Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure Series

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 1 - Lawyer Geoffry Chadwick is 50, Canadian, single, gay and, after a brief struggle with a hustler who tries to shake him down, a murderer. Herein lies the device for this macabre, funny, first novel. Although Geoffry must dispose of the body – which he does by dropping off sections of it around town at night – the trauma of the murder affords him the opportunity to reminisce and ruminate: on the recent termination of his affair with a history teacher; on the not-so-recent deaths of his wife and daughter; on the alcoholism of his mother; on growing old; on being gay. The visit of a nephew and the New Year's festivities only serve to intensify his thoughts. Although Chadwick is abrasively disdainful early on, he is fascinating when he loosens up. Phillips keeps the reader hopping with throwaway quotations from Donne and scatological references and puns. First published in 1981, and a Books in Canada First Novel nominee, this new edition contains a foreword by Alexander Inglis. "The feelings run deep and it speaks sensibly, amusingly, and passionately." – Marion Engel "A masterful and original novel." – The Globe and Mail "Edward Phillips has produced something unique in literary history – a comic thriller about gays, set in Westmount. I read it with mounting appreciation and laughter. A highly promising debut." – Robert Fulford "A witty, wonderfully poised, poignant, self-pitiless book." – Montreal Gazette "The book is so good it deserves a wide readership and a place on the bestseller's list, and parts of it – Phillips' lovely, wise and black puns and home-grown homilies – should make it into everyday language." – Toronto Star

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 2 – "One of the problems with weekends in the country" says Geoffry Chadwick's genial host in Buried on Sunday, "is that people feel free to drop in unannounced." And drop in they do. No sooner has our lovable lawyer hero, a partner in the prestigious law firm of Lyall, Pierce, Chadwick and Dawson – who just happens to be gay – settled in with a spicy Bloody Mary, than hardened criminals on the lam burst in and take Chadwick and his hosts hostage in their own beautiful home. A tale of mystery and suspense brims with human drama, both poignant and comic: It turns out that one of the other hostages, now married, had once been Chadwick's lover. As the hours of their forced confinement turn into days, a flood of bittersweet memories engulf Chadwick, of an affair whose painful end he could never forget, of a lover who had changed the course of his life. As the weekend moves toward its powerful denouement, Chadwick comes to terms with the road he has taken – and the quite different path of marriage and convention chosen by his early love. First published in 1986, it won the coveted Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award from the Crime Writers of Canada. This new edition contains a contemporary interview with Phillips on reception of his work and a reminiscence of Edward Phillips' 80th birthday celebration by Toronto author Nancy Wigston. "Geoffry Chadwick, an acerbic lawyer who is frankly but never flamboyantly gay, makes his second appearance here, and long may he live to conduct his mordant and witty inquiries." – San Francisco Chronicle  

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 4 – Geoffry Chadwick has a stalker. But between avoiding Christmas parties, gift shopping, moving his mother into a senior living facility, handling his recently widowed sister, and dealing with the loss of his long-term boyfriend Patrick, Geoffry Chadwick does not have time for a stalker.    Facing a bleak Christmas, Geoffry Chadwick is cheered to discover a kindred spirit in the recently widowed Elinor Richardson. They met at a party he had wanted to avoid and when he offered to escort her home they found that her apartment was full of smoke from a neighbor's neglect. After Chadwick offered her the use of his mother's apartment, Chadwick's sister Mildred flew into town also deciding to use the apartment for a last Christmas with their mother. Hilarity and madness ensued. With a Canadian stiff upper lip Geoffry Chadwick refuses to be a victim of a stalker.   This new edition contains a newspaper article from Phillips musing on his 1987 Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best Novel.   Witty, diverting, and socially accurate … [Chadwick's] social commentary is scathing, but his manner is unfailingly genial. A man who believes that the four food groups are alcohol, sugar, fat and caffeine, Geoffry Chadwick relishes both the surface and the undercurrents of conversation. He possesses an endearing love of festivity. When he meets his killer face to face, even then he entertains himself with the lunacy of the situation; no one can possibly be murdered right after Christmas dinner, and certainly not in Canada … The novel has its share of surprises, and a few dark corners, too. Loneliness hovers; decrepitude and death lie in wait. But meanwhile, Geoffry Chadwick's party goes on." – Carol Shields, The Globe and Mail

