Nondescript Rambunctious

Oliver is an elusive new addition to the dysfunctional small town of Dalbegie, Scotland. Unaware of his dangerous side, divorcee Lauren is charmed by Oliver''s brief yet charismatic appearances. Lauren has become the latest victim of Oliver''s exclusive, secret club, nondescriptrambunctious.com. After Lauren''s disappearance, her only daughter Lizzy is left distraught and vulnerable. Under the sloppy care of her extended family, she rapidly spirals into rebellion. Oliver''s matter-of-fact justification for what he does leads the reader to contemplate the idea that the most "successful" killers are often the most unlikely suspects. They might not appear evil at first glance-take for example Ted Bundy, or "Canada''s bright, shining lie," former Colonel and rapist/murderer Russell Williams. In a society that has become increasingly desensitized, heinous acts of violence are just one more news item to be consumed. Could we go so far as to feel sympathy for a serial killer? In ''Nondescript Rambunctious'', we find cruelty at its most devestating-and empathy where we least expected. "Jackie Bateman''s debut novel is very impressive. The writing is taut, led, and relentless. ''Nondescript Rambunctious'' is a dark, murderous thriller, a winner with a variety of narrators, surprising turns and shifts, and some hard, hard corners." Mark Anthony Jarman, author of ''My White Planet'' and ''19 Knives'' "...''Nondescript Rambunctious'', for which Jackie Bateman won the Writer''s Studio at Simon Fraser University''s First Book Competition in the fiction category, is a thriller that succeeds by nodding politely to the formula, then turning it on its head. The novel has four narrators, but Bateman weaves their voices together effortlessly, and the build-up retains all the suspense and intensity one expects from a crime thriller. ... Bateman hasn''t imagined a world of dogged cops, rumpled detectives, or amateur sleuths. ''Nondescript Rambunctious'' is about the heartbreaking consequences of human depravity, not tying up loose ends or piecing together clues. It wouldn''t be wrong to label this novel a thriller, but it also confounds the expectations of that label, to great effect." Quill & Quire