What do you think?
Rate this book
Deadly Fall
Paula Savards life has stalled. Her lukewarm love life, job as an insurance adjuster and grownup children are more frustrating than exciting. However, she gets more than she asked for when her once best friend, Callie, is murdered while jogging to Paulas inner-city Calgary home. The police suggest Callie was coming to Paula for help, which is news to Paula since they hadnt seen each other in ages. Soon, Paulas suspicions zero in on Callies new husband, Sam. An ill-considered investigation turns personal for Paula when she begins to get close to Sam, but is Sams interest a front to trick Paula? Lies begin accumulating. Suddenly, Paulas not sure who she should protect and who she should fear. As the truth reveals itself, Paula hatches a plan to draw the killer out. The plans success would not only allow her to solve the murder, but also give her life a fresh start. Also available in paperback.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 11, 2017
Sociopaths always surprise. Seasoned mystery readers think they 'can tell' the criminal at a first glance, that their sophisticated guess will prove accurate, and they read on fully expecting to confirm their suspicions. In this Calgary-based mystery novel, don't get too comfortable. I guarantee the shock factor is there! Loved the twists and stunning turns! Prepare for a tumble in Deadly Fall!
March 10, 2011
Insurance adjuster Paula Savard knows something is wrong the moment she approaches the Elbow River near her house in Calgary. Yellow crime-scene tape rarely decorates the jogging trail in this safe Canadian city. Her intrusive male neighbour says that a woman has been shot. Then Paula finds that her absent friend Callie Moss has left a message on her answering machine. No doubt nattering on about her perfect life, Paula imagines, declining to listen to the note. Her own life is a boring shambles. She’s divorced from Gary, who still wants to look after her, despite his new girlfriend. She’s found an occasional date in Hayden, though the sparks aren’t flying except for arguments. But Callie’s life is far from perfect. In fact, it’s over.
Dumbstruck by disbelief after she hears the news, Paula visits the scene. “The murder site looked benign. No marks married the pavement or the earth. Shrubs lined the ridge that dropped to the Elbow River. Their jade leaves listened in the afternoon sun; limbs swayed in the warm breeze. Across the river gorge, the Saddledome’s curved roof embraced the sky.”
When she finds out that not only was Callie’s last message to her, but that she redialled moments before she was killed, Paula is overcome with guilt. Their relationship went back to the freewheeling Seventies when they were in university together in some bumpy times. They lost touch until two years ago when Paula moved to Calgary. But why wasn’t she invited to Callie’s second wedding? Was it really strictly family?
As few clues emerge, Paula regards everyone in Callie’s former life with suspicion. Ex-husband Kenneth had reason to resent his wife’s running off to marry his friend Sam. An architect and man of mystery who meets Paula for the first time, the handsome Sam seems less than devastated by his bereavement. At the moment he’s overrun by Callie’s family preparing for the funeral, notably her sister and nieces. Before Paula knows what’s happening, one annoying teenage niece named Isabelle, out of school and in search of a McJob, has moved in with her. Paula has grown-up children of her own to handle. The repartee between the two generations is honed to a fine point and gives welcome comic relief, whether sparring over clothes, money, or food. Soft-hearted Paula curses herself for caving to Isabelle’s pleas, but as a mother, she worries about the girl’s safety and casual attitude about danger.
No one seems to have an alibi for the dead-of-night murder. Then it’s discovered that Sam’s father kept a pistol, possibly the one which killed Callie. But too many people knew about it, and besides, it’s missing. Detective Vincelli enters the scene and wonders why Callie chose Paula to call. Not long after, Callie’s secrets begin to surface, for example, that she and Sam didn’t sleep together. That their marriage was a ruse to hide the fact that Callie was having an affair with Sam’s son Dimitri, a rising star in Parliament, who could ill stand a scandal. And could there be something brewing between Sam and the nubile Isabelle?