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 3 – Geoffry Chadwick is back and this time the reluctant hero and social observer is going to a wedding - or maybe not. Geoffry's niece, Jennifer, is about to marry Douglas, son of a prominent – or at the very least notorious – Montreal socialite, Lois Fullerton. Lois is a wealthy widow with an impressive list of discarded lovers and it looks like she's decided Geoffry will be her next conquest. But after meeting Lois on several occasions, Chadwick discovers he is being followed. Soon a nasty knife wound – on the front tire of his car – and a nasty note thicken the plot. Has Lois masterminded a trap? Who is her suspicious, swarthy, and sexy chauffeur? And why is the bridegroom more interested in his future brother-in-law than his future bride? A lively misadventure of manners – bad manners – with just a hint of crime. First published in 1990, this new edition contains a tribute by Alexander Inglis to Mr Phillips who passed away in May, 2020. "The real meat and potatoes of the book are dished up in Geoffry's ironical opinions and epigrams. He skewers everything and everyone. Phillips also gives us scenes of rich comedy. Enjoy it for its waspish verbal zingers, its satire of convention and its wry insights." – Montreal Gazette "Sunday Best is delightful reading on a wintry Sunday afternoon. A highly polished gem on Montreal mores and manners, with a side trip to Toronto." – Ian Mayer, Toronto Star

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 5 – No act of kindness goes unpunished; Geoffry Chadwick discovers this cynical truism the moment the Westmount lawyer retires. He reluctantly agrees to assist an amateur production of Hedda Gabler to raise funds for the local public library. Following a raffle, Geoffry finds himself with two tickets for a Caribbean cruise won by his companion who can't make the trip. On the spur of the moment, he invites childhood friend Frank Wilkinson, an opera designer, whom he hasn't seen much in recent decades.   The travelers are beset by a mysterious flu, a rekindled long-forgotten affection for Frank complicating Geoffry's current status, and a flamboyant quartet of dinner companions who have more on their plate than appears at first glance. Propelled by Geoffry's sharp wit and acerbic social observations, A Voyage on Sunday is a journey of personal discovery and finding emotional balance in late middle age.   "Edward O. Phillips should be a cult figure in Canada, quoted by every literate, sophisticated person with a taste for wit and delicious phrasing. He is one of our very few who can write genuine comedies of manner." — The Globe and Mail

A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 6 – Geoffry Chadwick loves a good party: what better way to send off his late wife, Elinor, than a party to celebrate her life? Geoffry wants to remember their marriage, love, and all the peaceful Sundays they shared together in the best way he knows how.   His decision directly triggers a chain of surprising events: in the midst of party planning and grief, a curveball arrives in the form of Harold, the son Geoffry never knew he had. Age seventy is rather late to begin navigating the uncharted waters of fatherhood: especially when the son is turning 50, bears an undeniable resemblance (and same acerbic wit) and brings a death-bed prom-night origin story from his late mother. Meanwhile, he must keep his overbearing sister Mildred, his aging mother, and long-time alcoholic best friend Larry at bay.   A Month of Sundays is a wry and human take on coming to terms with grief, old age and the unexpected twists of evolving family ties. Also included is the short story "Matthew and Chauncy", the basis for a 1989 NFB film Salut, Victor directed by Anne Claire Poirier.   "Edward O. Phillips's understated thrillers-cum-comedy-of-manners starring urbane, gay, Montreal anglophone Geoffry Chadwick, have always had a loyal following in the gay community. He commands loyalty from a broader sector - anyone who savours Wildean aphorism and pronouncements. I have always enjoyed the raunchy edge in Phillips's writing, but this time there is an added depth." — Betty Jane Wylie, The Globe and Mail "Wry social comment is Phillips' business. And at his best, he adroitly pinpoints our current convoluted absurdities – so hard to see while they are in process of happening, so easy to see with hindsight." — Ken Adachi, Toronto Star "The real meat and potatoes of the book are dished up in Geoffry's ironical opinions and epigrams. He skewers everything and everyone. Phillips also gives us scenes of rich comedy. Enjoy it for its waspish verbal zingers, its satire of convention and its wry insights." — Montreal Gazette