MYSTERY REVIEW

Twilight is Not Good For Maidens
by Lou Allin
Dundurn



This third outing in the Corporal Holly Martin series had me riveted right from the beginning. Here we have the quiet Vancouver Island community of Sooke, not far from the ocean, a vacation dreamland. Sounds ideal, doesn't it? The perfect setting to be marred by an attempted sexual assault, and later, a murder.

That's what mystery authors do. They pick the perfect setting and then turn it on its head by inflicting a crime. The fact that Allin is adept at describing her setting so that the reader actually sees it, adds to the drama. Another aspect of Allin's writing that keeps the reader turning the pages is how she manages to weave reality into the fiction. RCMP Corporal Martin relates what's happening in her small detachment to the broader spectrum of recent police tribulations in the province. It turns the fiction into another story from the headlines.

This time, her constable, the amiable Chipper Knox Singh, is accused of sexual assault by a teenage driver he stopped. Holly believes he's innocent but realizes, because of regulations, she's unable to help him. Then there is another attack at the oceanside campgrounds, this one ending in the murder of a young woman.

When a third attack at French Beach results in the victim giving a description of her attacker, the wary police officers are hopeful of putting an end to the crimes. But Holly is a lowly Corporal and the RCMP hierarchy has the Integrated Crime Unit from West Shore in charge of the cases. But it's just a matter of time until she's putting the clues together and ends up as the killer's next target.

An ongoing thread in the three Holly Martin books is the unanswered question of what happened to her Mom who went missing several years earlier. This time around, Holly finally gets some leads and her determination to get some answers sends her on another quest.

The two earlier books in the series are, And on the Surface Die, and She Felt No Pain. They do not have to be read in order but you'll want to start the journey with Holly from the beginning. She's a vulnerable, determined, smart young police officer; a fine addition to the police procedurals set in Canada. I'm already waiting for the fourth!


Lou Allin is the author of two series, the Holly Martin and Belle Palmer mysteries. After teaching for many years at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, she now lives near Sooke on Vancouver Island. Her Rapid Read novel, Contengency Plan has been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Best Novella Award this year from Crime Writers of Canada.

MYSTERY REVIEW

THE CHRISTIE CURSE
by Victoria Abbott
Berkley Prime Crime

What kind of work do you look for when you need a job that isn't minimum wage - slave drudgery like telemarketing, your student loans are staring you in the face, and you urgently need a new place to live?

The Christie Curse, the first in Victoria Abbott's new series, introduces Jordan Bingham, a recent English literature graduate with a master's degree, who is facing all of the above. To add to her problems, she comes from a family with a chequered history, and can't put her real surname on her resume.

She finds a Want Ad for the almost-perfect researcher's job. The imperfect part appears to be her new employer, a sour old lady rare-book collector who happens to be the most hated citizen in Harrison Falls, New York.

Jordan is nothing if not resourceful. Once into the job and the great little apartment in her employer's mansion that comes with it, however, she learns some disquieting facts that weren't mentioned during the interview. Her predecessor died while looking for the same rumoured Agatha Christie unpublished play that Jordan has been hired to find.

Her chequered family background and shady relatives turn out to be assets as she leads the reader through a wild chase in search of a play that may or may not exist. The chase includes a possible murder, the usual and unusual suspects, a psychotic cat, and a pug dog.

The mother and daughter team of authors Mary Jane Maffini and Victoria Maffini combine to create a seamless story under the pseudonym Victoria Abbott in this first Book Collector Mystery.


Don't miss this one! Agatha Christie herself would have loved it.


Reviewed by Carole Dalgleish

CRIME ON MY MIND

Getting it done!


I heard on the radio the other day that an expert says that "To Do" lists do not help things get done. Huh? I rely on my list and think it's most effective. Part of that stems from having to write the task down, which helps imprint it somewhere in my brain. And also, I get a great deal of pleasure when I cross an item off the list, although I don't seem to be doing that nearly enough these days.

The expert's reasoning is that it adds to a person's stress, knowing there's this list and therefore you waste time pondering the threat of the list, rather than just getting to the task. She/he recommended doing tasks in blocks of half-hour time slots, then re-assessing or moving onto a new one.

