Nine Crows for a Kiss by Vernon Oickle

The nine remain forever on alert, vigilant and ready to react. Forces which threaten or pose danger to those they are destined to protect ought to take heed, for these black birds—these sentinels that have watched over this town for the past three centuries, defending the weak and the vulnerable—will not stop until their work is done.―page 87

Nine Crows for a Kiss starts in the early morning of New Year’s Eve, with the discovery made by Constable Warren Hamilton. He finds an abandoned red Kia Stringer, with Texas plates, on the side of Highway 103, near exit 18. When he calls it in, he discovers it has been flagged by the US authorities and reported stolen five and a half years ago. As he contemplates how the car wound up near the Brooklyn exit, on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, all the way from Texas, the Constable hears a loud cackling sound. “Crows,” he whispers. “This can’t be good.”

Weather plays a key role in all Vernon Oickle’s books, and Nine Crows for a Kiss is no exception, with a severe snowstorm warning for the entire province by Environment Canada, retired RCMP corporal Cliff Graham refuses to cancel his annual New Year’s Eve party. A party he looks forward to every year. The snowstorm isn’t supposed to reach Liverpool until the next day, Cliff reasons, and his wife has put a lot of work into preparing all the food and dips for the party. All that is left to do is for Cliff to make a liquor store run. While at the store, he feels as though someone is watching him. When he turns, a woman ducks out of sight and disappears. The woman seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place her. Maybe it was his imagination. But throughout the day, he can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching him.

Watching from a distance, the crows have seen the retired police officer struggle over the years as he comes to grips with his own fate and their existence. He doesn’t know how to react to them—are they friend or foe? He doesn’t understand that while he often feels threatened by their presence, they have always been his greatest allies.―page 86

During the lead-up to the party, the reader is updated on the lives of all the characters seen in the previous books, as they all get ready for Cliff’s New Year’s Eve Party. This is a great update for the readers who have been following the series, and a backstory for those who have just picked up this book. Each of the guests are dealing with their issues and crises, and they each bring their predicaments to the party.

Someone approaches. A stranger. The nine watch quietly as the figure, cloaked in darkness, moves slowly and stealthily through the backyard, making their way through the knee-deep snow toward the back of the house. Remaining in the shadows, this stranger, of average build and height, wants to avoid detection. But the crows know. The crows see the stranger. ―page 180

This book covers lots of superstitions or old wives’ tales, such as three knocks being a sign that someone close was soon going to die. Hearing someone call your name and not locating the source, and a howling dog when none is there are other forerunners* mentioned in the story. “You know, they say these types of things come in threes”. Vernon’s research into folklore or the ‘old ways’ definitely shines through in this series and especially in this book.

Vernon has completed the next in the series, Ten Crows For a Time of Joyous Bliss. It is presently being edited by Moose House Publications. Vernon is now working on the final few chapters of his first draft of Eleven Crows for Good Health. Both are on my “auto-buy” list.

*It’s interesting to note that Vernon Oickle has a book called Forerunners: Harbingers of Death in Nova Scotia, September 1, 2023, by MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.

Publisher: Moose House Publications (May 15, 2025)
Paperback: 9″ x 6″ | 262 pp
ISBN: 9781998149810

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange, and is known for planning and executing amazing, engaging book events. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an interactive cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader, and her reviews cross over many genres. As the East Coast Advocate for The Miramichi Reader, Sue champions Atlantic Canadian literature by featuring the diverse works and unique communities that define her home region.