Feature: A Capital Mystery – Ottawa’s First Mystery Anthology

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com

Today I’m thrilled to feature something special from Mike Martin, a long-time supporter of this blog and author of the beloved Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. Mike has co-edited (with Bernadette Cox) A Capital Mystery, the first Ottawa mystery anthology sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada. This collection brings together 21 local writers who’ve created stories set in the darker corners of Canada’s beautiful capital city. I’m delighted to share Mike’s introduction to this exciting anthology.

A note about features: I’m opening up one free feature spot per month for blog friends who have a new release or special project they’d like to share. These features are first-come, first-served and available to writers who’ve been part of this blog community. If you’re interested in a future feature spot, feel free to reach out via the contact form on my website.

Mystery Stories from the Heart of Canada

by Mike Martin

If you ever visit Ottawa, the capital city of Canada you are likely to come away with pleasant thoughts about the Parliament Buildings or the scenic Rideau Canal. Few would be thinking about murder and mayhem and madness. But that is exactly what 21 local writers have on their mind in the first Ottawa mystery anthology, A Capital Mystery. Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada it takes readers on a tour of the darker side of this beautiful city.

Inside the pages of A Capital Mystery, you can visit Orleans, or the Market or Little Italy or Strathcona Park. You can stroll along the Rideau River or go west to Barrhaven or south to Greely. Have supper at a cute little diner near Parliament Hill or maybe sneak back in time for a drink at the Chaud in Hull on the other side of the river. Take a tour of the Karsh exhibit at the Chateau Laurier and see the Winston Churchill portrait which is back on display after being brazenly stolen in broad daylight. Explore the sights and sounds of the city that the authors of this anthology love to call home.

Reviewer James Terry (The Reading Room) calls the book “a love letter to Ottawa and its surrounding landscapes.” He adds, “It’s the kind of collection that makes you pause mid-sentence and think, Wait… I know that corner. I’ve walked that street. That moment of recognition, that thrill of seeing your own city reflected in literature, is at the heart of this anthology’s magic.”

A Capital Mystery has received praise from many mystery writers including Louise Penny, Rick Mofina and Melodie Campbell who said:

“A Capital Mystery is As Canadian as…a Winter in Ottawa! From clever whodunits to edge of seat thrillers, this anthology covers all the bases. Ottawa takes the stage front and centre in twenty-one crime stories by seasoned writers and fresh new voices. A historical mystery places us deftly into 19th century Bytown. Blackmailers and burglars terrorize our current day capital, and even the weather has a part to play. I could feel the chill of Ottawa’s icy winter in the opening story by one of Canada’s master writers. From ‘Captain Canada,’ to ‘the nuclear option,’ there is truly something for everyone in an anthology as Canadian as…a winter in Ottawa!”

Join us on a murder mystery tour of Ottawa. We hope you enjoy your stay.

A Capital Mystery is published by Ottawa Press and Publishing and available all over the world on Amazon. 

Mike Martin is the Co-editor of A Capital Mystery, along with Bernadette Cox. He is also the author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.

 

21 writers explore the darker side of Canada's capital city. Co-edited by Mike Martin @mike54martin . #CanadianMystery #MysteryAnthology #CrimeWritersOfCanada @elizabethspanncraig.com
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