She Said ~ A Crime Novel by Mitchell D. King

When 17 year old honours student Mia Kennedy heads downtown with her friends for a night of drinking she notices a rather attractive Robert Harris seated at the bar.  The 38 year old divorced trucker is unwinding after a stint on the road when Mia befriends him under the pretence that she is 24, not 17. Soon enough a relationship ensues and after four steamy encounters Robert finds himself accused of sexual assault by the bright, athletic teen. The charges are brought to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador where every detail of this forbidden liaison is publicly dissected, exposed for the world to see. Which way will the scales of justice tip?

She Said ~ A Crime Novel is Mitchell D. King's first foray into the world of crime writing. A practicing lawyer with a prestigious firm in St. John's, Newfoundland, King draws on his legal experience in crafting a captivating story that exposes bias, stereotyping and the ever present flaws of the judicial system.

Mia walked with her friends to their usual corner table and, on the way, noticed a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks as Amber and Ashley took their seats. Under the neon lights flashing above sat the man who Mia had met some months before. He wore a dark leather jacket over a black hoodie. As he had last time, he wore black jeans that were rolled up and paired with black combat boots. His beard was as grizzly as she remembered. Mia noticed that he didn't have a hat on his head this time, and she thought his hair looked nice. It was combed over to the side in a haphazard way, but it was a healthy head of hair. A warm feeling crept into her stomach and flowed down her legs, sinking like an anchor. 

King's narrative is expertly organized and well written. The fast-paced easy to follow storyline is told from the viewpoint of many different people including jurors, attorney's, family members and the main characters themselves, Mia and Robert.  As each person's perspective is presented, the reader gains new insight into the case and the sometimes complicated backstory of the individuals. This technique creates, within the reader, an acute awareness of the biases that affect decisions and judgements, challenging one's perception of innocence or guilt. The fact that the story takes place in familiar St. John's settings throughout the capital city and outlying areas is a nice touch. King's decision to also include the courtroom as a story backdrop is quite effective in authenticating the tale but also at providing disturbing insight to some of the workings of the criminal justice system. Readers will become part of the jury, immersed in the arguments presented for both sides but will also experience some inner conflict by knowing what has truly occurred.

She Said is a great first crime novel for Mitchell D. King. Wonderfully analytical and psychologically insightful, the story propelled me to just keep turning the pages. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and it did sadden me but perhaps there's more to come from author Mitchell King, or at least I hope so. She Said ~ A Crime Novel is a Flanker Press publication. 

Operation Vanished by Helen C. Escott

RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton has just returned to her native Newfoundland to take up a position in the Major Crimes Unit of the local police detachment. Given the challenging task of investigating unsolved crimes from the 1950's, she befriends Larry Morgan, the son of one of the murdered women who is also employed as an historical archivist with the provincial government. Using old newspapers and other historical resources, Morgan is able to generate a list of unsuspecting people who could be placed in the area at the time of  his mother's murder. Little did he know that this list of powerful people could be linked to the locations of three other murders that McNaughton has found on her desk. As McNaughton attempts to prove her theory that a serial killer has been at work, she uncovers secrets that have been hidden for decades. Operation Vanished is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller that spans the physical geography of rural Newfoundland. More than just an investigative crime story, it is the tale of lives lost, lives found and new life rediscovered.

Operation Vanished is the second crime thriller novel for Helen C. Escott. Written with the same investigative expertise that she became known for in Operation Wormwood, this is truly a missing persons novel readers will not be able to put down. The readers interest is piqued from the very first line of the very first chapter.

                      "Every time I think of that day, I remember it in black and white."

As the narrative unfolds Escott expertly weaves the tale from a child abduction case to the cases of other young murdered mothers, teachers and nurses. Though the plot is propelled by a series of different crimes, as well as through different settings, Escott is able to skillfully craft a connected sequence of events while periodically inserting just enough information to help the reader get to know the main character, Corporal Gail McNaughton. The result is a well executed storyline that pays respectful homage to murdered and missing women and children.

Operation Vanished was written by Escott "to shine a spotlight on missing children and women" and to ensure they will "never be forgotten". Though it is a fictional investigation that highlights an era when women were barely considered "persons" under the law, the imbalance of power that exists between men and women, children and adults is still relevant today and very much a recurring central idea in this story. Escott develops the main idea through the creation of cracker jack investigator Corporal Gail McNaughton. As the story evolves MacNaughton's backstory reveals an individual with her own internal challenges ranging from crippling episodes of PTSD  to waging a battle against the abuse of power in the still male dominated profession of policing. Likewise, the victims of the heinous crimes are all presented as strong influential women who were successful in their own right but casualties of their era and of a psychopathic mind. 

Operation Vanished is a powerful page-turner that will resonate with any reader who enjoys a good murder mystery. Helen C. Escott doesn't just seek justice and remembrance for female victims of crime but makes a brilliant attempt to emancipate them from the bonds of yesteryear. Operation Vanished is a Flanker Press publication.

