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Mystery
"Mystery fans are in for a treat with these captivating tales of deception and betrayal. The humour, suspense, puzzle-solving intrigue, poignancy, and edginess offer something for everyone. A truly entertaining read."
Debra Purdy Kong, Author of a Gold Satin Murder
"For readers, the short story offers a tale with a beginning and a satisfying ending that can be consumed in one sitting. A well put together antholgy should above all contain variety--and. plenty of it. The Second-Act Sleuths, who authored this collection, understood the mandate.Eight excellent stories ranging from a literary icon in London seeing signs from her past, to a tough old Greek restaurant owner finding a dead body at his back door, to a group of writers trapped by a pompous self-important author, and having to sit through his cocktail-making theatre, and more. Well drawn characters, interesting and varied crimes and motives, a range of time settings, moods, styles and locations, Murder on the Menu Provides everthing the crime fiction reader is looking for in short format. I trust you'll enjoy the adventure."
Vicki Delany one of Canada's most prolific and varied crime writers and a best seller in the US.
Click here to check out Murder on the Menu on Amazon. Available in both Kindle and Paperback format.
Review:
The joy of an anthology such as Murder on the Menu is in the consumption: devour it in one sitting or savour each morsel over time. Murder on the Menuis a perfect sampling of what fine Canadian crime writing has to offer.
-JP McLean
Award winning author of the Never Witch Novels, Dark Dream Novels and Legacy Series
Crime Wave: Home Sweet Homicide
A Canada West Anthology
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What does home mean to you? Is it a cozy cottage in a forest, a house whose windows overlook the ocean, a bungalow filled with the smell of baking, a high-rise apartment in a big city?
The fourteen stories in this book showcase the creativity and talent of our authors. The homes include simple suburban houses that are unremarkable until you look closer, an Edwardian mansion in need of repair, cottages with delightful gardens hiding secrets, a glamorous gated mansion, a retirement community, simple shacks, basement suites, and even a convent.
Some of the stories will make you laugh. Others will make you cry. Some are frightening, some are heartbreaking. All of them are entertaining. We hope you will enjoy these fourteen approaches to Home Sweet Homicide.
Home Sweet Homicide is the fourth collection in the Crime Wave series of anthologies produced by the crime writers of western Canada. There may be murder, and often mayhem, but justice always prevails. Even if it’s not quite what you expect.
Click here to check out Home Sweet Homicide on Amazon. Available in both Kindle and Paperback format.
Review:
“These beautifully written short stories will draw you in immediately with their vivid settings and then at the end allow you, brimming with the happy knowledge of justice served, to go off and make yourself a celebratory cup of tea.”
-Iona Whishaw,
award-winning, bestselling author of the Lane Winslow Mysteries
From deadly mushrooms in the souffle to toxic tea leaves, villains have been killing in culinary ways for as long as there have been knives in the kitchen. Cooking Up Death builds on that tradtion to bring you a coy mystery anthology where the aroma of delicious food meets the thrill of a good whodunit.
Sixteen talented authors have whipped up a diverse array of tales, each with its own flavour. Throughout the anthology's pages, you'll find toxic treats and lethal luncheons sure to leave the other characters worrying about the contents of their plates while amateur sleuths search for clues.
There are stories showcasing clever puzzles and unexpected culprits, all with a delightful mix of culinary creativity and cunning crime.
And, beyond the captivating stories, you'll also discover a special treat: recipes that tie in with the stories.
So, pull up a chair, grab a snack and lose yourself in a world where the biggest mystery isn't just 'whodunit' but sometimes also "what's for dinner?"
Click here to check out Cooking Up Death on Amazon. Available in both Kindle and Paperback format.
Review:
In Debra Henry's "Say Cheese!", readers might wonder how one gets away with murder when everyone involved has a camera and is blithely snapping ? Too many clues create a bit of a puzzlefor a pair of intrepid sleuths.
-Judy Penz Shelluck
Best selling author of the Glass Dolphin and Marketplace mystery series.
Farm to Foul Play
A Capitol Crimes Anthology
Sacramento, California, lies at the heart of the largest agricultural producer in the nation. Known as the Farm-to-Fork Capital of America, this beautiful region produces hundreds of crops each year and has become recognized as a great restaurant city thanks to the chefs who use locally-grown, locally-sourced ingredients.
Fifteen amazing authors — William Bishop, Sarah Bresniker, Chris Dreith, Susan Egan, Elaine Faber, Karen Harrington, Debra Henry, Virginia V. Kidd, Karen A. Phillips, Brian Shea, Linda Joy Singleton, Darrell Smith, Joanna Vander Vlugt, Nick Webster, and Dänna Wilberg — have captured the bounty of all Sacramento has to offer … with a little mayhem thrown in. Readers will enjoy a variety of sub-genres, from quaint and cozy to sinister and grim.
Click here to check out Farm to Foul Play available in both e-book or paperback format. And don't miss Debra Henry's "Winging It".
Review:
Debra Henry's "Winging It"is a crime fiction mystery that combines poignant emotions, drug-dealing danger, and scorching jalepeño wings."
-Tori Eldridge
Best-selling author of the Lily Wong mysteries
Crime Wave: Women of a Certain Age
A Canada West Anthology
Old woman or little girl, woman in a dirigible or woman on her death bed, woman in history or the girl next door—we know them because their experiences are ours. Well, maybe not all their experiences…
This second anthology from members of the Canada West Chapter of Sisters in Crime finds women and girls at perilous points in their lives. From real estate agents to house cleaners, school girls to exterminators, you will find a delicious array of women, some with outrage in their hearts—and some with murder—but all of them committing or solving crimes in new and imaginative ways.
The sixteen short stories in Crime Wave: Women of a Certain Age range from light-hearted to heart-breaking, and from romantic to treacherous. All of them deal with courageous women of a certain age.
Click here to check out Crime Wave: Women of a Certain Age available in both e-book or paperback format. You're sure to enjoy Debra Henry's "Almost Invisible".
Come. Catch the Crime Wave.
Review:
The proverbial observation "revenge is a dish best served cold" drives stories such as the profoundly satisfying "Almost Invisible."
-Gail Bowen
Author of the Joan Kilbourne Shreve mystery series
Crimes at sea, in coastal villages, in wind-tossed prairie fields, on icy mountains and in valleys that trap their residents in fear.
In this first anthology from members of the Canada West chapter of Sisters in Crime, the mysteries unfurl in the cold of the Yukon, on a cruise ship, along the west coast of Vancouver Island and BC interior, in a dying Alberta town and in a Saskatchewan farming community. They're investigated by an amateur sleuth, a freezing cross-country skier, the desperate owner of struggling B&B, a teenaged girl, an RCMP officer, a cruise ship entertainer and a senior combatting dementia.
The eight mystery stories in Crime Wave range from thrilling, to wistful, to laugh-out-loud funny.
Click here to check out Crime Wave: Where Maple Meets Murder on Amazon. Available in both Kindle and Paperback format.
Come Catch the Crime Wave.
Review:
In Local Intelligence by Debra Henry, a new -to-town RCMP officer investigates the appearance of a series of mannequins found floating in the waters around Turnaround Bay. A clever fish-out-of-water story in more ways than one.
-Judy Penz Shelluck
Best selling author of the Glass Dolphin and Marketplace mystery series.