WICKED WEDNESDAYS

The masters of crime....

April is also the release month for another Canadian mystery author, one far better known than Erika Chase, whose contribution to the Canadian crime writing scene is immense.

Gail Bowen's 13th novel in the Joanne Kilbourn series, Kaleidoscope, will be released later this month. That's an amazing feat from the viewpoint of someone just starting to populate the shelves.

Gail's first book, Deadly Appearances appeared in 1990 and I was hooked. I loved the Joanne Kilbourn character, the recent widow of a political aide, who becomes enmeshed in the murder of a politician they both knew. She was a clever, warm, convincing person, mother of two, and if I recall correctly, teaching part-time at the university. My apologies, Gail if I've gotten the teaching part wrong. I obviously need to go back and start at the beginning again. I'd enjoy that!

In subsequent novels, Joanne Kilbourn has grown on all fronts -- as a mother, teacher, lover and once again, married but always, a sleuth who is passionate about helping her friends and writing wrongs. That sounds trite but Joanne has a strong sense of morality and integrity, both propelling her to search for the truth.

The novels have grown in depth and breadth, all to the benefit of the Canadian mystery writing scene, emerging authors, and the ever-demanding readers.

We owe Gail Bowen an enormous amount of respect. Just as we also owe Peter Robinson, William Deverell, and those giants of crime writing, Eric Wright, Howard Engel, L.R. Wright, Laurence Gough and Medora Sale. Those were the authors who led the charge to making the crime and mystery writing genre a relevant piece of the cultural landscape in this country. Of course, there were others and I should go on but I know I'll always leave out a name of importance.

Perhaps you can help me? Who would you add to this list? And, I'm thinking, authors who started their careers in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read
Berkley Prime Crime
www.erikachase.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

And now for something completely different.

I’ve been known to get hooked on the occasional TV series and with the fall season in full swing, I’m wondering which ones are your favourite crime-related series. It’s a question my writing buddies have been tossing around lately, mainly looking for recommendations.


I’ll put mine out there – Harry’s Law, Castle, Prime Suspect, Body of Proof. They each have their flaws, of course. I much preferred Harry’s Law last year when it was a small law firm doing business in a shoe store. But the actors are strong and I still love Harry in the courtroom.

Castle seemed to have lost its way at the end of last season but may be back on track. It’s the sexy tension between Castle and Beckett that sets this one apart but it can get bogged down in backstory.

Prime Suspect is a great title but in no way relates to the British namesake. Which is too bad. Not that it’s not an Americanized version, like we saw with Cracker, but more because that’s what you expect when you purloin a well-known title. Put all that aside and you have a strong female cop. I like her style. Okay…maybe the tension in the squad room diffused much too soon. That rivalry made the show sizzle. But it still has my attention.

Finally, Body of Proof, partly because I love the shoes. And of course, the female medical examiner and her boss dress more like fashion models. And not since Quincy have we seen a pathologist-cum-police detective at work. She spends as much time physically chasing down suspects as in the lab. So, suspend your disbelief and enjoy. It’s still an entertaining hour.

Of course, there are others that drift onto and off my ‘must watch’ list, depending on availability. Bring on a new season of New Tricks, and I’m there. Same with Republic of Doyle. And then we have those short British series – Inspector Lewis just keeps getting better. And I find Case Histories, based on Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series, well worth watching.

Which brings to mind the question of transition between a book and the screen. I think the best done were the Benny Cooperman movies based on Howard Engel’s lovable PI. Wallander fell short when the main character sported a British rather than a Swedish accent. Sorry – I do demand some realism.

Some, ‘based on characters’ of series written by mystery authors stand the test of a long run, such as the Morse mysteries. Others, like Midsomer Murders, can get boring but did revive last season and were interesting once again.

What’s on your ‘must-watch’ list? And, which book series would you like to see transformed into TV series? What about your own books?


Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April 3, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime

MAYHEM ON MONDAYS

On this gorgeous Thanksgiving Day there’s much to be thankful for, especially if you’re a Canadian mystery writer.

I know, I know. The sky is falling. E-books and the erosion of the Indies and economic setbacks are hitting the book world hard. The book is dead. It is the end of literacy. Other people can and will talk about that.

But today I still feel that there’s a lot to be thankful for. When I first thought I might try my hand at writing half a lifetime ago, there were very few Canadian mysteries and few opportunities to get them published even if you had a drawer full of manuscripts (no names mentioned, but that might have been me). I knew that because before I was a writer, I was a voracious reader of mysteries and it was slim pickings if you wanted Canadian settings. So much so that I still remember my excitement in discovering Howard Engel’s Benny Cooperman books.

Turn the clock forward and these days roughly sixty Canadian mysteries are submitted in any given year to the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Awards. That’s just for best novel. There will be at least fifteen (and often more) first novels submitted, not to mention dozens of crime shorts, children’s and young adult mysteries and world-class non-fiction.

Next, there’s such a variety: like your crime fiction dark and brooding, you can have that. Cozy and light-hearted? No problem. Prefer a gay protagonist? You have many choices. Wilderness setting? We have great ones. Just pick your province. Perhaps the traditional police procedural is your slug of Scotch. You won’t be able to stop at one. Funny? You betcha. Maybe you need a private detective? You can have a deal on a fictional Canadian one. There’s a Canadian mystery series to suit everyone and when I say everyone, I really mean me. Happiness begins at home, you know.

I like British mysteries, crime novels set in the US, those gloomy Scandinavians dudes, and elegantly snide Europeans, but really, it’s great to be home.

I am thankful that I can explore Canada from coast to coast to coast, small towns, big cities, chunks of rugged shield or endless trees and never run out of home grown homicide, contemporary or historical.

I am proud that many of our Canadian authors are making it big in other countries.

This didn’t just happen. People worked to make it so. The Crime Writers of Canada has led the vanguard for twenty-five years. Volunteers on the executive have worked tirelessly to raise the profile of Canadian mysteries. Here in Ottawa, Capital Crime Writers has been helping authors hone their skills and learn about the business for more than twenty years with terrific results.

Mystery writers themselves have made every effort to meet readers through blogs (like this), library programs, signings in bookstores, workshops and more. Librarians have done their best to bring Canadian mysteries to their readers and mystery bookstores and general bookstores with mystery loving staff have done much to make sure your eyes light on Canadian mysteries. In the Globe and Mail there is much better coverage of Canadian mysteries than in the bad old days. Yes, review space is shrinking and it’s harder to find the crime reviews, but the chances are if there’s a new Canadian mystery, it will be reviewed by Margaret Cannon. Even ten years ago, that was not the case.

Finally more publishers have mystery lines: Even twenty years ago, the large, established publishing companies used to publish the bulk of the mysteries. Now Dundurn, NeWest, Touchwood and others have put some muscle into publishing in this favourite genre. My own publisher RendezVous Crime had a very extensive line of mysteries. It has now been absorbed into Dundurn and it looks like the RVP crime family has found a home there. Something else to be thankful for.

Are there holes in this fabric? Of course. Will we worry about them? Sure. But for today, I want to celebrate and be thankful for how far we’ve come in thirty years.


Mary Jane Maffini rides herd on three (soon to be three and a half) mystery series and a couple of dozen short stories. Her thirteenth mystery novel, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder, which hit the bookshelves this spring, is brimming with names, no two the same.