What do you think?
Rate this book
Two Crows Joy
When ace investigative reporter Hannah Simms chases a story to an idyllic seaside town nestled on the rugged coastline of Nova Scotia’s South Shore, she ends up covering more than she bargained for.
The historic and stately Haddon House has been a fixture of the Liverpool streetscape for over two hundred years. Perched high on a hill that overlooks the harbour, the expansive manor is a place of mystery and the reporter holds the key to unlocking its secrets.
Picking up where One Crow Sorrow left off, Two Crows Joy continues the story of Liverpool’s otherworldly connection to the mysterious and intelligent black birds that seem to appear without notice, but clearly with a mission.
The historic and stately Haddon House has been a fixture of the Liverpool streetscape for over two hundred years. Perched high on a hill that overlooks the harbour, the expansive manor is a place of mystery and the reporter holds the key to unlocking its secrets.
Picking up where One Crow Sorrow left off, Two Crows Joy continues the story of Liverpool’s otherworldly connection to the mysterious and intelligent black birds that seem to appear without notice, but clearly with a mission.
- GenresCanada
Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
18 people want to read
About the author
Vernon Oickle
43 books13 followersVernon Oickle lives in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. He studied journalism in Lethbridge, Alberta and upon his graduation in 1982, he returned to his hometown to begin his newspaper career. Since then, Vernon has won many regional, national and international awards for writing and photography. In 2012, he won the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors’ Golden Quill Award for best editorial writing, becoming only the third Canadian and the first Nova Scotian to win this honour since it was first presented in 1961.
Today, he is the editor of the nationally award-winning newspaper, The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin in Bridgewater. Since October 1995 he has been writing the popular and award winning column, The Editor’s Diary. Helping to shape and influence public opinion on a wide range of topics that over time, his writing increasingly touches a populist nerve by airing topics important to his readers.
In addition to being an award winning journalist and editor, Vernon is the author of 18 books, many of which collect and preserve the heritage and culture of Atlantic Canada. In 2010 he launched a series of novels that get their names from a Maritime folklore rhyme about seven crows.
Today, he is the editor of the nationally award-winning newspaper, The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin in Bridgewater. Since October 1995 he has been writing the popular and award winning column, The Editor’s Diary. Helping to shape and influence public opinion on a wide range of topics that over time, his writing increasingly touches a populist nerve by airing topics important to his readers.
In addition to being an award winning journalist and editor, Vernon is the author of 18 books, many of which collect and preserve the heritage and culture of Atlantic Canada. In 2010 he launched a series of novels that get their names from a Maritime folklore rhyme about seven crows.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 7, 2025
Two Crows Joy, by Vernon Oickle, is the second story in a series with the titles originating from an old Nursery Rhyme. This mystery/ suspense series with supernatural elements is set in the small seaside town of Liverpool on the South Shore of Nova Scotia.
Hannah Simms, a journalist with the Daily Post has come to Liverpool to investigate the disappearance of Maggie Collins. The police investigation 8 months prior turned up nothing and Hannah could not accept that she disappeared without a trace. When she arrives she checks into the same B&B that Maggie had stayed at, the stately historic Haddon House. Lately, she has been having dreams of a young man and woman she does not recognize and shortly after she arrives she starts being plagued by terrible headaches.
After her arrival, Corporal Cliff Graham notices that the local crow population starts behaving strangely like they did 8 months before. As Hannah goes around town interviewing the key players in the mystery of Maggie Collins, we get an overview of what happened in the first story from different points of view.
In this story, Vernon has increased the supernatural elements, increasing the suspense and broadening the possibilities of what can happen. Now that I am invested in the interesting characters and landmarks of Vernon’s stories I will be hunting down Three Crows a Letter.
Hannah Simms, a journalist with the Daily Post has come to Liverpool to investigate the disappearance of Maggie Collins. The police investigation 8 months prior turned up nothing and Hannah could not accept that she disappeared without a trace. When she arrives she checks into the same B&B that Maggie had stayed at, the stately historic Haddon House. Lately, she has been having dreams of a young man and woman she does not recognize and shortly after she arrives she starts being plagued by terrible headaches.
After her arrival, Corporal Cliff Graham notices that the local crow population starts behaving strangely like they did 8 months before. As Hannah goes around town interviewing the key players in the mystery of Maggie Collins, we get an overview of what happened in the first story from different points of view.