Paula’s having trouble understanding Sam, but she can’t see him as a murderer. And in view of his sham marriage, it’s no surprise that he seems to have an attraction for her. Their sweet and ingenuous date to a junior hockey game is a classic Canadian evening. But the secrets won’t stay hidden. When another friend who had announced that he was preparing to break a major news story is found dead, Callie’s tragic story keeps expanding like a stone thrown into a pond. The more she learns, the more Paula feels that she owes Callie the answer to a senseless death.
First-time novelist Calder hits the target with this fast-moving amateur sleuth outing. Her familiarity with Alberta’s crown city and its gorgeous surroundings in the Rocky Mountain foothills makes the scenery shine. Twists and turns in the human relationships leave nothing impossible. In the middle of this maelstrom, Paula keeps her head and her life while pursuing a baffling mystery whose roots delve deeply into the hidden lives of ordinary Canadians. The touch of romance keeps her off balance just long enough to give the killer another opportunity to close someone’s mouth forever.
Dumbstruck by disbelief after she hears the news, Paula visits the scene. “The murder site looked benign. No marks married the pavement or the earth. Shrubs lined the ridge that dropped to the Elbow River. Their jade leaves listened in the afternoon sun; limbs swayed in the warm breeze. Across the river gorge, the Saddledome’s curved roof embraced the sky.”
When she finds out that not only was Callie’s last message to her, but that she redialled moments before she was killed, Paula is overcome with guilt. Their relationship went back to the freewheeling Seventies when they were in university together in some bumpy times. They lost touch until two years ago when Paula moved to Calgary. But why wasn’t she invited to Callie’s second wedding? Was it really strictly family?
As few clues emerge, Paula regards everyone in Callie’s former life with suspicion. Ex-husband Kenneth had reason to resent his wife’s running off to marry his friend Sam. An architect and man of mystery who meets Paula for the first time, the handsome Sam seems less than devastated by his bereavement. At the moment he’s overrun by Callie’s family preparing for the funeral, notably her sister and nieces. Before Paula knows what’s happening, one annoying teenage niece named Isabelle, out of school and in search of a McJob, has moved in with her. Paula has grown-up children of her own to handle. The repartee between the two generations is honed to a fine point and gives welcome comic relief, whether sparring over clothes, money, or food. Soft-hearted Paula curses herself for caving to Isabelle’s pleas, but as a mother, she worries about the girl’s safety and casual attitude about danger.
No one seems to have an alibi for the dead-of-night murder. Then it’s discovered that Sam’s father kept a pistol, possibly the one which killed Callie. But too many people knew about it, and besides, it’s missing. Detective Vincelli enters the scene and wonders why Callie chose Paula to call. Not long after, Callie’s secrets begin to surface, for example, that she and Sam didn’t sleep together. That their marriage was a ruse to hide the fact that Callie was having an affair with Sam’s son Dimitri, a rising star in Parliament, who could ill stand a scandal. And could there be something brewing between Sam and the nubile Isabelle?
Paula’s having trouble understanding Sam, but she can’t see him as a murderer. And in view of his sham marriage, it’s no surprise that he seems to have an attraction for her. Their sweet and ingenuous date to a junior hockey game is a classic Canadian evening. But the secrets won’t stay hidden. When another friend who had announced that he was preparing to break a major news story is found dead, Callie’s tragic story keeps expanding like a stone thrown into a pond. The more she learns, the more Paula feels that she owes Callie the answer to a senseless death.
First-time novelist Calder hits the target with this fast-moving amateur sleuth outing. Her familiarity with Alberta’s crown city and its gorgeous surroundings in the Rocky Mountain foothills makes the scenery shine. Twists and turns in the human relationships leave nothing impossible. In the middle of this maelstrom, Paula keeps her head and her life while pursuing a baffling mystery whose roots delve deeply into the hidden lives of ordinary Canadians. The touch of romance keeps her off balance just long enough to give the killer another opportunity to close someone’s mouth forever.