There is sound reasoning behind these claims, I think and could I but ponder it longer, I might even remember some of them. But I have this long list of tasks that I need to get done before the day ends and nowhere does it say, "ponder purpose of no lists".

I enjoy hearing or reading these tips on daily living and sometimes find them quite useful. For instance, free green grapes and add them to a glass of white wine. I'm convinced though, that the only thing that will get me using my time more efficiently is if I hire an executive assistant to take care of all those items on the list, except for the writing novel entry.

That might even allow me to keep on track with this blog and update it as promised. Although, I don't know about that. Life seems to be exceedingly busy these days and it's easy to get sidetracked. And I find that leads to more lists. If it's not written down, it might easily get forgotten.

So it seems I'm not giving up my "To Do" list any time in the near future. Now, I'll just progress to item #1 -- write novel.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

READ AND BURIED
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
A KILLER READ, also available at your favourite bookstores and online.
Nomianted for an Agatha Award, Best First Novel 2012
COVER STORY available for pre-order; coming Aug. 2013.

CRIME ON MY MIND

Last night was a fun one at the Ottawa Public Library for all. Readers and writers were among the first to hear the shortlist announcement for the Arthur Ellis Awards from Crime Writers of Canada. Mega congratulations to all who made the lists...and to everyone who had something published last year. It was a booming year for Canadian crime....writing.

Here are those shortlisted:

Best First Novel
Peggy Blair, The Beggar’s Opera
Deryn Collier, Confined Space
Peter Kirby, The Dead of Winter
Chris Laing, A Private Man
Simone St. James, The Haunting of Maddy Clare

Best Novel
Linwood Barclay, Trust Your Eyes
Giles Blunt, Until the Night
Sean Chercover, The Trinity Game
Stephen Miller, The Messenger
Carsten Stroud, Niceville

Best Novella
Lou Allin, Contingency Plan
Vicki Delany, A Winter Kill
Barbara Fradkin, Evil behind that Door
Christopher Moore, "Reunion"

Best Short Story
Melodie Campbell, “Life without George” in Over My Dead Body Mystery Magazine, August 2012
Sandy Conrad, “Sins of the Fathers” in Daughters and Other Strangers, The Brucedale Press
Scott MacKay, “Cruel Coast” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, July 2012
Jas R. Petrin, “Mad Dog” in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 2012
Yasuko Thanh, “Spring-blade Knife” in Floating Like the Dead, McClelland & Stewart

Best Nonfiction
Anita Arvast, Bloody Justice: The Truth behind the Bandidos Massacre at Shedden
Guy Lawson, Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street’s Wildest Con
Steve Lillebuen, The Devil’s Cinema: The Untold Story behind Mark Twitchell’s Kill Room
Bruce Livesey, Thieves of Bay Street: How Banks, Brokerages and the Wealthy Steal Billions from Canadians

Best Juvenile/YA
Lisa Harrington, Live to Tell
Y.S. Lee, The Agency: The Traitor in the Tunnel
Sylvia McNicoll, Crush Candy Corpse
Shane Peacock, Becoming Holmes
Elizabeth Stewart, The Lynching of Louie Sam

Best Crime Book in French
Mario Bolduc, La Nuit des albinos: Sur les traces de Max O’Brien
André Jacques, De pierres et de sang
Jean Lemieux, L’homme du jeudi
Martin Michaud, Je me souviens
Richard Ste Marie, L’inaveu

Best Unpublished First Crime Novel: the Unhanged Arthur
William Hall, Cold Black Tide
Ilonka Halsband, The Raffle Baby
Coleen Steele, Sins Revisited

The winners will be announced at the Arthur Ellis Awards gala dinner on Thursday, May 30, at the Arts & Letters Club in downtown Toronto. Visit the Crime Writers of Canada website at www.crimewriterscanada.com for all the details.

ARTHUR ELLIS ON MY MIND

It's shortlist time!



The annual Arthur Ellis awards from Crime Writers of Canada are approaching -- where is the time going? This year, the winners will be announced at the Arthur Ellis banquet to be held in Toronto on Thurs., May 30th. It promises to be an exciting evening, as they always are, with lots of crime writers, publishers and readers joining in on the festivities.

