A SORROWFUL SANCTUARY

 

Engrossing and deftly plotted . . . sure to enthrall readers. Filled with rich history, clever intrigue, and subtle romance, this series is perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Elia MacNeal.”

—Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries

Lane Winslow is enjoying a perfect, sunny day at the lake when she spots a gravely injured young man drifting in a sinking rowboat. Hypothermic, bleeding, and soaked in icy water, he is unable to speak, leaving Lane at a loss. What series of events brought him to this grisly fate?

Darling and Ames are quick to pick up the case, but leads are few until Angela’s young son finds an unsettling clue on the beach—a bright red swastika lapel pin—that points to the National Unity Party of Canada. When the anonymous man succumbs to his injuries, Darling and Lane are thrown headlong into a murder investigation with ties to the old country.

“Whishaw’s intricately plotted fifth Lane Winslow mystery opens with a bang. . . Whishaw brings all the narrative threads together for a satisfying finale. Progress in the often fraught personal relationship between Lane and Darling will please series fans.” –Publishers Weekly

”An excellent mystery complemented by an appealingly down-to-earth look at life in postwar Western Canada.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Whishaw’s series follows ex-intelligence officer Lane Winslow as she searches for a new start in British Columbia, Canada in 1946, but the war and its repercussions are never far from the characters’ minds. The setting is fresh and the cast endearing, and Lane’s spy skills turn out to be quite handy in solving murders.  The author based Lane on her mother, who was a real spy during the Second World War, and her devotion to the facts show.” –CrimeReads

​”Engrossing and deftly plotted, the latest Lane Winslow Mystery is sure to enthral readers. Filled with rich history, clever intrigue, and subtle romance, this series is perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Elia MacNeal.” –Anna Lee Huber, author of the Lady Darby and Verity Kent Mysteries

“If you’ve yet to meet Lane Winslow, erstwhile spy and reluctant detective, you’re in for a treat. Iona Whishaw writes with an eye for the telling detail; she conjures a vanished British Columbia out of thin air. Complex, suspenseful, and deeply felt, this is a smart series for the ages.” –Francine Mathews, author of the Nantucket Mysteries

“Captures the tone and depth of a mystery entwined in a story about people taking painful steps forward with post WWII life. Vivid plotting, inventive dialogue in a setting that puts you right in the action. This is one of the best series currently in print.” –Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews

“While there’s no question you should read it–it’s excellent–a dilemma remains: Should you read it now, or wait until you’ve read the previous titles in the series first? . . . While you could wait forever to read the series from the start (many books, little time, etc.), the taste offered by A Sorrowful Sanctuary of Lane Winslow and her companions pretty much guarantees you won’t be waiting much longer to go back to the beginning and read everything about them.” –Toronto Star

“The ‘find of the year’, Iona Whishaw’s Lane Winslow series is a real treat. Set after WWII, Lane has left England for Canada . . . settling in the small village of King’s Cove. With a quaint cast of characters and the feel of Louise Penny’s Three Pines, the independence and quick wit of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher and the intelligence of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, this mystery series has it all!” –Murder by the Book, Houston, TX

“Full of history, mystery, and a glorious BC setting . . . a wonderful series.” –Sleuth of Baker Street, Toronto, Ontario

“If you want to wander amid the cosy paths of a very British British Columbia, and entertain yourself with murders and danger being confronted by a trio of sympathetic detectives, then give this series a try.” –The Ormsby Review

“Whishaw’s writing is excellent. The plots are complex and the characters show great emotional depth. The stories also prove to be great history lessons too–I definitely don’t know enough about the late ’40’s in Canada. It’s fascinating stuff.” –The Bookish Life

“A thought-provoking series [set] apart from many cozies.” –Reviewing the Evidence

“Well-drawn, pleasantly complex characters and a clearly developed, believable, and intriguing setting both add to the appeal of this book . . . Recommended for mystery lovers, and for fans of books set in the post-war era.” –Historical Novel Society

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