You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock

Cat hasn’t been to Montgomery Falls, the town her family founded, since she was twelve years old. Since the summer she discovered she could do things that no normal twelve-year-old could do. Since she had her first kiss with Riley Fraser. Since she destroyed their friendship.
Now, five years later, she’s back and Riley has disappeared.

Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning by Helen C. Escott

The long-awaited sequel to Operation Wormwood (2018, Flanker Press), The Reckoning concludes the story of a disease that appears to only target pedophiles and is accredited to God by those of the Roman Catholic Church. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that Helen C. Escott is Newfoundland’s premier crime-thriller …

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Messenger 93 by Barbara Radecki

Barbara Radecki’s sophomore novel, Messenger 93, opens with a flutter of information. A mind-bending conversation with a crow kicks off the absorbing thriller, and cryptic messages, hidden clues, and uncertain instructions become the norm in M, the narrator’s, life. M feels compelled to investigate the disappearance of a girl named Krista, and her movements over …

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The Great Divide by Conor McCarthy

Ottawa-based author Conor McCarthy’s self-published debut novel cleverly resurrects the Sasquatch (or in their language, Mm’tor) idea and puts them (yes, there are more than one) squarely in a story about survival, wilderness exploitation, property development and environmental issues, so that there’s more to this adventure-thriller than meets the eye.

Operation Vanished by Helen C. Escott

Helen C. Escott’s Operation Vanished follows closely on the heels of her bestselling Atlantic Canadian thriller Operation Wormwood (2018, Flanker Press). While that book dealt with an investigation by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Operation Vanished has the RCMP investigating some unsolved abductions and murders of women back in the 1950s. Heading up the investigative team …

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Remote Access by Barry Finlay

A political thriller penned in “cozy” mode (no profanity, no sex scenes) by retired Government of Canada employee (and award-winning author) Barry Finlay is actually #3 in the Marcie Kane series of thrillers. While I have not read the previous two installments, I found that not knowing her backstory in no way hampered my enjoyment …

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Between Rothko and 3 Windows by Corrado Paina

[dropcap]Corrado[/dropcap] Paina has published five collections of poetry with Mansfield Press (Toronto) including Hoarse Legend (2000) and cinematic taxi (2015). In Italy, there have been numerous publications including a collection of short stories, several collections of poetry, and the original version of this novella, “tra Rothko e tre finestre”. [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#436095″ class=”” size=””]Between Rothko and 3 …

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The Jennifer Soosar Interview

[dropcap]Jennifer [/dropcap]Soosar is a Toronto-based writer who has just had her first novel Parent Teacher Association published. It is a suspenseful mystery set in the small, strange Pennsylvania town of Splinter Wood, where two children have died in the past two years under mysterious circumstances. You can read a full review of Parent Teacher Association here. Miramichi …

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Parent Teacher Association by Jennifer Soosar

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]arent Teacher Association is, as the cover states, a “Novel of Suspense” which it very much is. The female protagonist is Lizanne Demeter, a young teacher looking for a second chance in life. She finds herself reborn, recently released from a mental institution to which she was committed after a foolish suicide attempt due to …

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Straw Man (A Jack McMorrow Mystery #11) by Gerry Boyle

[dropcap]Update[/dropcap]: Straw Man was the winner of the 2017 Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction! Islandport Books has released book #11 in the Jack McMorrow Mystery series by Maine author Gerry Boyle. I previously reviewed #10 Once Burned and said that the hard-boiled detective created by Dashiell Hammett is alive and well and living in …

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AMACAT (Thief for Hire, Book #2) by Chuck Bowie

Sean Donovan is back in action, albeit against his will, in AMACAT, book #2 of the “Thief for Hire” series penned by New Brunswick author Chuck Bowie. Forced out of his self-imposed retirement to help solve a murder (along with a vacationing Minnesotan couple) in PEI, Sean soon finds himself assisting an employee (who appeared …

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