Queen of Canadian crime fiction coming to the library
I’m excited to announce the library will host an author visit in the fall from Gail Bowen, the ‘queen of Canadian crime fiction,’ and acclaimed author of the Joanne Kilbourn series.
Gail Bowen’s first Joanne Kilbourn mystery, “Deadly Appearances” (1990), was nominated for the W.H. Smith/Books in Canada Best First Novel Award, and “A Colder Kind of Death” (1995) won the Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. All books in the series have been enthusiastically reviewed, and the most recent, “The Winners’ Circle,” has been named a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. “Sleuth: Gail Bowen on Writing Mysteries” (U. of Regina Press, 2018) has been met with enthusiasm by critics and readers.
In 2008, Reader’s Digest named Bowen Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist; in 2009 she received the Derrick Murdoch Award from the Crime Writers of Canada; and in 2018 she was recognized with the Crime Writers of Canada Grand Master Award. Bowen has also written plays that have been produced across Canada and on CBC Radio. In 2018, she was invested with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the province’s highest honour. Now retired from teaching at the First Nations University, Gail Bowen lives in Regina, Sask.
Her latest novel, “A Darkness of the Heart,” is the 18th instalment of the bestselling Kilbourn series. When, at the age of 60, Joanne learns Douglas Ellard, the reserved general practitioner whom she had grown up believing to be her father was, in fact, the best friend of her biological father, the brilliant visual artist Desmond Love, she begins to question not just who she is but what factors play a role in shaping all of us.
Joanne is offered the chance to revisit her family history, when writer Roy Brodnitz, author of The Happiest Girl, a Broadway mega-hit inspired by a Desmond Love painting, approaches her with the idea of making a miniseries about the close relationship between the Ellard and Love families. Brodnitz is in town working on the film adaptation of his Broadway hit, and he and his film company soon become a significant presence in Joanne’s family, with results that are both life-changing and menacing. “A Darkness of the Heart” explores the ways in which clear vision, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to love can combat the forces in our world that seek to encroach upon innocence. Bowen’s powerful storytelling, characters and page-turning plot reaffirm her place as one of the finest mystery writers. We are thrilled to be hosting Bowen on Sept. 19 at our Centennial Branch at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 each.