In his debut novel, Michael Januska, author of last year’s Grey Cup Century, explores the world of Prohibition-era liquor smuggling, focusing not on a typical locale such as Chicago, but rather on the strip of Canadian border communities that includes the author’s hometown of Windsor, Ontario.

Riverside Drive follows the criminal rise of Jack McCloskey, who returns to Canada after the First World War mentally tortured and physically restless. His impressive ability as an amateur boxer draws the attention of a local crime boss who first manages McCloskey’s fighting career, then hires him as an enforcer. When the gangster attempts to consolidate the area’s trade in illegal liquor, McCloskey comes into conflict with his estranged father and brother, small-time bootleggers who will neither be bought nor cowed. The story expands to encompass a gang war and political corruption, with McCloskey in constant peril.

It’s powerful material for a novel, and Januska shows great strengths for plotting and dialogue. But Riverside Drive never quite coheres. The pacing seems to run counter to the narrative, with dialogue and intimate conversations taking centre stage while gun battles – including what should have been an intense climactic scene – are dealt with perfunctorily. A strong storyline featuring a young librarian who chafes at the social restrictions of her time demonstrates Januska’s ability to develop characters, but is almost entirely detached from the main narrative.

Overall, the novel feels unbalanced and unfulfilling. Januska writes lovingly of the Border Cities area and landscape, and brings the history of the period to vivid life, but the story leaves the reader wanting more. Given that Riverside Drive is the first in a series, one hopes that future volumes will fill out the mythos and milieu in a more satisfying way.