Constable Eddie Dougherty returns in this gripping police procedural

Montreal, Labour Day weekend, 1972. The city is getting ready to host the first game in the legendary Summit Series between Canada and the USSR. Three men set fire to a nightclub and Constable Eddie Dougherty witnesses the deaths of 37 people. The Museum of Fine Arts is robbed and two million dollars’ worth of paintings are stolen. Against the backdrop of these historic events, Dougherty discovers the body of a murdered young man on Mount Royal. As he tries to prove he has the stuff to become a detective, he is drawn into the world of American draft dodgers and deserters, class politics, and organized crime.

A Little More Free, the second Eddie Dougherty mystery, presents a portrait of a city and an officer trying to find out where they stand in a divisive and rapidly changing world.

John McFetridge co-authored Below the Line with Scott Albert, who, like John, had spent many years working in the film industry. John is also the author of the Toronto Series crime fiction novels Dirty Sweet, Everybody Knows this is Nowhere, and Swap. He has written the screenplays The Shrew in the Park and The Protector, the CBC radio drama, Champions, as well as episodes for the CBS/CTV television series The Bridge. John lives in Toronto.

John McFetridge's profile page

"This terrific continuation of the narrative McFetridge began in Black Rock opens with a bang…Working with a deceptively simple style that echoes Joseph Wambaugh, McFetridge has delivered an unpredictable mystery, a fine character study, and a vivid snapshot of 1972 Montreal." — Publishers Weekly

“Brilliant . . . As a police procedural, A Little More Free is superb. As a sociopolitical human drama, it's even better — remember to breathe during those final few pages.” — Winnipeg Free Press

"Dougherty is an interesting character to embed within real events, and McFetridge is as skilled as the smooth-passing Soviet hockey team when it comes to having him capture some of the tensions and griefs of the times." — London Free Press

"One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Dougherty novels is the way McFetridge opens a window on to Canada's recent and turbulent past." — Irish Times

“Intriguing.” — Chronicle Herald

“John McFetridge is the unsung hero of Canadian crime fiction . . . A Little More Free is a captivating read, and the Dougherty series might be the best work of McFetridge’s career.” — Crime Syndicate Magazine