A Thirst to Die For is billed as a political mystery by a longtime politician, but it’s really a thriller. Mysteries are usually corpse-driven, and feature a sleuth and a list of suspects. Thrillers are all about the chase, and tend to proffer up lawyers, single moms, or corporate Dilberts who stumble on a Web of Intrigue, most often in Corridors of Power (such as courtrooms or government). A Thirst to Die For fits the thriller template right down to its fast pace, parliamentary milieu, and black car that appears in the hero’s rear-view mirror.

Author Ian Waddell has made the most of his 14 years as MP on Parliament Hill. Central character Clayton Greene is a young half-native MP who discovers that a container ship full of water is illegally headed south to America from one of B.C.’s key aquifers. It turns out that water smuggling is currently among the most lucrative Canadian covert occupations. As Greene turns into both hunter and hunted, a cabal of traitorous higher-ups puts the the Prime Minister’s life in danger.

Waddell goes into uncanny detail about the workings of finance committees, the Parliamentary Press Club Bar, the view from 24 Sussex Drive, and what happens when one places a telephone call to the House of Commons. On top of this, characters and dialogue occasionally serve as platforms for Waddell’s sometimes long-winded political views. Despite such insiders’-view logjams, the book succeeds in sketching a convincing, scary portrait of a Canadian government compromised by NAFTA. And, in its own not-too-polished, slightly earnest way, it is a true homegrown thriller.