Fiction Pick of the Week: Tainted

Tainted: a Dr. Zol Szabo Medical Mystery by Ross Pennie 2009

A real treat for Burlington readers – a debut novel from physician and McMaster University professor Ross Pennie set in our own backyard. Dr. Zol Szabo lives on Hamilton Mountain, works on Concession Street and has a favourite restaurant in Lowville (the book is even dedicated to the Halton Region Health Department). Zol is a former chef, single father of young Max, and now a doctor working for the (fictional) Hamilton-Lakeshore Public Health Unit. When an outbreak occurs of a variant strain of Mad Cow disease, Zol and his team race to determine the cause: is it a new cosmetic treatment (in which health officials and academic leaders have significant financial stakes), or perhaps the ‘gourmet’ meat products made on a farm near Campbellville? The answer may even determine whether Zol and his son live or die. Along the way, Zol and his colleagues (including Natasha, whose dedication to the job has to compete with her mother’s attempts to find her a “nice Indian boy” to marry, and socially-awkward Hamish) contend with political turf wars, conflicts of interest and a maze of regulations. It’s fast-paced and suspenseful, but also has a feel of a cozy mystery, with lots of local colour and likeable characters (and some pointed commentary on the food safety system).