compelling literary examination of some important moral matters. The word ‘honour’ doesn’t crop up much these days — nor does it in Quarrel with the Foe — but it’s nevertheless the main and troubling concern of this very fine novel.” — Joan Barfoot, London Free Press

Eric Kennington's Gas Mask — *Eric Kennington, Gas Mask*

Old City Hall, Toronto — Old City Hall was home to Toronto’s police headquarters in the Roaring Twenties.

“Paul Shenstone is a likeable character, a regular guy who likes his liquor but also takes his detective work seriously. Bradshaw has a winner here and potential for a series.” — Jeff George, Quill & Quire

Webley Mk VI revolver, used from 1915 in the First World War.

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