***2025 Summer: Murder Across Canada***
Saskatchewan
I have to hand it to Gail Bowen, she writes a great mystery. I love her amateur investigator, Joanne Kilbourn, a widow who is still re-finding her footing in the world. Normally, I avoid books that centre on politics, but I was drawn into this one despite myself. The opening chapter plunged me into the circumstances surrounding the death of a newly selected party leader and the aftermath. I was hooked because the human relationships predominated, not the political ones. The author very carefully avoids naming the party that Joanne has worked for, although one comment about a past Prime Minister pretty much nailed her party affiliation for me. I wonder if I'm right?
When a politician is murdered, there are a plethora of suspects. This was a refreshing mystery in large part because it didn't follow the police investigation. Joanne has an interview with the detective in charge early in the novel, but doesn't hare off to conduct her own research, despite the fact that she is a suspect. Instead, she deals with the death of her friend, her daughter moving out to go to university, friends moving away, and finding a new focus for her energy and her life. I find this much more believable than running out to “find the murderer,“ as happens in so many mysteries. What Joanne does decide is to write a biography of her friend—she is researching his life, not his death.
Bowen gets the Prairie details just right, knowing that Saskatchewan residents are fondly/dismissively called “stubble jumpers,” the prevalence and influence of Bible colleges, and the prominence of Ukrainian-Canadians in Western Canada. She has lived and taught in Saskatchewan long enough to know. If her prose is any indication, she is an awesome teacher and a woman who would be fascinating to have coffee with.
This is a riveting mystery, extremely well written and it blew me away. There are many more books in the series and I wouldn't be surprised if book two finds its way into my reading queue soon. If you like mysteries, I highly recommend it.
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