In this story, Vernon has increased the supernatural elements, increasing the suspense and broadening the possibilities of what can happen. Now that I am invested in the interesting characters and landmarks of Vernon’s stories I will be hunting down Three Crows a Letter.
December 4, 2023
A great sequel to One Crow Sorrow. I hope these novels keep coming. I miss the characters when the book ends.
December 4, 2023
I was looking forward to this 2nd book. It didn't disappoint. I'd highly recommend!
January 4, 2017
The second book in Vernon Oickle’s Crow Series opens shortly after the events in the first book.
Bernie Jackson is the editor of The Daily Post in Halifax. He has sent his investigator reporter Hannah Simms to Liverpool in hopes of getting a scoop about the mysterious happenings in that small coastal town on the south shore. Eight months ago a young woman arrived in town and when she left a month later, four members of the Goodwin family were dead and the town was in turmoil. No one really knows who Maggie Collins really was, where she came from or why she mysteriously disappeared. And then there were the crows, hundreds of them that appeared in town about the same time and disappeared when she left. Many do not believe there was anything normal about the way those crows behaved and some believe all the events are somehow connected. Cliff Goodwin from the RCMP thinks the motive is either money or revenge and he is still haunted by the events.
When Hannah arrives in town, she decides to stay at Haddon Hall a large B and B that sits proudly, high on a hill overlooking the harbor. The building was once home to a prominent family and has been a fixture in Liverpool for over two hundred years. Viola and Ronnie Toole bought the property, renovated it, and converted it to a B and B. The house has a sad past and there are stories of a young girl who lived there who died of a broken heart. She was to marry a fisherman who was lost at sea just days before their planned wedding. The girl never recovered from his death and stories abound that her ghost, watching for his ship from the upper window, still haunts the halls.
Cliff Graham, still troubled by past events of multiple deaths and black crows, is hard at work at the RCMP when he hears a sudden loud bang outside. When he investigates, he finds hundreds of dead crows littering the parking lot. He contacts the Department of Natural Resources to report the unusual incident and they tell him there have been similar events in Europe and elsewhere but never in Nova Scotia or Canada. Cliff remains uneasy. He feels it is a sign and it can’t be good.
After Lance’s Goodwin’s death, Josh Godwin became owner of all the family businesses and Lilly Pittman became the manager at Liverpool Motors. Her husband died of pancreatic cancer and her daughter who had been running wild, now has a two month old son. Although many in town still talk about Maggie Collins, Lily feels they should just let it go. The world is a better place without the Goodwins, who are now in their graves. She feels it is best to let sleeping dogs lie. But Cliff Graham can’t let it go.
As Hannah tries to get information for the article she is to write, she notices a large black crow that follows her everywhere. The bird seems to be stalking her and she is beginning to feel uncomfortable with its behavior. She keeps reminding herself the crow is only a bird, but still she feels uneasy. And physically she does not feel well. She is tired, has no appetite and feels like she is getting the flu. When the mirror on her bedroom vanity cracks while she is in the shower, she begins to feel more rattled. And then Vi shares the story of the young girl who lived in the house years ago and tragically lost her lover. Vi tells Hannah she is staying in the room that once was the girl’s bedroom, making Hannah even more edgy. Vi also tells Hannah she believes the ghost of the young girl is still in the house somewhere, though she has never seen her.
Meanwhile as Cliff drives towards Halifax, he is suddenly attacked by crows who dive bomb his car. He frantically tries to get help but cannot establish radio contact with Liverpool. As he tries to keep an eye on the birds, he looses control of the cruiser, goes over an embankment, rolls three times and lands in a gully. Cliff is trapped inside and seriously injured.
And while Hannah determinedly tries to get her story, more mysterious events occur and whenever anything unusual happens, it seems the crows always put in an appearance.
This novel has more blatant undertones of the paranormal than the first book in the series. Once again, I enjoyed the story, but found the conclusion unsatisfying and a real letdown. There is a great hook at the end to entice interested readers to book three. But once again the editing is a problem. There is no question this writer is talented, but he needs better editorial support.
