2008 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize — Longlisted

Jack’s life and career are on the line in a gritty return to the dark Vancouver underworld of Loose Ends.

RCMP detective Jack Taggart has avenged the murders of his niece and nephew, but the consequences linger. His deal with Damien, leader of the "Satans Wrath" motorcycle gang, has put him in a bind and jeopardized an informant in the gang. Meanwhile, other gang members led by a mysterious figure known only as "The Boss" have been working to eliminate Taggart by destroying the lives of anyone with connections to him.

And if the bad guys aren’t enough of an obstacle, there are problems on the force itself. Assistant Commissioner Isaac is becoming more and more suspicious that Jack may have been responsible for the death of a corrupt Crown prosecutor.

With Jack’s life and career on the line, Above Ground is a tough and gritty follow-up that will more than satisfy readers who were pulled into the dark Vancouver underworld by Loose Ends, the first Jack Taggart mystery.

Don Easton spent his career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as an undercover operative who worked in foreign countries. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Don Easton's premise for writing this novel came from personal experience. He was a former RCMP undercover operative who had been sent to El Paso where his investigation then took him into Juarez. Some of the events in this novel are shocking, made even more so when told by someone who has been there. Birds of a Feather is Easton's sixth Jack Taggart Mystery, following Loose Ends, Above Ground, Angel in the Full Moon, Samurai Code, and Dead Ends.

Don Easton's profile page

• Long-listed, City of Victoria Butler Book Prize