Whipped: An Arthur Beauchamp Novel

“Whipped is vintage Deverell: sardonic yet humane, with a cast of complicated characters, seemingly effortless storytelling, and more than a touch of the absurd. Over twenty novels to his credit, and somehow he just keeps getting better.” — John MacLachlan Gray, award-winning author of The Fiend in Human and Billy Bishop Goes to War

“Whipped is a heady blend of sex, politics and blackmail with New Age group-grope, Russian perfidy and Mafia machinations — a tale that's fresh, original and funny, a totally delightful romp.” — Silver Donald Cameron, author of Warrior Lawyers and writer/narrator of the documentary film Green Rights: The Human Right to a Healthy World

“Once again, legendary lawyer Arthur Beauchamp is dragged from his idyllic retirement on Garibaldi Island, only this time to defend his garrulous wife, Margaret, the Green Party leader, from a rogue microphone and a multi-million dollar slander suit issued by an arrogant cabinet minister with a penchant for being ridden bareback by a whip wielding dominatrix — taking the reader for another wild ride as the great lawyer gradually unleashes his defense of his wife. It’s a hoot — a story with a real snap.” — Brian Brett, award-winning author of Trauma Farm and Tuco

“Whipped is a tonic for fans of William Deverell’s Arthur Beauchamp and his struggles with the law, life, and his wife on mythical Garibaldi Island. As readers will expect, I root for Margaret, his wife and leader of Canada’s Green Party, but I do not envy the political shenanigans she faces in Whipped. I’ll never look at the Chief Government Whip the same way again!” — Elizabeth May, MP, leader of Canada’s Green Party

“Only those readers with some knowledge of recent Canadian politics will fully appreciate the author’s nuanced view of the goings-on in Ottawa, but all will admire the way Deverell makes even minor characters complex and engaging.” — Publishers Weekly

“[A] smart, funny and cleverly plotted series.” — Toronto Star

“Brilliant in its balance between serious legal matters and off-the-cuff humour, Deverell's latest is not to be missed by those who seek literary entertainment.”

“Funny, irreverent, hilarious, and well thought out . . . All of Deverell’s books demonstrate his mastery as a writer in imagining a principal controversy and intertwining it with a number of related issues, made to come alive by the creation of evocative characters culminating in a court house climax that leaves you, well, fully satisfied.” — Provincial Judges’ Journal

“William Deverell, in his new book Whipped, combines his unique rollicking, raucous, fast-paced writing style, with his jaundiced eye for Canadian politics, and his love for the work of a skilled trial lawyer, Arthur Beauchamp. As usual, he features the composite South Gulf Island, Garibaldi Island, and its quirky crew of idiosyncratic residents. Well worth a read.” — Mike Harcourt, former Vancouver Mayor, B.C. Premier, fellow Garibaldi Island resident with Bill Deverell

“Always a delight to spend time in the company of the urbane, classically minded, and wittily conflicted Arthur Beauchamp. As a fellow resident of the Gulf Islands, I revel in Mr Deverell’s droll depiction of their weird and wonderful residents. As a political junkie, I love the skewering of those pompous politicians. Wrap it all up in terrific prose and a driving plot, you have the perfect antidote to a wet weekend.” — C. C. Humphreys, Arthur Ellis Award–winning author of Plague

“Bill Deverell’s Whipped is a rollicking ride through politics, organized crime, and blackmail, with a flash of studded leather thrown in for good measure. Arthur Beauchamp is back in a wild thriller that strikes very close to home. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” — Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

“If you like crime novels and courtroom drama, you are in luck here. If you are looking for really good Canadian writing, you came to the right place. Lovers of the Arthur Beauchamp series will avail themselves of a cup of tea or a glass of the good stuff and hunker down for another trip to lovably haywire Garibaldi Island. They will also follow the continuing misadventures of Arthur’s wife, Green Party leader Margaret Blake, through the halls of that other peculiar island called Parliament. It’s Deverell’s twentieth book; thank goodness they didn’t kill all the lawyers.” — George Bowering, award-winning autho​r

“The politics are the best part of Whipped — anyone who thinks Deverell exaggerates Ottawa skulduggery just hasn’t been paying attention.” — Winnipeg Free Press

“The whole array of characters, variously clever, shrewd, bumbling, wicked, corrupt and amusing, makes just about every page a treat.” — Brantford Expositor

“Fans love Deverell for his wit and Beauchamp's sane Canadian take on the madness of modern life and this one delivers the goods.” — The Globe and Mail

“In Whipped, readers are treated to Deverell at the top of his game . . . There is, as there always is in Deverell creations, much to like. The perfect pacing, the engaging characters (both good and bad), the laugh-out-loud moments, the courtroom drama (Deverell was a very successful trial lawyer in his former life) and, of course, the twists — Whipped is, after all, a mystery . . . all are very much evidence in this seventh Beauchamp offering.” — DavidPoulson.com