Being Mary Ro by Ida Linehan Young

The winter of 1891 was a particularly difficult one for 14 year old Mary Rourke. After a diphtheria outbreak sweeps through John's Pond, Newfoundland Mary finds herself orphaned and alone. Accepting that she would be destined to a life of spinsterhood after her childhood sweetheart marries another woman,  she set about living a simple, yet hard life, in her outport community. Trying to maintain the two story saltbox house left to her by her parents while working in the lobster cannery during the spring fishery was not much of a life for a young woman. With a heavy heart, keen intellect and a dream of being somebody more than just a lonely outport lady, Mary quickly finds herself in the throws of yet another tragedy.....a tragedy that would bring an injured stranger in need of first aid, a rediscovered passion, and the opportunity of pursuing a new life in Boston.  Mary is faced with a series of tough decisions as she attempts to navigate the love she feels for her home but the desire to break the bonds of isolation and step out into an unknown and frightening new world. She begins to discover that she is no longer a victim of circumstance haunted by her past but is capable of great things and of loving again. This coming of age story will leave you transfixed and rooting for the woman who just wants to be, Mary Ro. 

Being Mary Ro is the first historical fiction novel for Newfoundland author Ida Linehan Young. Inspired by stories told by her father and based loosely on real events, the story of the people of John's Pond and surrounding communities is captivating on so many levels. As I first read this book I found myself transported back in time to the place and circumstances that the author so eloquently describes. With wonderfully descriptive language and well researched historical content, the reader is made to feel part of the community. For example, in describing the community of John's Pond, Linehan Young writes; 

"Barns and stables in several shades of cracked red paint on grey weathered boards scattered throughout the meadows beyond the mostly dull, white-coloured houses. The fishing stages lay half empty of bounty on the seashore, waiting to be filled with stacks of dried cod. Smaller skiffs and punts had been hauled up, their owners on the wharf getting ready to sign on with the schooners."

Ida Linehan Young also does a superb job in developing the characters of this novel. Young Mary Rourke, initially portrayed as a victim whom we feel great sorrow for, demonstrates resilience and strength throughout the entire novel. At first fractured by the vision she has of herself,  the reader is afforded an opportunity to be a part of her journey of self discovery and transformation. At the end of the novel, we cannot help but feel like proud parents and are relieved that Mary has found her place. She is relatable and is a reminder that we can all overcome the adversities of life. 

"Mary's heart skipped a beat as she realized that she did what she did because she was who she was, and that revelation briefly exposed for examination all the inadequate, undermining self-reflection of the last number of months - maybe even years. She wasn't a heroine, she didn't want accolades, she was Mary Ro - plain and simple - and there was nothing wrong with that."

Being Mary Ro is the full meal deal! It will whisk you away to the Victorian era of the late 19th century but also contains drama and crime. And of course, no great story would be complete without a healthy dose of true love and romance. Being Mary Ro is a Flanker Press publication. 

Other titles by Ida Linehan Young can be found here.

The Woman In The Attic by Emily Hepditch

English grad student Hannah Fitzgerald had lived for 18 years with her reclusive mother Adelaide in a small saltbox house on the south coast of Newfoundland before deciding to attend university to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.  Hannah must now return to her cliffside childhood home to prepare her mother for transition to an assisted living facility. Struggling with early onset dementia, Adelaide's condition has rapidly deteriorated and the house that Hannah once called home has dilapidated beyond repair. Struggling to cope with her mother's violent and aggressive outbursts, a nosy personal care attendant, and a house in dire need of some TLC Hannah begins the process of sorting through her mother's personal possessions only to discover a never-before-seen trap door to a pristinely kept attic bedroom with beautiful furnishings and a trunk containing clues to a very sinister past. Hannah attempts to piece together her mother's secret life but, with each discovery, more questions abound, lies are revealed and suspicions arise that a murder has been committed.

Described as a "claustrophobic psychological thriller", The Woman in The Attic is a novel that I simply could not put down until I turned the final page. Emily Hepditch does a superb job at developing true to life characters through a storyline that mirrors the lives of real life people in rural Newfoundland. Readers can't help but feel compassion and empathy for Hannah as she is faced with the tragic realities that having a parent diagnosed with dementia brings but also feel the same torment, anguish and sadness that is revealed bit by bit as the plot develops. Through beautiful writing and wonderful use of figurative language, Hepditch creates vivid sensory images for readers, inviting them to become participants in the story. One such example is in Chapter 1 when Hannah takes a break from the long drive home and pulls over to have a look at the ocean. Hepditch writes,

"I can see from here the ocean, a magnificent sapphire blue in the clear morning sunshine. The waves this morning are tall and strong, crests rising, roaring, finally sweeping in a violent crescendo at the cliffs submerged in its belly. I watch the foaming whitewash and imagine the power, the strength of the ocean, the way it engulfs everything in its path in wide, tireless swallows. I watch a white gull disappear from where it bobs in the water, the poor creature a victim caught in the thralls of an angry ocean arm."

This novel will capture you and keep you wanting more. The Woman In The Attic is a Flanker Press Publication.