But first, the shortlist must be announced and Crime Writers in the various regions across Canada will each host their own events on Thurs. April 18th. In Ottawa, the evening of mystery takes place at the Ottawa Public Library, main branch, 120 Metcalfe St., in the Auditorium. Also announced that night is the shortlist for the Audrey Jessup short story contest, sponsored by Capital Crime Writers.

Join Ottawa's top crime writers for an evening that promises to be entertaining as well as entlightening. There will be a panel "discussing" Hard-Boiled or Laughs: What makes a great mystery?, refreshments, and books for sale from Books on Beechwood. And, of course, the awaited shortlist announcement.

For more information, check the Crime Writers of Canada website, www.crimewriterscanada.com.

Join in the criminal activities on Thurs., April 18th! Hope to see you there.

CRIME ON MY MIND

Better late than never....


Oh, boy...Easter came and went and I got lost in the muddle. That's why there wasn't a new post last Friday. So, better late than never....

Congratulations to those short listed for the Bony Blithe Award for best "light" mystery. As you may, or may not know, the Bony Blithe was launched last year at the Bloody Words conference in Toronto. Mega cudos to the BW gang for coming up with this great award. It's been thought for many years that mysteries that tread on the light side often get short shrift at the Arther Ellis Awards. Very seldom to they walk away with the Best Novel or even Best First Novel prize.

So, it seems absolutely right that Bloody Words would come up with such a delighful award, giving recognition to perhaps a sub-genre of the mystery business. As they say, these are mysteries that make us smile.

Since there will not be a Bloody Words conference this year (but I hope you've already registered for 2014 in Toronto!), there will be a special Bony Blithe Gala held instead. It's planned for Wed., May 29th, 6-8 p.m. at the first ever, Gun Club & Quilting Bee Gala Award Reception to be held at The National Club, 303 Bay St. in Toronto.

Mega Congratulations to all the nominees. They are:

* THREADED FOR TROUBLE by Janet Bolin (Berkley)
* FOOD FOR THE GODS by Karen Dudley (Ravenstone)
* A SMALL HILL TO DIE ON by Elizabeth J. Duncan (Minotaur Books)
* A PRIVATE MAN by Chris Liang (Seraphim)
* BLOOD BATH AND BEYOND by Michelle Rowen (Obsidian)
* THE MASTERSINGER FROM MINSK by Morley Torgov (Dundurn)

Hope to see you at the Gala! Come out and enjoy the lighter side of crime.

CRIME ON MY MIND

Who is that character?


You have entered a writer’s home. What happens here goes in my next book! How’s that for a warning sign. Actually, I saw it on Facebook this a.m. and thought that that it could just as easily say, “Beware, author!” After all, everything is fodder.

A couple of evenings ago, my go-to group for laughter (we call ourselves PBS – the Pink Bra Society) got together over food groups, including the wine food group. At one point, as never fails, a one-of-a-kind line was thrown out and the authors in the group scrambled for ‘dibs’. That, too will appear in a book somewhere, soon.

You can’t best these moments for latching onto some sentence, some gesture or even your own thoughts that will make the characters in your book sound realistic. It happens everywhere – at the car service centre, the bank, the hair salon. People being people, interacting and each adding his or her own take on life.

That’s what we strive for when creating characters. Each as unique as the person who will eventually read the book. We want protagonists who become our friends, someone we look forward to visiting every now and then…and as the author wishes, hopefully over a period of many years.

Two basic tools in every writer’s arsenal – look and listen. Try to store locations and events in your mind; hear what people are saying and savour the words. Your manuscript will start taking shape when you draw on what’s around you.

Of course, you probably didn’t need me to tell you that. You’ve likely stored up many ‘dibs’ lines already. Next step…sit down and write. Let it all flow out.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

READ AND BURIED
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
A KILLER READ, also available at your favourite bookstores and online.
Nominated for an Agatha Award, Best First Novel 2012
COVER STORY available for pre-order; coming Aug. 2013.