For some reason, here at Crime Fiction Lover we’ve developed a special affinity for Canadian crime fiction, and so over the years we’ve got to know quite a few authors from all across Canada. Earlier this year, our friend Cathy Ace introduced us to Anthony Bidulka, and if you haven’t discovered him already, this is an author worth reading – especially if you love your PI crime fiction.

Back in 2023, he won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel – Canada’s most prestigious crime fiction award – for his book Going to Beautiful, about a celebrity chef and a transgender retiree solving murders on the prairies. But going further back, Anthony is probably best known for his private investigator novels featuring Russell Quant, a gay detective from small-town Saskatchewan. Eight books were written between 2003 and 2012, starting with Amuse Bouche.

Now, after a hiatus of nearly 15 years, Russell Quant is back in a brand new mystery and it all starts in his home town. The new novel, QUANT, might seem a little bit like a comeback tour for anyone who’s already a fan of Anthony’s work, but for a whole new generation of crime fiction lovers, it’s a chance to meet Quant for the first time. The new book arrives on 30 September 2026, so we decided to find out more from the author himself…

What are crime fiction lovers going to love about QUANT?

Rather than whodunnits, I think of the Russell Quant books, and really all my books, as whydunnits. I focus as much on character, social issues, relationships as I do on crime. QUANT is a book about a murder, but it also a story about life on the Canadian prairie, aging parents, chosen family and the lengths people will go to when the people and communities they love begin to change.

For those who haven’t met him before, who is Russel Quant, what inspired him and how have you developed him over the years?

Russell Quant is the first and only wine-swilling, wise-cracking, world-travelling, winsomely gay, half Irish, half Ukrainian, ex-cop, ex-farm boy, Canadian prairie private eye being written about today! I dare anyone to disprove it. In the first book, published over 20 years ago, he was a young man struggling to make a career as a PI in a small prairie city, navigating relationships and friendships, and figuring out life. I was inspired to write QUANT when I realised he was now a man in his 50s. I wondered what happened to him, his career, his mom, his boyfriend, his dogs?

What’s he up against in QUANT, the ninth novel in the series?

Going home can be a complex experience. Facing grave family matters, Russell returns to his hometown only to find his childhood community embroiled in controversy over a suspicious death. He wonders if the bucolic village he once knew is hiding a more sinister reality. His investigation takes him from Canadian prairie to Caribbean paradise and a once peaceful farming community struggles to survive while deception and greed wage war against resilience, hope and family legacy.

Tell us about the settings – because in the past you’ve always had Quant on the move? What role do the settings play in your story?

A hallmark of the series is that in every book Russell spends some time in an exotic far off location. He’s been to Africa, Arabia, New York City and Zihuatanejo. The idea was to place his (and my) home province of Saskatchewan on an even playing field with other, better-known settings more familiar to readers, not to show that one is better than the other, but that maybe we have more in common than we think. In the process, I hope I’ve helped to make Saskatoon, Saskatchewan into its own version of a far-off, exotic foreign location. 

Who are some of the other interesting characters we’ll meet?

Although she was never meant to be a recurring character, Kay Quant – Russell’s very Ukrainian mother – who appeared for the first time in book two, Flight of Aquavit, was so popular with readers, she became a fixture throughout the series. QUANT, is dedicated to my mother, and Kay plays a very important role in the story. Some of the new characters, the residents of Russell’s hometown, are fascinating to me, displaying so many different versions of what love can look like – between parent and child, husband and wife, friend and friend – and what they will do to protect those relationships. 

What made you decide to bring Quant back after 15 years, and what was it like writing him now?

With the last book in the series, Dos Equis, I believed the story had been told and the ending satisfying. I liked where I left all of the characters. It wasn’t until I realised 15 years had passed since we last visited the world of Russell Quant and wondered: where are they today? – that my interest was piqued. Maybe there was more story to tell. But the world had changed. I had changed. I worried I might not be able to find the Russell Quant voice again after all those years. About halfway into page one I had it back. We had changed together, and still the basic tenets of who he was were still there and going strong.

Were there any bigger themes that you wanted to explore with this mystery?

Definitely. This is a very personal book for me in many ways. Much of it was written in the final year of my mother’s life. Just as Russell Quant is not me, Russell’s mother is not my mother. But they share many traits. I found great satisfaction in using this story to show readers how Russell’s relationship with his mother has evolved, and tying it into the underlying theme of caring for things that are changing, the sweetness of it, the hardship and frustrations, the sacrifices, failures and triumphs. These themes show up in both the mystery and the personal side of the story.

You’ve also republished the eight original titles. Should readers start with Amuse Bouche or can they jump straight in with Quant?

Either works perfectly fine. To use a movie analogy, if you start with QUANT, think of it like a standalone movie. If it leaves you wondering about the background stories of your favourite characters, consider the first eight books prequel movies. If you start with the original books, consider QUANT a long-awaited sequel where you can revisit all your favourite characters.

What’s the Canadian crime fiction scene like at the moment, from your perspective?

The scene is vibrant and growing, with writers – both established and upcoming – who are doing wonderful, creative work expanding the horizons of what it means to be a crime writer. In October 2026, Calgary, Alberta is hosting the Bouchercon World Mystery Conference and it looks to be big and exciting and lots of fun. 

Which crime books and/or authors have inspired you and why?

Gail Bowen, her Joanne Kilbourn series, and Michael Nava are two big ones for me. I am constantly inspired by contemporary crime writers. 

What’s next for Russel Quant, and what’s next for Anthony Bidulka?

QUANT is meant to be a reunion type book, not a return to a series. That being said, I never say never. Wouldn’t it be fun to return to the Quant universe in another 15 years and see what’s shaking then? Imagine Russell Quant at 70. That would be interesting to me.

QUANT is available from 30 September 2026. Grab your copy with the buttons below…