January 24, 2019
Although I appreciated the Calgary setting, local details, and a female detective whose career as an insurance adjuster gives her a believable set of skills for investigation, for whatever reason I just couldn't immerse myself in this mystery. Some continuity issues and some actions that seemed completely out of character pulled me out of the story. A good, solid mystery plot, but not a page-turner.
April 22, 2012
I picked up this book from the New and Notables shelf at the library because I enjoy reading mysteries. This one kept me guessing to the end, which I found surprising and believable. Paula, the protagonist,is a strong, well-developed character. The other characters were equally interesting. I'll look out for the next book in the series to follow their further adventures.
April 21, 2012
Wow - loved it. This book has a protagonist that is just like your friendly aunt. She gets involved in helping the cops solve her best friends' murder. I loved the Calgary scenes, and the characters are all just like real people. If you like Sue Grafton or Gail Bowen, then you will love this series. I can't wait for the next one in the series.
September 14, 2019
Insurance adjuster Paula Savard was hoping for a bit of excitement. Her romantic life is fizzling and her job investigating claims is dull. But the murder of her best friend mere blocks away from her new home isn't what she asked for. Soon her suspicions and guilt - Callie called her the morning of her death - have touched almost every relationship in Paula's life and pushed her down the path of an ill-advised investigation of her own. This novel had a good pace and an interesting plot, with some violence, a little drug use, and of course a few murders, but to be honest it just didn't do it for me. I couldn't empathize with the characters and thought Paula made poor decisions just to keep the story moving down the standard mystery path: poke around on your own, sleep with a suspect, misinterpret some clues, get nearly killed. Then things kind of went off the deep end. Paula stumbles across evidence that someone she knows may have been involved in a manslaughter years before. I kid you not, one of her first reactions was to feel that she was being unreasonably critical to judge someone for killing a person, and maybe she'd be a better friend if she was more understanding. Maybe it's just me, but if I find out "x person" killed somebody I am going to judge the heck out of them and not for one second think I'm too hard to please. As soon as Paula started doubting herself for thinking less of manslaughter-ers, I checked right out. If a nice standard murder mystery is what you are in the mood for, Deadly Fall is just the thing. Anyone looking for an unpredictable, challenging story - or a better character - should keep moving.
November 15, 2024
I had picked this book up from a book sale and was excited to realize that the setting was Calgary. A woman, Callie, is found murdered in Mount Royal and her friend Paula is trying to get to the bottom of what has happened. She has not been in touch with Callie for some time, so is concerned when it seems Callie was trying to get to Paula to disclose something.
I am not sure what I thought the main problem was for me not liking this book. Some of the writing was awful. At one point, Paula wears a white shirt that the author compares to the feathers of a Canada goose. It felt like some references to locations were superfluous and didn't add to the story. It almost felt like name dropping.
The other thing was that I did not like ANY of the characters. Paula seemed like a nosy bitch, constantly bothering the homicide detectives. Having some understanding of how the homicide unit works, I found Paula's character very annoying. As an insurance adjuster, she felt competent to critique their handling of the murders, and their procedures, as if she would know wha they were doing. Multiple references to her sticking her nose in where it didn't belong that could have been disastrous to her life, or at the very least, hinder the investigation.
This was not a long book, but it felt like it and in fact, I ended up skipping to the end and not really caring about the mystery being solved.
I am not sure what I thought the main problem was for me not liking this book. Some of the writing was awful. At one point, Paula wears a white shirt that the author compares to the feathers of a Canada goose. It felt like some references to locations were superfluous and didn't add to the story. It almost felt like name dropping.
The other thing was that I did not like ANY of the characters. Paula seemed like a nosy bitch, constantly bothering the homicide detectives. Having some understanding of how the homicide unit works, I found Paula's character very annoying. As an insurance adjuster, she felt competent to critique their handling of the murders, and their procedures, as if she would know wha they were doing. Multiple references to her sticking her nose in where it didn't belong that could have been disastrous to her life, or at the very least, hinder the investigation.
This was not a long book, but it felt like it and in fact, I ended up skipping to the end and not really caring about the mystery being solved.
