A chilling and enthralling “psychologically perilous tale of deception, manipulation, and murder” is anchored by Esther Maile, a character who strives “to fill her need for connection in the most maladaptive ways.” —Trish Bowering reviews Days of Feasting and Rejoicing, by David Bergen (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2025) $25.00 / 9781773103433
“In fact, gratitude is something I believe was on display in this enclave in the Coastal Room at the Gibson Public Market, an appreciation for the array of literary talent on the Sunshine Coast and across the province. That was certainly the message relayed by several literary award judges at this fifth annual event.” Trevor Marc Hughes reports on the recent Art & Words Festival events held in Gibsons this past weekend.
“If you’re looking for dour, deeply depressing escapism, go fish. But if you’re in the mood for humour and meta-humour…”: in this novel, self-involved TV personalities and mystery writers congregate for a festival where—gasp!—there’s a murder. Dialogue is snippy, the mood is light, and the shenanigans are frequent. —Jessica Poon reviews Killer on the First Page, by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson (Toronto: Harper Collins Canada, 2025) $24.99 / 9781443475099
With a surprising ending that’s “perfect” and a convincing portrait of a recognizably unjust present day political reality and hopeful responses to it, a debut novel thrills as it portrays bookish and venerable activists. —Valerie Green reviews Make No Mistake, by Julie Wise (Penticton: Wise Publications, 2025) $20.99 / 9781069525505
“Like many love stories, this one involves a love triangle”: with “characters that are not only vivid, but full-on loose cannons,” a Vancouver-set sophomore novel tackles marriage, identity, and contemporary reality. —Theo Dombrowski reviews You’ve Changed, by Ian Williams (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2025) $37.00 / 9781039012356
Debut novel features “a fast-paced, stream-of-consciousness, interior monologue style” that reveals “layers of complexity in the queer Palestinian immigrant’s experience of life in the West.” The result? A “politically sophisticated and often wickedly funny first novel, grounded in the foibles of human nature and how we respond to them, that’s well worth reading.” —Daniel Gawthrop reviews Three Parties, by Ziyad Saadi (Toronto: Hamish Hamilton, 2025) $34.95 / 9780735250963
The promise of comfort and security in a new home continues to elude the proverbially overworked and underpaid characters in a searing novel that highlights exploitation, corruption, and bad faith in Canada’s immigration system. —Ron Verzuh reviews Frosty Lanes, by Harpreet Sekha (translated by Akal Amrit Kaur and Inderpal Kaur) (Chhanna, India: Rethink Books, 2025) $x.xx / 9789348092922
Inspired by a fearless and revengeful “Queen of Outlaws,” the spirited young protagonist of a vibrant, prairie-set debut novel begins a lengthy quest for self-determination as she moves from job to job, location to location, and man to man in the early twentieth century. —Trish Bowering reviews I Want to Die in My Boots, by Natalie Appleton (Victoria: Touchwood Editions, 2025) $28.65 / 9781990071270
With three timelines—1908, 1934, 1998—and “a ghoulish atmosphere that will delight dark academia and horror fans alike,” a prolific author’s latest novel drips with chills, trials, and, of course, witchcraft. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews The Bewitching, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Toronto: Del Rey, 2025) $39.00 / 9780593874325
In a soft-spoken and subtle debut YA novel, a pre-teen boy learns to understand and care for a pair of ducks. It’s a ‘still waters’ sort of book that runs surprisingly deep. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Project Wild One, by Louise Sidley (Leaside: Red Deer Press, 2025) $14.95 / 9780889957633
In “an excitement-packed novel” with a “fascinating premise,” a loose group of family and friends plots an escape from a Canada that has been occupied by the American military. The group faces peril, bad weather, and a fate that’s not revealed until the final pages. —Valerie Green reviews Fleeing the 51st State: A Voyage of Resistance and Hope, by Peter Freeman (Vancouver: Tablet Publications, 2025) $35.00 / 9781069460813
The sleuthing elements of this YA novel have their appeal, but the real stand outs include the interplay between teammates and the “multi-generational openness and connections.” —Alison Acheson reviews Rhapsody Smith, Ice Angel, by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Winnipeg: Yellow Dog/Great Plains Press, 2025) $18.95 / 9781773371306
Timely thriller about AI technology, corporate intrigue, and marriage also manages to engage meaningfully in the cultural debate about MAID and end-of-life. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews The Deepest Fake, by Daniel Kalla (Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2025) $25.99 / 9781668032534
Veteran YA author’s captivating novel features ghosts and villains and a network of caves (not to mention “a good dash of mystery and a wee bit of romance—just the right amount”). —Alison Acheson reviews Cave-In, by Pam Withers (Winnipeg: Great Plains Press, 2024) $18.95 / 9781773371245
Uniquely written debut novel “is a book that plumbs the depths of a young man’s search for meaning that will appeal to those who are looking for an intellectual, character-driven examination of religious belief.” —Trish Bowering reviews Broken Water, by Nick Perry (Durham: Chicken House Press, 2025) $19.99 / 9781990336836
“A security officer, Damian has good reason to dislike his graveyard shift job. As the Victoria-based author makes all too clear, so do the protagonists of nearly all the other jobs he writes about. Poor pay, ungodly hours, and rough conditions: the jobs Taylor documents, readers will need little convincing, are grindingly ‘shitty.’” —Theo Dombrowski reviews Security and Other Shitty Jobs: Parables of the Morally Suspect, by Jason A. N. Taylor (Victoria: Jason A. N. Taylor, 2025) $13.99 / 9798281668194
“Death on the Caldera is brimming with interesting plot lines, compelling characters, and beautiful world-building. When these elements are given room to breathe, they are truly wonderful to experience.” —Zoe McKenna reviews Death on the Caldera, by Emily Paxman (New York: Titan Books, 2025) $24.99 / 9781835411582
In a warm, captivating tale, campaigning politicians, lovestruck Cranbrookers, and the Sells-Floto Circus turn 1920s small town BC into the proverbial three-ringer. —Ron Verzuh reviews Frank and the Elephants: A Romance of the Rockies, by R.D. Rowberry (Nelson: Nelson History Theatre Society, 2024) $18.95 / 9781738218004
Composed of one poem and thirteen short stories, an anthology loosely tied together by a geographic theme pays close attention to human relations (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in various Canadian locales. To winning effect. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Not the Same Road Out: Trans Canada Stories, by K.J. Denny (editor) (New Westminster: Tidewater Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781990160509
The middle volume of The Lost Wells Trilogy overcomes middlevolumeitis with sharpened relations between characters and intriguing world-building. —Myshara McMyn reviews Mantle of the World Ruler, by Kate Gateley (Altona: Friesen Press, 2023) $31.99 / 9781039155251