A follow-up to a 2023 novel features a story-within-a-story and settings in present day Canada and the Cold War. Reflecting one another, the tales balance humour and seriousness as they portray perilous times and the men and women in them trying to get by. —Ace Baker reviews The Book of Gronsky by Bill Engleson (Altona: Friesen Press, 2026) $26.95 / 9781038360816
Sophomore novel marries genres, unhappily. In spite of “unflinching, … powerful and realistic” characterization, other aspects proved confusing and even maddening for our reviewer, the book “an excellent concept with an unsatisfying execution.” —Zoe McKenna reviews All We Have Left, by Emily Paxman (London: Titan Books, 2026) $24.99 / 9781835417591
In a fast-paced pair of early chapter books, authors examine social politics and community-building, though in discrete historical eras—contemporary Canada and BC in the 1880s. —Alison Acheson reviews A Home For Lucy, by Mike Levitt (Toronto: Lorimer Books, 2026) $19.95 / 9781459420595 and Peril at Hell’s Gate, by Bill Freeman (Toronto: Lorimer Books, 2026) $19.95 / 9781459420625
The latest mystery for irrepressible West Kootenay amateur sleuth Lane Winslow begins with a bespoke hat. From there, a missing boy, a stolen boat, and a hoard of cash… It’s “the perfect compact source of entertainment to exercise the brain when it comes to solving a murder mystery while at the same time rooting for each characters’ journeys and desires,” our reviewer writes. —Sergio Espinosa reviews A False and Fatal Claim, by Iona Whishaw (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2026) $21.95 / 9781771514668
A soulful novel set in New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis “is a meditation on the intertwined nature of love and loss”; it “confronts readers with uncomfortable truths about vulnerability, mortality, and the limits of human connection, while showing that meaning can still be found amid suffering.” —Anna Horsch reviews A Friend of Dorothy’s, by Richard Willett (Los Angeles: Magic Show Press, 2025) $25.99 / 9798992339802
Atmospheric BC-set debut novel grows nearly hallucinatory with grotesque and supernatural elements. Teen investigators Alinta and Ruby ground a (somewhat overstuffed) story with their tight bond and quest to solve a mystery. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Woodbine Grove, by Ryan O’Dowd (Hamilton: Manor House Press, 2025) $29.95 / 9781998938193
“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
Reprint series showcases an author who’s sure to satisfy if a “reader is looking for a complex psychological read that explores the murkiness of the justice system, friendship, and, well, life in general.” —Ginny Ratsoy reviews The Suspect: Murder in a Small Town, by L.R. Wright (New York: Felony and Mayhem Press, 2024) $26.95 / 9781631943164
Surveying the Great Divide: The Alberta/BC Boundary Survey, 1913-1917 by Jay Sherwood Halfmoon Bay: Caitlin Press, 2017 $29.95 / 9781987915525 Reviewed by Robert Allen First published Feb. 25, 2018 * Retired teacher-librarian at Vanderhoof and past president of the Nechako Valley Historical Society, Jay Sherwood has provided nine indispensable – and overdue — histories and…
Read more #253 The divide of mountains and wine