February 4, 2019
A woman’s best friend is shot to death on a running path. While the opening of the novel captured my attention, the further I read the less enthralled I was. There were far too many characters who were not fully fleshed out and that dulls the edge of a mystery. The plot was overrun with the footsteps of erratic people to the point where any tension in the novel was diluted and the resolution landed with a dull plop! 2.5 stars
November 26, 2018
I got a bit bogged down with the complicated relationships, familial and otherwise. When Hayden’s role was revealed it seemed to be one too many coincidences. Eventually I realized I wasn’t really invested in the story and just skimmed to the end.
December 13, 2019
I enjoyed this mystery by a Calgary author and the many familiar locations included in the story.
April 30, 2020
This who-done-it has a lot of people and many possible suspects. I had the wrong killer pegged but it was fun trying to sort out all the hostilities and issues between all the characters.
July 25, 2012
“Deadly Fall” is Susan Calder’s first mystery novel set in Calgary. I’m drawn to mysteries with a strong sense of place and they really work for me if they can combine local flair with some interesting characters and a suspenseful plot. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t deliver it for me. I gave it 100 pages and then put it aside.
The local flair is actually there. Not only in naming familiar places but also in providing some of the anecdotes that are so unique for a place like Calgary. Where else would it seem perfectly normal to put up Christmas lights in September because you never now when the weather turns? This can be a great source of humour for a local mystery and I would have loved to see more of it.
However, the characters were just too ordinary. I don’t mind ordinary people as protagonists in general but then the writing has to provide something extraordinary to make them interesting to read. Some personality quirks, humour, irony - anything to lift them out of boredom. The crime alone is not enough for this.
The plot moves waaaay too slow for me. There no action, no surprise in dialogue, no suspense. And Paula Savard is so clearly NOT a skilled investigator, making me cringe with some of her assumptions and speculations about the crime, much too amateurish for my taste. It could work if presented with some humour but she seems too ernest for that.
There are books I do allow for a slow beginning and space for the author to set the scene but a mystery novel that shouldn’t be more than about 200 pages doesn’t work that way. It ends up being boring and disappointing.
The local flair is actually there. Not only in naming familiar places but also in providing some of the anecdotes that are so unique for a place like Calgary. Where else would it seem perfectly normal to put up Christmas lights in September because you never now when the weather turns? This can be a great source of humour for a local mystery and I would have loved to see more of it.
However, the characters were just too ordinary. I don’t mind ordinary people as protagonists in general but then the writing has to provide something extraordinary to make them interesting to read. Some personality quirks, humour, irony - anything to lift them out of boredom. The crime alone is not enough for this.
The plot moves waaaay too slow for me. There no action, no surprise in dialogue, no suspense. And Paula Savard is so clearly NOT a skilled investigator, making me cringe with some of her assumptions and speculations about the crime, much too amateurish for my taste. It could work if presented with some humour but she seems too ernest for that.
There are books I do allow for a slow beginning and space for the author to set the scene but a mystery novel that shouldn’t be more than about 200 pages doesn’t work that way. It ends up being boring and disappointing.
November 13, 2012
Paula Savard is shocked to learn that her friend Callie was shot to death while jogging near Paula’s home. Paula feels guilt for not having kept in touch with Callie, and for not returning her recent phone message. Upon contacting Callie’s family and friends, it isn’t long before Paula wonders if one of them killed her.
Deadly Fall is the first in a new series set in Calgary, Alberta, and author Susan Calder provides great descriptions of different communities within the city. She also does a wonderful job of portraying the complexity of friendships, new and old. The angst of strained friendships is a terrific theme which leads to a surprising but satisfying ending.
When you’re reading an amateur sleuth story dealing with family, friends, and coworkers, it’s always a little tough to remember all the characters at first, and this group has overlapping marital histories which made relationships even more complicated. Yet, characters are sufficiently drawn so I could soon distinguish one from the other. Paula is a 52-year-old divorced insurance adjuster with two daughters and an uncertain love life, and I think readers will relate to her concerns and struggles. As an insurance adjuster, she has an inquisitive, semi-suspicious mind, and is a natural at knocking on doors to ask questions. It’s a terrific job for an amateur sleuth, and I look forward to reading more of Paula’s adventures in future.
