Canada is having a bit of a moment. The threat of annexation from the United States has awoken a sense of pride and respect for all that is Canadian made, including crime fiction. Murderous Ink Press, known primarily for its themed anthologies, has picked an ideal time to shine a light on crime fiction authors from the Great White North. This collection of 17 short stories is a great way to discover some new Canadian writers, and perhaps reconnect with ones you’ve already read.
Three of the short stories share the theme of no honour amongst thieves. They are very different tales aside from the shared theme. The book opens with Jeff Beck’s Stratocaster by William Kitcher. This short and lighthearted story is about the theft of a guitar from a bar.
Rosemary McCracken is known for her Pat Tierney Mysteries. She set The Millennium Project in a small town in Ontario during the weeks leading up to the end of 1999. Nikki dreams of opening her own salon in Toronto. She teams up with Billy, a country singer who considers recording an album in Toronto his millennium project. Who is conning whom in this tale?
The third entry about grifters is The Comedian by JM Conner, which is ideal if you are a fan of darker noir. Carmichael, the protagonist is part of a group planning a diamond heist. Things get complicated when Alice seduces Carmichael and suggests double-crossing the boss. She is the boss’s girlfriend and a classic femme fatale.
David Jon Fuller is the author of Not Fit to Print. It is a unique supernatural thriller set in Winnipeg, Manitoba, back in 1965. A newspaper photographer witnesses a brutal attack on a woman. He is terrified after seeing the attacker drink the victim’s blood. Marion, an Anishinaabe waitress and shapeshifter who was trying to help the victim, is brought in to find the attacker.
Readers who enjoy historical crime fiction will be pleased with the inclusion of a few historical gems. Merrilee Robson’s Autumn is a Time for Dying will take you to the WWI era in Saskatchewan. Constable Frank Stuart of the North West Mounted Police investigates the death of an alcoholic man known for abusing his wife. As an aside, the character of Constable Stuart also appears in the novel that Robson is currently writing.
Albert N Katz has an interesting blend of historical and fictitious characters in With Marilyn Along the Miramichi. A private detective is hired to protect Marilyn Monroe while she stays at a fishing camp in New Brunswick. Marilyn, the FBI, mobsters and a young Pierre Trudeau make an interesting cast of characters.
The Lake by Amanda Capper and A Little Knowledge by Holly Schofield both feature amateur detectives. Laura is grieving the death of her younger sister, Lindsay. She begins interviewing Lindsay’s friends to understand how her lively sister ended up dead and washed up on the shores of Lake Superior. Schofield’s descriptions of driving through Kicking Horse Pass on the Trans Canada Highway in March feel very authentic. She captures the setting and the reality of driving on ice- and snow-covered roads. Not everyone would want to drive from Calgary to Vancouver at that time of the year but Schofield created a confident and quick-thinking character in Leah.
Some people will do anything to get the recognition and attention that they crave. Rand Gaynor’s Double Double is set in Halifax. It features a reporter whose profile increases dramatically after he covers two local murders. In Ahead of the Competition, Bruce Johnson’s main character is a Calgary gardener determined to find out the secret to her neighbour’s prize-winning garden.
Susan Daly’s work has appeared in many different anthologies, including Moonlight and Misadventure. Her new story, Borderline Illegal is a personal favorite of mine. While in university, Ariel assumed another person’s identity and used their passport to cross the American-Canadian border for a ski weekend with her boyfriend’s family. Was she able to pull off assuming another person’s identity without any consequences?
Judy Penz Sheluk wrote Murder in the Marsh. She is both a publisher and a writer known for her cosy Marketville Mystery series. Her short story is a touch darker. Carrie Anne is training for a triathlon in a farm region near Toronto. She gets distracted while riding her bike and crashes into a large wooden crate loaded with carrots. Unfortunately for her, the crate contains more than carrots.
It was interesting to note that although Edward St. Boniface’s Buggable and Abe Margel’s A Passion for Mining had very different plots, settings, and time periods, they both had a timely subplot. It involved other countries wanting Canadian minerals and oil.
With 17 short stories, it is likely that some will appeal to you more than others. The ending of The Murder by Ethan Canter is clever and grabbed my attention however at 30 pages, the story felt longer than necessary. Karen Keeley’s story Wishful Thinking was a well written tale however it may have been better suited for a different anthology. Chester, a troll with the ability to grant wishes, is the primary topic of discussion between the characters.
My favorite story in the book is Etoile Rouge by donalee Moulton. Ruth Harper is a part-time lawyer who also has a part-time gig selling sex toys. Her ability to put on a bit of a performance in the court room and be one step ahead of others reminds me of the character Eddie Flynn, created by Steve Cavanaugh.
Murderous Ink Press asked for stories ‘as Canadian as peameal bacon, Buckwud Maple syrup, Roberta Bondar, Timmies, poutine and fist fights during NHL games’ when calling for submissions. This broad request has resulted in a wide-ranging collection of stories of entertaining stories from diverse regions in Canada.
Also see Heartbreaks and Half-truths edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024 edited by SA Cosby and Dark Deeds Down Under 2 edited by Craig Sisterson.
Murderous Ink Press
Print/Kindle
£2.49
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
