A Killer in king's cove

A good historical mystery with a cast of characters that will provide plot lines for the series to come.  Iona Whishaw is a writer to watch.

—Margaret Cannon, Globe & Mail

It is 1946, and war-weary young ex-intelligence officer Lane Winslow leaves London to look for a fresh start. When she finds herself happily settled into a sleepy hamlet in the interior of British Columbia surrounded by a suitably eclectic cast of small-town characters she feels like she may finally be able to put her past to rest.


But then a body is discovered, the victim of murder, and although she works alongside the town’s inspectors Darling and Ames to discover who might have possibly have motivation to kill, she unknowingly casts doubt on herself. As the investigation reveals facts that she has desperately tried to keep a secret, it threatens to pull her into a vortex of even greater losses than the ones she has already endured.

“A good historical mystery with a cast of characters that will provide plot lines for the series to come.  Iona Whishaw is a writer to watch.” –Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail

“Move over, Mr. Darcy! Inspector Darling and Lane Winslow join the ranks of Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane in this exquisitely written, psychologically deft postwar mystery. I couldn’t put it down. If you miss Mary Stewart’s sleuthing heroines, if you loved Broadchurch and its village of suspects, settle in, turn off the phone, and enjoy!” –Linda Svendsen, author of Sussex Drive and Marine Life

“A debut mystery from an author destined for awards. A setting that is ripe for story telling and a convincing gift for portraying the painful and challenging life for the survivors of the two world wars  . . . Whishaw is an exciting addition to Canada’s fine roster of mystery writers.” –Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews 

“On its face, [A Killer in King’s Cove] is a murder mystery, and boy is it satisfying . . . The story architecture is rock-solid, the writing is lush with detail but still restrained, and the frisson between the police detective and the amateur sleuth will make you itch for a sequel . . . the ghosts of King’s Cove will stay with you long after you put it down. I hope this is the first in a long series from Iona Whishaw, my new favorite mystery author.” –Skye Allen, author of Pretty Peg and The Songbird Thief

“The writing . . . conjures up nicely the ambiance of a 1940s west Canadian locale and develops in depth both the characters and their interactions.” –San Francisco Book Review

A Killer in King’s Cove is worth a look, especially as the author intends to reprise her lead character.” –Seattle Book Review

“Iona Whishaw brings to life a rural country town from the 1940s–from the small post office that is gossip central to garden tea parties. She’s given Lane a potential love interest, the well-named Inspector Darling, and created an engaging, quirky cast of characters . . . the trip to King’s Cove is so entertaining . . . Despite Lane’s promise to Inspector Darling to not cause any more mayhem in town, we sort of hope she does!” –Reviewing The Evidence

“A simply riveting read by a master of the genre, A Killer in King’s Cove is especially recommended the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, as well as an enduringly popular acquisition choice for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.” –Wisconsin Bookwatch

“The rural Canadian setting really makes this series a winner.” –Addison Public Library

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