When it comes to indie mystery novels, Canada is a country we really admire here at Crime Fiction Lover. Canadians keep their unique voice in the genre alive through dozens of small presses across the nation, in the face of unrelenting US and global corporate pressure. Today, we’re spotlighting three books we heard about through River Street, a collective of writers and publishing industry professionals who celebrate and uplift books from Canadian independent presses.
Here are three novels from the Great White North to try, and they’ve all got a mysterious, atmospheric and literary vibe to them…
The Case of the Caprice of Lost Time by Rune Christiansen
Although written by a Norwegian author, The Case of the Caprice of Lost Time has been published by the Canadian indie outfit Book*hug Press, and shares a sense of remoteness with Canadian novels set in the far north. Main character Norma is experiencing a swirling period of change having lost her mother and her marriage, and feels like she needs to catch up on lost time and retreat from the busy towns in the south. She heads to the island where her family’s summer home has always been situated, and tries to reconnect with her father. However, he’s a remote man and little signs – late night visitors, a mysterious horseman, and more –tell Norma that he’s hiding something. A mysterious, psychological story unfolds… Translated by Kari Dickson.
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Seldom Seen Road by John Degen
Canadian poet and author John Degen has been writing novels for the last decade, and Seldom Seen Road is the first in his planned Burnt River mystery series. Three detectives take centre stage – retired musician Mark, his criminologist daughter Stephanie and his police constable cousin Jeremy. Down at Burnt River, in Thunder Bay near the shores of Lake Superior, the body of environmental activist Paul Robichaud is pulled from the water. Although Mark is nearly deaf after a career in music, it sets bells ringing in his head and he decides to put the free time he now has as a retiree to good use. There’s been a murder, and there’s a mystery to solve.
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Hail Mary by Elizabeth Urso
We promised atmosphere and Hail Mary just came back from Costco with a car full of it. An old, gothic mansion, in a remote town on the shores of Lake Huron, and it used to be an undertakers. A disgraced undertakers, in fact, run by Mary’s parents and forebears. Her mother stood trial years ago, for what we’re not quite sure, and rumour still swirls around the building and Mary herself, with cold case crime still linked to the business. As Mary settles into her job at St Joseph’s School for Girls, she decides to do something about the suspicion that follows her around and the process begins with unearthing a time capsule she and her grandmother buries back before Mary fled the town for Toronto. Hail Mary is published 22 September 2026.
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