Quill and Quire

Fiction: Novels

Snow Job

By William Deverell

The title alone is a good indicator that in this new Arthur Beauchamp novel, William Deverell’s lovably irascible lawyer protagonist will find himself in unfamiliar territory. “Ottawa was his unhappy home away from home since ... Read More »

October 16, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

The Brutal Telling

By Louise Penny

“In the end the answer to a murder investigation was always devastatingly simple. It was always right there, obvious. Hiding in facts and evidence and likes, and the misperceptions of the investigators.” These sentences, from ... Read More »

October 16, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

★ Swap

By John McFetridge

With all the traffic over the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, the border patrols cannot possibly check every vehicle – a simple fact that criminals like Vernard “Get” McGetty count upon. Get is retired ... Read More »

October 16, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Galore

By Michael Crummey

For its sheer extremes, both real and conjured, Newfoundland occupies a singular place in Canada’s history and literary imagination. While the typical Newfoundland narrative emphasizes the rugged terrain and pragmatic lifestyle of the land’s inhabitants ... Read More »

October 15, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Sounding Line

By Anne DeGrace

In 1967, an unidentified flying object crashed into the waters of Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia. The incident came to be known as “Canada’s Roswell.” Anne DeGrace, a writer from Nelson, B.C., uses this bit of ... Read More »

October 13, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

The Carnivore

By Mark Sinnett

The Carnivore opens with a dramatic description of a flooded intersection in downtown Toronto during the first hours of Hurricane Hazel’s 1954 descent on the city. In this early stage of the storm, no one ... Read More »

October 5, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels