The Hidden Keys

A slick and sophisticated mystery from the Giller Prize-winning author of Fifteen Dogs. 'This gorgeously written, funny adventure tale will keep readers up finishing it while also quietly breaking their hearts with Alexis's keen observations of people, kindness, and cruelty' - Publishers Weekly, starred review In the depths of the ill-reputed Green Dolphin bar in Toronto, Tancred Palmieri, a talented thief with extravagant tastes, encounters Willow Azarian, an aging heroin addict. She reveals to Tancred that her very wealthy father has recently passed away, leaving each of his five children a mysterious object that provides a clue to the whereabouts of a large inheritance. Willow enlists Tancred to steal these objects from her siblings and solve the puzzle. A Japanese screen, a painting that plays music, an aquavit bottle, a framed poem, and a model of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater ... Are these really clues, or has Tancred fallen victim to the delusions of a junkie? Inspired by a reading of Treasure Island, The Hidden Keys questions what it means to be honourable and faithful in the face of desire.

Andre Alexis won the Giller Prize in 2015 for his novel, Fifteen Dogs.

Even though the book is an old-fashioned quest yarn, Alexis s immense talent gives it an archetypal patina, glossing characters with shades of honor and subtlety that might have been missed in lesser hands. —Kirkus Reviews"

Even though the book is an old-fashioned quest yarn, Alexis s immense talent gives it an archetypal patina, glossing characters with shades of honor and subtlety that might have been missed in lesser hands.

Kirkus Reviews

Alexis did not rest on his laurels after winning the Giller The Hidden Keys brings to the forefront all the wit, grit, and talent we have come to expect from the reigning Canadian Fiction champ.

Libraire Drawn & Quarterly Book of the Week on Largehearted Boy

Though Tancred contains multitudes, one of Alexis s best tricks involves diverging from his hero s point of view to introduce a whole host of peripheral figures Nobody is a mere archetype in Alexis s universe, and far from digressions (or generic concessions), these subplots suggest the humane, egalitarian sensibility of a writer who s reluctant to simply instrumentalize his characters.

Quill & Quire

Alexis shapes his mash-up of ancient tropes and ironic flicks into a wonderful story about fate and family, mainly by peopling it with characters who are simultaneously archetypes and believable individuals. And the puzzle is pretty good, too.

Macleans

This gorgeously written, funny adventure tale will keep readers up finishing it while also quietly breaking their hearts with Alexis s keen observations of people, kindness, and cruelty.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

Even though the book is an old-fashioned quest yarn, Alexis s immense talent gives it an archetypal patina, glossing characters with shades of honor and subtlety that might have been missed in lesser hands.

Kirkus Reviews

[An] intellectual adventure yarn Great fun.

The Wall Street Journal

Alexis did not rest on his laurels after winning the Giller The Hidden Keys brings to the forefront all the wit, grit, and talent we have come to expect from the reigning Canadian Fiction champ.

Libraire Drawn & Quarterly Book of the Week on Largehearted Boy

A witty, punchy, loquacious novel Fun, propulsive reading that really is about the hunt, not the treasure.

Library Journal

The mystery itself does not disappoint, though the events that lead up to the reveal are as much of a gift as the endpoint itself. This unique adventure is a joyful and intelligent undertaking.

Foreword Reviews

Alexis is a literary cartographer of the highest calibre and The Hidden Keys should be book-marked on everyone s map.

Hamilton Review of Books

Though Tancred contains multitudes, one of Alexis s best tricks involves diverging from his hero s point of view to introduce a whole host of peripheral figures Nobody is a mere archetype in Alexis s universe, and far from digressions (or generic concessions), these subplots suggest the humane, egalitarian sensibility of a writer who s reluctant to simply instrumentalize his characters.

Quill & Quire

Alexis shapes his mash-up of ancient tropes and ironic flicks into a wonderful story about fate and family, mainly by peopling it with characters who are simultaneously archetypes and believable individuals. And the puzzle is pretty good, too.

Maclean s

It is difficult to convey how gracefully Alexis is able to conjure such baroque minutia without slipping into mannered excess. Just as it is difficult to convey Alexis s way of avoiding the trappings of genre while offering, in this case, all the essential pleasures of a crime novel: The Hidden Keys is somewhat akin to Elmore Leonard in its attention to idiosyncratic personal style and providing even minor players with active inner lives.

The Globe and Mail