Iona Whishaw
TouchWood Editions, 2016
Fiction, Mystery
9781771511988
Available in print and eBook formats.
I was drawn to this book because I love the Kootenays but anyone that loves a little history, and not a lot of gore, with their mystery will love this series.
This is the first in a series of compelling historical mysteries about a young woman spy after the end of World War II. Young Lane Winslow just wants to escape from the life she lived during the war and maybe learn to garden. She moves from Britain to British Columbia to escape the memories and heartbreak of her wartime career in intelligence.
The author, Iona Whishaw, does a marvelous job of showing us the challenges that the survivors of the two world wars faced, and the difficulties and pleasures of living in the rural wilderness of BC in 1946. King’s cove is located on Kootenay Lake near the small city of Nelson BC. The history and beauty of the area are beautifully brought to life as Lane settles into her new life – which of course includes a dead body!
Anyone who likes a gentle mystery with a strong female protagonist such as Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series, or Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series will love a Lane Winslow Mystery.