Newcomer Dave Hugelschaffer’s debut novel Day Into Night is scorching its mark onto the Crime Fiction genre. Hugelschaffer introduces a new kind of Canadian hero ― the fearless Porter Cassel ― a Forest Ranger turned fire investigator. When arson is suspected in the rugged lumber regions of Alberta, Cassel is called to the scene. In an attempt to trace the source of the fire, he inadvertently disturbs crucial evidence. But when the facts link the arsonist to prior attacks by an ecological extremist known as the Lorax, Cassel finds himself hot to avenge the death of his fiancée, Nina.

Day Into Night is alive with characters who are almost embarrassingly genuine, from Cassel’s sister, a single mother struggling to raise children in the aftermath of divorce, to his best buddy Carl, the original Man Of The Woods. Cassel himself is an endearing everyman, a beacon of Canadian humour and antics, as full of piss and vinegar as a good old barroom brawl.

Before reading Day Into Night, I thought I knew something about trees. In 1997, Alex and I bought a 63-acre tree farm, for no better reason than that we were tired of witnessing the loss of Canada’s northern forests to relentless housing developments. From the moment I cracked open Hugelschaffer’s pages I realised that what I didn’t know about the woods could fill a book.

Hugelschaffer’s hero is sure to make you laugh out loud. Cassel’s sardonic and self-deprecating wit is an unstoppable element of the story. Topped up with testosterone and ready to take on the bad guys, Cassel will lead you into a riotous romp through Alberta’s wilderness. Our hero may not pack much of a punch, but he can take one better than any crime-fighter I know. And, as Cassel would say, you should see the other guy’s fist!

Donna Carrick, March 8, 2007