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Quill & Packet Mystery #1
Bury the Lead
A big-city journalist joins the staff of a small-town paper in cottage country and finds a community full of secrets … and murder. Cat Conway has recently returned to Port Ellis to work as a reporter at the Quill & Packet . She’s fled the tattered remains of her high-profile career and bad divorce for the holiday town of her childhood, famous for its butter tarts, theatre, and a century-old feud. One of Cat’s first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser, the lead in the theatre’s season opener of Inherit the Wind . When Eliot ends up dead onstage on opening night, the curtain rises on the sleepy town’s secrets. The suspects include the actor whose career Eliot ruined, the ex-wife he betrayed, the women he abused, and even the baker he wronged. With the attention of the world on Port Ellis, this story could be Cat’s chance to restore her reputation. But the police think she’s a suspect, and the murderer wants to kill the story―and her too. Can Cat solve the mystery before she loses her job or becomes the next victim of a killer with a theatrical bent for vengeance?
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2024
62 people are currently reading
4264 people want to read
About the author
Kate Hilton
6 books265 followersKATE HILTON is a bestselling Canadian writer. She is the co-author of the Quill and Packet mystery series; the most recent title, Widows and Orphans, was published in 2025. Her fiction includes the forthcoming City of the Muse (2026), as well as The Hole in the Middle, Just Like Family, and Better Luck Next Time. When not writing, Kate maintains an active psychotherapy practice, with a particular focus on personal reinvention and life transitions. She lives with her family in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
March 27, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press for access to this title. I am auto-approved for this publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
The story is set in a small town in Ontario and follows the life of 45-year-old Cat Conway, a journalist from the big city who is trying to redeem herself after a recent divorce. What started as a regular job of interviewing a famous theatre actor, turned into a murder investigation, and now Cat is working hard to solve the case while also repairing her relationship with her teenage son."
Did I need another series on my TBR list? Probably not. Did I need to experience the writing collaboration of Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti? Yes, I certainly did!
I think the book had a few slow parts but it was a solid enough story to keep me turning the pages. Looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Publication Date 05/03/24
Goodreads Review 24/03/24
The story is set in a small town in Ontario and follows the life of 45-year-old Cat Conway, a journalist from the big city who is trying to redeem herself after a recent divorce. What started as a regular job of interviewing a famous theatre actor, turned into a murder investigation, and now Cat is working hard to solve the case while also repairing her relationship with her teenage son."
Did I need another series on my TBR list? Probably not. Did I need to experience the writing collaboration of Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti? Yes, I certainly did!
I think the book had a few slow parts but it was a solid enough story to keep me turning the pages. Looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Publication Date 05/03/24
Goodreads Review 24/03/24
May 16, 2024
Clever and well-written, Bury the Lead follows a journalist investigating the murder of a famous actor during a summer theater festival. While the mystery is fun, the true charm is in the relatable protagonist, the humorous metaphors, and the insightful observations. I am looking forward to Hilton and Renzetti's next collaboration.
April 30, 2024
Cozy in Cottage Country, Canada
Review of the House of Anansi Spiderline paperback (March 5, 2024).
OK, I'm biased here as these are hometown Toronto authors writing a small town theatre story with enough local allusions and other Canadian references that I can picture the setting even though it may be combined from several places in order to create the one in the fictional world.
Journalist Cat Conway has ended up back in her home town working at its Quill & Packet newspaper after being bounced from her network TV job after physically attacking a goon troll that harassed her on-camera. The background to that is drawn from various harassment incidents on female reporters across Canada and the U.S. There was a famous case in Newfoundland several years ago for instance. I am not going to repeat the despicable thing which is shouted out.
The town of Port Ellis is a cottage country theatre community with a long history (in Ontario I immediately think of the Stratford Festival or the Shaw Festival) that draws big-name screen and TV actors for its seasonal repertory theatre. The town also has its large contingent of rich cottage country homes in the so-called Millionaires' Hill (I immediately think of the Muskoka Lakes). The current season marks the return of veteran Eliot Fraser, who was launched onto the world stage after his appearance at the inaugural season many years earlier. Various other prominent actors make up the casts for Inherit the Wind and Much Ado About Nothing which are the two plays in rep.
