January 2006

Anne Barton, A Switch in Time
Veterinarian Erica Merrill becomes involved in a murder investigation when a drug she has prescribed for a dog is used to poison a wealthy widow. Everyone has a motive, money, but only the nine-year-old granddaughter had means and opportunity. Could the child's father have persuaded her to murder her grandmother? It is Erica's knowledge of the effect of the drug on the dog, not the victim, that allows her to solve the mystery.

Trade paperback
JRM Mysteries (Hushion House)
ISBN: 0-9739363-0-4
March 2006
$15.95 (US$12.95)

Charles Benoit, Out of Order
Jason Talley leads an organized and blissfully predictable life. But when his close friends Sriram and Vidya are killed, Jason ventures out of his office cubicle and travels to India on a quest to deliver an intricate silk sari to Sriram’s mother. Jason meets Rachael, a train-obsessed traveler, and discovers his dead friend’s dark secret. And he learns that someone is willing to kill to get that sari.

Hardcover
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1-59058-252-7
February 2006
US$24.95

Michael Blair, Overexposed: A Granville Island Mystery
Just when Vancouver commercial photographer Tom McCall thought he’d finally got his life back on track, a complete stranger shows up dead on the roof deck of his floating home. If that isn’t trouble enough, a prospective new client seems to have had one Botox injection too many, his ex-wife wants to take his daughter to Australia for a year, and someone’s leaving mutilated dolls on his front step. And, yes, he's in lust again.

Mass market paperback
Dundurn Press (A Castle Street Mystery)
ISBN: 1-55002-582-1
January 2006
$11.99 (US$11.99)

Pat Capponi, Last Stop Sunnyside
Dana Leoni is a traumatized woman who has retreated from life to a rough rooming house. Surrounded by the marginalized and the mad, she is devastated when one of her housemates is killed. When the police reach a dead end, Dana and her rag-tag posse of housemates – inspired by the novels of Janet Evanovich – decide to go detective and take matters into their own hands.

Trade paperback
HarperCollins Canada
ISBN: 0-00-639412-4
March 2006
Price $19.95

Brenda Chapman, Hiding in Hawk’s Creek: A Jennifer Bannon Mystery
Fourteen-year-old Jennifer Bannon cannot face another boring summer in Springhills. She convinces her mother to let her spend July at her grandmother's cottage in Hawk's Creek. But Hawk's Creek holds dark secrets, and Jennifer is soon drawn into the troubled world of Audrey Musquash, a Native girl accused of stealing and being out of control. In this tale of suspense and haunting friendship, Jennifer must face truths that will change her perspective on life forever. For ages 10 and up.

Trade paperback
Napoleon Publishing
ISBN: 1-894917-24-3 
March 2006
$9.95 (US$8.95)

Peter Clement, The Inquisitor: An Earl Garnet Medical Thriller
In the chilling nether world of the near-death experience, cancer patients on a terminal ward are pursued by the Dark Man.

Mass market paperback
Ballantine
ISBN: 0-345-45781-1
January 2006
$10.99 (US$6.99)

Illona Haus, Blue Valor
With the same unflinching eye and non-stop suspense that marked her acclaimed debut, Blue Mercy, Illona Haus presents her second Kay Delaney novel – a twisted journey into the dark recesses of a killer's mind. It is a crime that defies imagination…and a hunt that must defy all odds. "[Haus] shows a veteran's skill." – Baltimore Sun

Mass market paperback
Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0-7434-5809-5
February 2006
$9.50 (US$6.99)

Nate Hendley, Al Capone: Crime Czar of Chicago
Alphonse Capone lorded over Chicago like a 20^th century Caesar. Arguably the most powerful – and certainly the most famous – crime boss in United States’ history, Capone was equal parts sadist and sentimentalist. A brutal man who ordered the murder of his rivals, Capone also took care to look after his family and keep his mamma in style. Never convicted of murder, Capone was brought down on charges of tax evasion by the handful of lawmen and politicians he wasn’t able to corrupt.

Trade paperback
Altitude Publishing
ISBN: 155265107X
January 2006
$9.95

Nate Hendley, Crystal Death: North America’s Number One Drug Problem
Massively powerful and hugely addictive, methamphetamine has the ability to screw you up and burn you out faster than almost any drug known to man. A synthetic stimulant, meth can be made by anyone with a vague grasp of chemistry using chemicals purchased in hardware stores and recipes downloaded from the Internet. Find out why U.S. police say methamphetamine is the most dangerous drug in America.

