Gail Bowen

Crime Writers Grand Master Award winner and the "queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press) returns with the 23rd, and penultimate, installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series. Amateur sleuth Joanne Shreve finds herself caught in the middle when her friend Vera Wang, the owner of a discreet escort service, The Right Woman, calls in a favor. Howard Dowhanuik, another long-time friend of Joanne's and the former premier of Saskatchewan, has been a loyal client for years. That is until he started badgering Vera's employees, trying to discourage them from performing their "meaningless" work. Given his recent verbal attacks against any and all opponents on his podcast, Joanne knows his erratic behavior must be part of a larger issue. Can Joanne talk Howard down and make him see sense before he goes too far? To complicate matters, the release of scandalous photos with threatening demands targets both Howard and Calista Wallace. Having quit the escort service, Calista is now engaged to Noah Wainberg, a close member of Joanne's inner circle, but the past could put their future together in jeopardy. Is this hate mail from a heartbroken ex-client or a disgruntled listener of Howard's podcast? Or worse, could the culprit be someone closer to home? With her loved ones' happiness -- and their very lives -- at stake, Joanne races to find the source of the mysterious messages before they make good on their menacing ultimatum.

From the Arthur Ellis Award-winning Grand Master of Crime Writers comes the next installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series When Joanne Shreve's former student, Val Masluk, writes the biography of acclaimed novelist Steven Brooks, Val once again becomes part of Joanne's life. The biography is already raising troubling questions about Brooks's past, and the wedding of Brooks's daughter and Joanne's son is scheduled for the day before the biography is published. Both Joanne and her former student are haunted by memories of the seminar that led to the deaths of two people and the murder conviction of a third. The publication of the Brooks biography poses a threat not only to the future of the man and woman about to be married but also to the futures of those who love them. Joanne is certain that the threat is rooted in either her past or in that of Steven Brooks. The collateral damage caused by exposing that link will bring pain to both families, but life has taught Joanne that the only thing worse than knowing is not knowing.

From Arthur Ellis Award-winning Grand Master of Crime Writers comes the 21st installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series When Libby Hogarth, the go-to lawyer for the rich or famous who have committed heinous crimes, comes to Regina to deliver the prestigious Mellohawk Lecture, she is met with a torrent of hostility and misinformation. Libby Hogarth had successfully defended Jared Delio, a wildly popular national radio host, against charges of sexual abuse brought against him by three Regina women. Her no-holds-barred cross-examination of the women stirred up a rage that still smolders. Zack and Joanne Shreve's commitment to protect Libby goes beyond the fact that in defending Delio, Libby had simply applied the principles at the root of the justice system. Zack and Libby share a history. They were the last two students to article with Fred C. Harney, a brilliant alcoholic lawyer who changed both their lives. Sawyer MacLeish, Libby's associate, was like a much-loved third son to Joanne when he was growing up, and she fears that Sawyer will suffer collateral damage from any attack on Libby. Joanne's fears are not groundless, and when the inevitable happens, Joanne, Zack, and their extended family must pick up the pieces.

From Arthur Ellis Award-winning, Grand Master of Crime Writers, and "the queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press) comes the 20th installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series A dark secret threatens the future of the Shreve family It's August 24, and Joanne Shreve and her husband, Zack, are savoring the last lazy days of summer and looking forward to the birth of a new grandchild; involvement in the campaign of Ali Janvier, a gifted politician with a solid chance of becoming the province's next premier; and the debut of Sisters and Strangers, the six-part series Joanne co-wrote that focuses on her early life. The series is the flagship of a new slate of programming, and MediaNation is counting on a big return. Joanne and Zack's stake in the series's success is personal. Their daughter, Taylor, is in a relationship with one of the show's stars, and Vale Frazier is already like family to them. It seems the "season of mist and mellow fruitfulness" will be a bountiful one for the Shreves. But when a charismatic young woman wearing a grief amulet that contains a lock of her dead brother's hair arrives with a dark secret, the success of Sisters and Strangers and the future of Taylor and Vale's relationship are jeopardized, and only Joanne and Zack can put an end to the threat.

