Niagara setting for new crime novel
After frequent trips to Niagara, Toronto author Joseph Glazner came to the conclusion that Niagara would be the perfect place to set a thriller.
“The natural beauty of the region, the carnival-like attractions, live theatre, Vegas-like gambling and music venues, high-and low-brow dining and shopping, natural wonders and an international border in the end lent themselves perfectly to a setting for a new crime novel,” he said.
“The region is at once a small city where it is easy to remain anonymous, and at the same time, it is a small town where your past can easily trip you up … perfect for the type of thrillercaper that I wanted to set there.”
Glazner’s latest novel, “MurderLand, A Crime Novel,” is available through Amazon as well as on Kobo readers.
MurderLand takes the reader into the world of Harry Holiday, a young wheeler-dealer anti-hero.
Harry has recently returned to Niagara Falls to try to save the family business after his father, Ralph, president of the company, was nearly killed in an unsolved attempt on his life.
The family business, MurderLand, a museum of murder and gangland exhibits, is on the brink of collapse unless Harry can find a way to lure back visitors and keep his step-mother from selling the building out from under him.
The New Jersey-born Glazner first visited Niagara in 1955 during a family vacation.
“Although we stayed on the Canadian side for only one day, the visit left a lasting impression on me.”
Years later, he moved to Toronto with his partner Joanie Shirriff and the two would occasionally pass through Niagara during trips back to the U.S.
Shirriff also has a unique connection to Niagara.
Her great grandfather was Francis Adam Shirriff, who together with Thomas Bright founded Niagara Falls Wine Co. in 1874.
“After a few trips, instead of just driving through, we started making Niagara and Niagara-onthe-Lake a stopover,” Glazner said.
After a 30-year break from crime writing, he decided to strike out on his own for his eighth novel.
“Independent publishing is very challenging, but it can also be very rewarding,” he said.
“One big difference is that I now have total control of everything from the cover to the marketing. For example, I was able to design my own cover using a dramatic photo I took several years ago of the Horseshoe
Falls.”