But on opening night, the star attraction Eliot Fraser dies on stage. Was it an accident or murder? The autopsy will tell and it suddenly turns out that the actor had enemies all over the place, whether it was ex-wives, fellow actors, #metoo assaults, ghost writers, business & legal dealings and from his just plain vindictive narcissistic behaviour. But who hated him enough to kill him and how did they manage to do it?
Conway sees the story as a path to redemption in her journalism career, perhaps even back to the larger Toronto newspaper she had exited in order to get the TV network job. As a mob of international journos descends on Port Ellis (this is in the nature of BIG news, i.e. as if it was a Robert deNiro or Al Pacino type) looking for a scoop, Conway tries to use her local connections to both solve the murder and break the story. Along the way another actor is assaulted and then Conway herself is threatened and then attacked. Can she survive and still solve the case?
I enjoyed this tremendously for its local Ontario small town flavour and the various type of journo insider commentary such as:
This is in the nature of a cozy, so don't worry about noirish blood and gore if that is not your thing. The Afterword announces that Widows and Orphans will be the next Quill & Packet Mystery. It is not yet listed on Goodreads, but a 2025 release date is the most likely.
Footnote
* This quote is from the book Two Solitudes (1945).
Review of the House of Anansi Spiderline paperback (March 5, 2024).
I thought of what Hugh MacLennan* had written, so many years ago, about this country: "My God, is all this ours?" But it wasn't all ours. It belonged to the people who could afford the land titles. It had been the home of the Anishinaabeg, the Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee, but the squatters on Millionaires' Hill did not seem in any hurry to give it back.
OK, I'm biased here as these are hometown Toronto authors writing a small town theatre story with enough local allusions and other Canadian references that I can picture the setting even though it may be combined from several places in order to create the one in the fictional world.
Journalist Cat Conway has ended up back in her home town working at its Quill & Packet newspaper after being bounced from her network TV job after physically attacking a goon troll that harassed her on-camera. The background to that is drawn from various harassment incidents on female reporters across Canada and the U.S. There was a famous case in Newfoundland several years ago for instance. I am not going to repeat the despicable thing which is shouted out.
The town of Port Ellis is a cottage country theatre community with a long history (in Ontario I immediately think of the Stratford Festival or the Shaw Festival) that draws big-name screen and TV actors for its seasonal repertory theatre. The town also has its large contingent of rich cottage country homes in the so-called Millionaires' Hill (I immediately think of the Muskoka Lakes). The current season marks the return of veteran Eliot Fraser, who was launched onto the world stage after his appearance at the inaugural season many years earlier. Various other prominent actors make up the casts for Inherit the Wind and Much Ado About Nothing which are the two plays in rep.
But on opening night, the star attraction Eliot Fraser dies on stage. Was it an accident or murder? The autopsy will tell and it suddenly turns out that the actor had enemies all over the place, whether it was ex-wives, fellow actors, #metoo assaults, ghost writers, business & legal dealings and from his just plain vindictive narcissistic behaviour. But who hated him enough to kill him and how did they manage to do it?
Conway sees the story as a path to redemption in her journalism career, perhaps even back to the larger Toronto newspaper she had exited in order to get the TV network job. As a mob of international journos descends on Port Ellis (this is in the nature of BIG news, i.e. as if it was a Robert deNiro or Al Pacino type) looking for a scoop, Conway tries to use her local connections to both solve the murder and break the story. Along the way another actor is assaulted and then Conway herself is threatened and then attacked. Can she survive and still solve the case?
I enjoyed this tremendously for its local Ontario small town flavour and the various type of journo insider commentary such as:
Journalists used Twitter the way that European explorers had used the St. Lawrence River: for navigating new territory and trading valuable goods. Also dumb jokes and insults. It had become a bit polluted lately, but there was still room in the current for everything.
This is in the nature of a cozy, so don't worry about noirish blood and gore if that is not your thing. The Afterword announces that Widows and Orphans will be the next Quill & Packet Mystery. It is not yet listed on Goodreads, but a 2025 release date is the most likely.
