From an Arthur Ellis Award–winning author, a mystery starring the Canadian investigator who “just plain charms the socks off anyone he meets” (Booklist). When truck driver Jack Dowden is killed in an accident while hauling toxic waste, his widow, Irma, suspects something fishy. Dowden wasn’t the type to be careless, and Irma has reason to believe that someone may have wanted him dead. Naturally, Benny Cooperman is the man she calls to take the case. It’s up to the affable detective to solve the mystery of Dowden’s death—before the situation proves hazardous to his health . . . “Benny, a private detective in fictional Grantham, Ontario, is a marvelous creation—a hardworking fellow whose innate bad luck just keeps leading him into the wrong cases. (Think Jim Rockford minus the proclivity for getting into fistfights.)” —Booklist “A warmly likable hero with an ironic sense of humor.” —Kirkus Reviews “Benny Cooperman is one of the most enjoyable private eyes in crime fiction.” —The Toronto Star Dead and Buried is the seventh book in the Benny Cooperman Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

ハワード・エンゲルが生んだ探偵ベニーの魅力は、暴力に頼らず知性とユーモアで戦う人間味にあります。本作は産業廃棄物という社会の闇を背景に、日常の裏に潜む悪意を浮き彫りにします。不器用ながら実直な彼の視点は、冷徹なハードボイルドとは一線を画す、地方都市特有の哀愁と温かさを描き出しています。 見どころは、不運に見舞われつつも軽妙な語りを忘れないベニーの精神性です。事件の背後にある環境問題への鋭い批判と、弱き者に寄り添う真摯な眼差し。それらが結晶した本作は、単なる謎解きを超え、現代社会の倫理的葛藤を鮮やかに映し出す滋味深い傑作といえるでしょう。