Trade paperback
Altitude Publishing
ISBN: 1552653072
January 2006
$8.19 (US$6.99)

S.P. Hozy, Kindness and Lies
Amid the turmoil of 1927 Shanghai, three women – one Russian, one Chinese, and one French – determine the tragic fate of a young piano prodigy. Which of them is really responsible? The Russian narrator, Tatiana, recalls the complex relationships between the women and the effect they had on each other=s lives. Tatiana suspects she may have been the catalyst for a series of devastating events because, against her better judgment, she chose to tell the truth.

Trade paperback
NDE Publishing
ISBN: 1-55321-111-1
March 2006
$16.99 (US$14.99)

José Latour, Havana Best Friends
A special-needs teacher and her pornographer brother live in a Havana apartment where something quite valuable is hidden. On a spring morning, a Canadian couple knock on their front door... 

Hardcover
McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 077104660X
March 2006
$22.99

Violette Malan & Therese Greenwood, editors, Dead in the Water: An Anthology of Canadian Mystery Fiction
Over 80% of Canadians live near a body of water – and that means when Canadians turn to crime, somebody usually ends up all wet. This anthology of original crime fiction celebrates that most Canadian of locations: the ocean, lake, or river near you. With tales set across Canada by award-winning authors like James Powell, Rick Mofina, and Barbara Fradkin, you may just find your next vacation spot…or maybe not.

RendezVous Press
ISBN: 1-894917-37-5
March 2006
$15.95 (US$14.95)

Mel Malton, The Drowned Violin: An Alan Nearing Mystery
Something was floating ahead of the canoe: “It looks dead, whatever it is.” The mystery begins, and eleven-year-old Alan and his friends are determined to solve it, without adult interference. They have everything they need—Ziggy’s canoe, Josée’s charm, and Alan’s detective instincts. Add some bullies on jet-skis, an eccentric hermit, and the disappearance of a priceless violin, and the stage is set for a summer adventure in cottage country. For ages 8 and up.

Trade paperback
Napoleon Publishing
ISBN: 1-894917-23-5
February 2006
$9.95 (US$8.95)

Twist Phelan, Family Claims: A Pinnacle Peak Mystery
Hannah Dain's plan to leave the family firm is derailed when a deal she’s put together goes bad. If the mistake was Hannah's, the firm is out two million dollars. Career on the line, she investigates and exonerates the firm, though a car bomb and two murders thwart identification of the culprit behind the scheme. Then Hannah uncovers a greater threat all too close to home. Only by exposing family secrets can she save her reputation, her law firm—and her life. (Winner, Mystery Category, Colorado Gold Writing Contest. Nominee, Calavera Award (Best Regional Mystery), Left Coast Crime)

Trade paperback
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1-59058-124-5
January 2006
US$15.95

Twist Phelan, Spurred Ambition: A Pinnacle Peak Mystery
Attorney Hannah Dain ends up in the middle of an anti-Indian protest while rock-climbing. She escapes, but makes an enemy. This is the least of her worries, as a recent family revelation sends her on a hunt for a missing person. Attraction to a co-worker jeopardizes Hannah's romantic relationship and enmeshes her in a kidnapping tied to a securities fraud. Murder ups the ante, and only by taking a gutsy chance can Hannah unravel the scheme and the mystery of her past.

Hardcover
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1-59058-147-4
January 2006
US$29.95

Garry Ryan, The Lucky Elephant Restaurant: A Detective Lane Mystery
When the young daughter of popular radio talk show host Bobbie Reddie disappears along with Bobbie's ex-husband, Detectives Lane and Harper are on the case. Haunted by flashbacks from a previous missing child case, Lane once again takes to the streets of Calgary looking for answers. This is the second title in Garry Ryan's Detective Lane series.

Mass market paperback
NeWest Press
ISBN: 1-896300-97-9
March 2006
$10.95 (US$7.95)

Kay Stewart & Chris Bullock, A Deadly Little List
When demonstrators protesting land development on Salt Spring Island discover a body in a deserted cabin, RCMP Constable Danutia Dranchuk is sent to investigate. Meanwhile, Victoria drama critic Arthur Fairweather, lured to the island to review the annual arts festival, stumbles across a second mysterious death, this time in the cast of The Mikado. Can the two sleuths find the link between these deaths before a third body is added to the list?

Mass market paperback
NeWest Press
ISBN: 1-896300-95-2
March 2006
$11.95 (US$8.95)