Deadly Fall is the first in a new series set in Calgary, Alberta, and author Susan Calder provides great descriptions of different communities within the city. She also does a wonderful job of portraying the complexity of friendships, new and old. The angst of strained friendships is a terrific theme which leads to a surprising but satisfying ending.
When you’re reading an amateur sleuth story dealing with family, friends, and coworkers, it’s always a little tough to remember all the characters at first, and this group has overlapping marital histories which made relationships even more complicated. Yet, characters are sufficiently drawn so I could soon distinguish one from the other. Paula is a 52-year-old divorced insurance adjuster with two daughters and an uncertain love life, and I think readers will relate to her concerns and struggles. As an insurance adjuster, she has an inquisitive, semi-suspicious mind, and is a natural at knocking on doors to ask questions. It’s a terrific job for an amateur sleuth, and I look forward to reading more of Paula’s adventures in future.
August 31, 2014
Since I prefer to read plot-driven fiction, I found this book enjoyable on that point alone. There were some interesting plot developments, IMO. However, the characters were quite weakly written. Another reviewer commented that the characters were too ordinary. I'm fine with that but they were quite two dimensional as well. What I noticed even more was that none of the relationships between any of the characters felt real, like watching a movie where the actors don't get along behind the scenes. The protagonist's relationship with her boyfriend at the beginning of the story didn't seem very close or serious then when she gets romantically involved with one of the suspects in the murder of her best friend I don't see or feel any reason for her actions. Even given that she is trying to find her friend's killer, sleeping with a suspect is stupid on so many levels; if this character was meant to be very attracted to the man in question, the author was not able to convey that in her writing.
This is a first novel by the author & I hope she improves with subsequent works. I do like that it's set in Calgary; it's always a kick to recognize the setting of a story.
This is a first novel by the author & I hope she improves with subsequent works. I do like that it's set in Calgary; it's always a kick to recognize the setting of a story.
June 27, 2011
What I most enjoyed about this book is that it's set in my home town of Calgary, and I liked the constant surprise of reading the names of some of my favourite spots in and around the city. Calder also introduces us to quite an array of interesting characters.
However, the pacing varied too much for my liking...sometimes seeming to drag interminably and other times jumping from one impulse to "help" the police with their investigation to another. I found it hard to believe that the central character, Paula, was able to embroil herself so deeply into a murder investigation.
Fortunately, this was a pretty quick read, so I didn't feel like I wasted my time. And I enjoyed the Calgary references so much that I would consider reading a second book in the "series."
However, the pacing varied too much for my liking...sometimes seeming to drag interminably and other times jumping from one impulse to "help" the police with their investigation to another. I found it hard to believe that the central character, Paula, was able to embroil herself so deeply into a murder investigation.
Fortunately, this was a pretty quick read, so I didn't feel like I wasted my time. And I enjoyed the Calgary references so much that I would consider reading a second book in the "series."
August 23, 2013
Very well done! Although I had the right perpetrator, I certainly didn't have the motive. It was also quite interesting to read a book set in a city I'd actually visited. Love it .... would read more by Susan Calder ..... would seek them out ..... she's really, really good!
May 4, 2011
Reading this with Strathcona LTO book group.
Murder mystery with a local setting.
Not sure why they bothered to publish it in hardcover.
Murder mystery with a local setting.
Not sure why they bothered to publish it in hardcover.
Read
December 4, 2013I didn't finish as the author swore continually. I do not recommend. It wasn't interesting enough to continue reading.
November 3, 2011
Being a Calgarian, it was a lovely experience to be able to actually have visited the sites mentioned in Ms. Calder book. The novel was a nice light read.
September 21, 2012
Don't recommend.
June 30, 2011
A super summer read!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews