John Bishop Ballem

John Bishop Ballem, QC, LL.D, is a Calgary novelist, attorney, and poet. He has published 12 novels, a volume of poetry, numerous short stories, and a textbook on oil and gas law. His latest novel, A Victim of Convenience, was published by Dundurn in 2006. The Oil Patch Quartet, an omnibus volume of four of his previously published novels set in the Alberta oil patch, was a Calgary bestseller in 2005. An expert horseman and former Navy pilot, John travels extensively throughout the world, most recently to the North Pole in 2005, and Easter Island and Antarctica in 2006.

Selected Bibliography
Novels:
The Devil's Lighter. General Publishing, 1973
The Dirty Scenario. General Publishing, 1974
The Judas Conspiracy (reissued as Alberta Alone). General Publishing, 1976
The Moon Pool. McClelland & Steward, 1978
Sacrifice Play. Ballantine Books, 1980
The Marigot Run. Ballantine Books, 1984
Oilpatch Empire. McClelland & Stewart, 1985
Death Spiral. Plains Publishing, 1989
The Barons. Gorman & Gorman, 1991
Manchineel. A Castle Street Mystery/Dundurn, 2000
Murder as a Fine Art. A Castle Street Mystery/Dundurn, 2002
The Oil Patch Quartet. Cormorant Books, 2005
A Victim of Convenience. A Castle Street Mystery/Dundurn, 2006

The Oil Patch Quartet. Cormorant Books, 2005

A Victim of Convenience. A Castle Street Mystery/Dundurn, 2006

Poetry:
Lovers & Friends, 2000

Non-fiction:
The Oil and Gas Lease in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 1973, 1985, 1999, 2007

Awards:
Canadian Petroleum Law Award
Starving Romantic Poets Prize
Shortlisted, Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story, 1998, for "Rigged to Blow"

Website:
www.johnballem.ca