Arthur Ellis Award-winning author Grand Master Award of Crime Writers of Canada (2018) The "queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press) returns with the 19th installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series that is perfect for readers of Louise Penny, Ruth Rendell, and Peter Robinson. On a Saturday bright with harbingers of spring, Joanne Kilbourn Shreve, her husband, Zack, and their family prepare to celebrate the season. Joanne's life is full, and at 60, she has been given the chance to understand a part of her history that for years was shrouded in secrecy. Living Skies is producing Sisters and Strangers, a six-part TV series about the tangled relationships between the families of Douglas Ellard, the father who raised Joanne, and Desmond Love, her biological father. Joanne is working on the script with Roy Brodnitz, a brilliant writer and friend. The project's future seems assured, but before the script is completed, Brodnitz disappears while scouting locations in northern Saskatchewan. Hours later, he's found -- sweat-drenched, clawing at the ground, and muttering gibberish. He dies in a state of mortal terror. Heartsick and perplexed, Joanne resolves to learn what happened in the last hours of Roy's life. What Joanne discovers threatens Brodnitz's legacy, and the decision about whether or not to reveal the truth is hers to make. The Unlocking Season is another deeply satisfying and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada's finest crime writers.

A smart, practical, and often funny guide for those who aspire to write mysteries, Sleuth reveals the secrets behind the curtain from a bestselling and award-winning master of the genre. Gail Bowen shows how to map out a plot, how to plant page-turning clues, how to develop fully-rounded characters, and how to create the scene of the crime. She also looks at the psyche, the power of story, and cultural appropriation, allowing writers to communicate the truth about the human condition. Digging into the works of Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell, Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin, Louise Penny and a score of others, Bowen explores all the possibilities the mystery genre offers writers with a story to tell.

For his Valentine's night call-in show, host Charlie D plans to offer his listeners two hours on the topic of "satisfaction." Charlie's in-studio guest is twenty-five-year-old Misty de Vol Burgh, formerly the highest-paid escort in the city but now happily married to eighty-three-year-old billionaire Henry Burgh. It's all good fun until Charlie receives a chilling message: "It's take-out-the-garbage night. Time to kill all the hookers and wash the streets with blood." When Charlie is directed to a website that allows viewers to watch the murder of a prostitute in real time and promises that another killing will be broadcast live within the hour, the hunt is on. But The World According to Charlie D. has an audience of over a million listeners. The murderer could be anyone, anywhere. Charlie and his team have less than two hours to find and stop the killer. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for older teen readers and adults who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read

It's Father's Day weekend--a tough time for Charlie D, host of a late-night radio call-in show that offers supportive advice to troubled listeners. For years Charlie has been alienated from his father--a retired politician who was always too busy for his son when Charlie was growing up. The trouble is, his dad has chosen this weekend to attempt to reconcile with his son. Charlie is not keen to forgive. But Charlie's personal issues suddenly seem mundane when an email arrives from a young listener that outlines his very specific plans to kill not just his father but his entire family. The deeply troubled boy could be anywhere, and Charlie has just two hours to discover his identity and stop him from murder. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for older teen readers and adults who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read

Charlie D is the host of a successful late-night radio call-in show. Charlie's listeners have a particularly intimate relationship with him and often reveal much about themselves, confident that he will honor their trust and that he can save them. In their minds, he is perfect: one of life's winners. But Charlie feels he's something of a fake. His easy confidence on-air belies the reality for a man born with a wine-colored birthmark that covers half his face. Love You to Death covers two hours on "The World According to Charlie D" during which he must both discover the long-time listener who is killing the people who trust him and attempt to come to terms with the man behind the birthmark. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for older teen readers and adults who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read