Murder, She Writes

Design and Illustration by Margaret Hanson

I recently stumbled across a delightful series from British Columbia, the Lane Winslow mysteries by Iona Wishaw. This series has many tempting boxes to check: The setting, the historical era, the characters, and of course, twisty plots!

A Killer in King’s Cove begins in 1946 near Nelson, BC, we meet Lane Winslow, who left England and recently purchased a charming old house in King’s Cover where she plans to write and garden, but when a body turns up, her new peaceful life gets a tad more challenging. Lane worked as a British Intelligence officer in WWII and is mending from a broken heart and the horrors of war. Nevertheless, she is clearly a modern woman. She will not swoon at the sight of a corpse, and she’s persistent with coaxing seemly subtle clues that eventually reveal answers.

Other characters include eclectic neighbors and the attractive but aloof police detective, Inspector Darling, who tries to resist the allure of the beautiful and brilliant new resident. This slow-burn relationship builds with the series, as the two characters realize they cannot deny their connection.

I like Winshaw’s commitment to historical details; she’s clearly done her research. I also like the strong point-of-view shifts that build scene by scene as readers are introduced to other characters and other puzzle pieces of the plot. Like a focus on a lens, the story suddenly comes into view.

I’m eager to read more books in this series!