Mystery novels that begin with a flashback (or a glimpse ahead) usually do so to conceal an opening scene that is not dramatic or interesting enough on its own. When a novel begins with two flashbacks, it becomes clear that the author has abandoned the sound principle of starting at the beginning and continuing to the end.

These flashbacks, the meaning of which becomes clear later in the book, are set at an isolated polar bear research station in Churchill, Manitoba. A rash of suspicious events and mysterious deaths has recently beset the scientists, support people, and visitors. While the scientists study ways to deter marauding bears from encroaching on civilization, someone with a hidden agenda is stalking the station’s inhabitants. Polar Circus begins at the start of the winter season as the bears gather to wait for Hudson Bay to freeze up so that they can reach the offshore seal population.

An eclectic assortment of tourist information, Inuit lore and legend, social commentary, colourful “characters,” and romance is spread thoughout the book, but these distractions, though occasionally interesting in themselves, only buttress a thin storyline lacking in suspense. Readers will likely come away from the novel feeling as if the various plot elements and asides were far more trouble than they were worth. And up until about the story’s halfway point, it’s all one can do to piece together the shards of data and clues in an attempt to figure out just what’s going on. By that point, most readers will find their interest waning.