Bernie Jackson is the editor of The Daily Post in Halifax. He has sent his investigator reporter Hannah Simms to Liverpool in hopes of getting a scoop about the mysterious happenings in that small coastal town on the south shore. Eight months ago a young woman arrived in town and when she left a month later, four members of the Goodwin family were dead and the town was in turmoil. No one really knows who Maggie Collins really was, where she came from or why she mysteriously disappeared. And then there were the crows, hundreds of them that appeared in town about the same time and disappeared when she left. Many do not believe there was anything normal about the way those crows behaved and some believe all the events are somehow connected. Cliff Goodwin from the RCMP thinks the motive is either money or revenge and he is still haunted by the events.
When Hannah arrives in town, she decides to stay at Haddon Hall a large B and B that sits proudly, high on a hill overlooking the harbor. The building was once home to a prominent family and has been a fixture in Liverpool for over two hundred years. Viola and Ronnie Toole bought the property, renovated it, and converted it to a B and B. The house has a sad past and there are stories of a young girl who lived there who died of a broken heart. She was to marry a fisherman who was lost at sea just days before their planned wedding. The girl never recovered from his death and stories abound that her ghost, watching for his ship from the upper window, still haunts the halls.
Cliff Graham, still troubled by past events of multiple deaths and black crows, is hard at work at the RCMP when he hears a sudden loud bang outside. When he investigates, he finds hundreds of dead crows littering the parking lot. He contacts the Department of Natural Resources to report the unusual incident and they tell him there have been similar events in Europe and elsewhere but never in Nova Scotia or Canada. Cliff remains uneasy. He feels it is a sign and it can’t be good.
After Lance’s Goodwin’s death, Josh Godwin became owner of all the family businesses and Lilly Pittman became the manager at Liverpool Motors. Her husband died of pancreatic cancer and her daughter who had been running wild, now has a two month old son. Although many in town still talk about Maggie Collins, Lily feels they should just let it go. The world is a better place without the Goodwins, who are now in their graves. She feels it is best to let sleeping dogs lie. But Cliff Graham can’t let it go.
As Hannah tries to get information for the article she is to write, she notices a large black crow that follows her everywhere. The bird seems to be stalking her and she is beginning to feel uncomfortable with its behavior. She keeps reminding herself the crow is only a bird, but still she feels uneasy. And physically she does not feel well. She is tired, has no appetite and feels like she is getting the flu. When the mirror on her bedroom vanity cracks while she is in the shower, she begins to feel more rattled. And then Vi shares the story of the young girl who lived in the house years ago and tragically lost her lover. Vi tells Hannah she is staying in the room that once was the girl’s bedroom, making Hannah even more edgy. Vi also tells Hannah she believes the ghost of the young girl is still in the house somewhere, though she has never seen her.
Meanwhile as Cliff drives towards Halifax, he is suddenly attacked by crows who dive bomb his car. He frantically tries to get help but cannot establish radio contact with Liverpool. As he tries to keep an eye on the birds, he looses control of the cruiser, goes over an embankment, rolls three times and lands in a gully. Cliff is trapped inside and seriously injured.
And while Hannah determinedly tries to get her story, more mysterious events occur and whenever anything unusual happens, it seems the crows always put in an appearance.
This novel has more blatant undertones of the paranormal than the first book in the series. Once again, I enjoyed the story, but found the conclusion unsatisfying and a real letdown. There is a great hook at the end to entice interested readers to book three. But once again the editing is a problem. There is no question this writer is talented, but he needs better editorial support.
February 4, 2015
Interesting as a companion piece to the first book in the series. It's like those books that retell the story from a different character's POV because the reporter gets the story from a bunch of different angles so the events from book 1 are basically retold in this book.
Unfortunately once again there were a bunch of editing mistakes, which for a newspaper editor by trade seems odd and unfortunate.
Unfortunately once again there were a bunch of editing mistakes, which for a newspaper editor by trade seems odd and unfortunate.
March 8, 2015
Really wish he could have unlearned his journalism and written a good story. How many times can you use the word 'quaint'? Has he ever heard of pronouns?
I am embarrassed to admit I actually read the first two in the series. His writing is awful.
He could have had something worth the story concept but couldn't execute.
I am embarrassed to admit I actually read the first two in the series. His writing is awful.
He could have had something worth the story concept but couldn't execute.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews