The friendship comes into play when Sam discovers the body of professor Harold Hilliard - a long-time customer of the store - dead in his office at McGill. Sam is implicated in the murder when it is discovered that the victim is clutching a special order form from Sam's store in what clearly is an attempt to reveal the identity of his murderer.
Part police-procedural and part cozy mystery, That Sleep of Death introduces a new sleuth to the Canadian murder-mystery scene - one whose continuing presence will be anticipated and enjoyed for mysteries to come.
Richard King is one of the co-founders of Librarie Paragraphe Bookstore in Montreal. Previously, he worked at the Classics bookstore on St. Catherine Street, and has served on the board of the Canadian Booksellers Association, including a year as its president. A graduate of McGill, he has lived all his life in Montreal.