Footnote
* This quote is from the book Two Solitudes (1945).
April 23, 2025
I picked up 'Bury The Lead' off the back of a review from someone I follow. The title made me smile because it managed to say Murder, Journalism and Theatre in one phrase. The premise, which combines amateur sleuth in a Canadian small town AND drama backstage in the theatre, called to me. It's also the first book in a new series so, if I liked it, I'd have a new set of cosy mystery comfort reads available to me.
So, did it live up to my expectations?
For the most part, yes. Certainly enough for me to want to read 'Widows And Orphans', the next book in the series, when it comes out next month.
I liked that the amateur sleuth was a journalist who wanted a story rather than to beat the police to solving the murder. It gave a credible reason for most of her actions. It helped that both the journalism and the small-town theatre parts of the story felt real.
The mystery had just enough twists to keep me interested without making me feel we'd lost touch with reality. OK, our heroine took a few more risks than any sensible person might but it made the story more fun and didn't leave me thinking she was either an innocent or an idiot.
There were strong #metoo themes to the story that were a little outside the norm for a cosy mystery. Nothing happened on screen but the story didn't back away from showing either how sleazy the men were/are or from describing the damage they did to the women's lives.
I'd have liked the main character to be a little more engaging. She felt a little flat in terms of personality. I think some of that was the need to get her backstory on the page. I'm hoping she'll become more interesting as the series continues.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Marnye Young, who I thought did a good job. Click on the Youtube link below to hear a sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwz2r...
So, did it live up to my expectations?
For the most part, yes. Certainly enough for me to want to read 'Widows And Orphans', the next book in the series, when it comes out next month.
I liked that the amateur sleuth was a journalist who wanted a story rather than to beat the police to solving the murder. It gave a credible reason for most of her actions. It helped that both the journalism and the small-town theatre parts of the story felt real.
The mystery had just enough twists to keep me interested without making me feel we'd lost touch with reality. OK, our heroine took a few more risks than any sensible person might but it made the story more fun and didn't leave me thinking she was either an innocent or an idiot.
There were strong #metoo themes to the story that were a little outside the norm for a cosy mystery. Nothing happened on screen but the story didn't back away from showing either how sleazy the men were/are or from describing the damage they did to the women's lives.
I'd have liked the main character to be a little more engaging. She felt a little flat in terms of personality. I think some of that was the need to get her backstory on the page. I'm hoping she'll become more interesting as the series continues.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Marnye Young, who I thought did a good job. Click on the Youtube link below to hear a sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwz2r...
July 19, 2025
This is the first in The Quill and Packet Canadian mystery series. I thought this was well done, well-paced, and with a very likeable middle-aged female main character, Cat, a reporter working at the local newspaper.
The small-town Ontario setting felt authentic and there was an interesting cast of secondary characters. The story was set around the murder of a famous theatre actor. There were multiple suspects, good red herrings, and a great build-up to the reveal of the villain at the end.
The series is written by two authors and I honestly could not tell who wrote what - the writing style was seamless.
I am looking forward to reading the next in the series and to finding out more about Cat and her backstory.
The small-town Ontario setting felt authentic and there was an interesting cast of secondary characters. The story was set around the murder of a famous theatre actor. There were multiple suspects, good red herrings, and a great build-up to the reveal of the villain at the end.
The series is written by two authors and I honestly could not tell who wrote what - the writing style was seamless.
I am looking forward to reading the next in the series and to finding out more about Cat and her backstory.
June 6, 2025
A twisty new cozy mystery series set in a small theatre town very similar to Stratford Ontario in which a disgraced big city journalist/reporter tries to start over again at the local paper but gets dragged into a murder mystery involving an esteemed (but as it turns out, not so nice) award-winning actor.
The suspects abound and there are lots of surprises in this latest page-turner featuring Cat Conway, an middle aged female amateur detective. I really enjoyed this on audio and can't wait to read the next book in the series. Recommended for fans of the Miranda Abbott series by Ian & Will Ferguson. Many thanks to TandemCollective global and the publisher for a #gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!
⚠️CW: infidelity, divorce, sexual assault, alcoholism
The suspects abound and there are lots of surprises in this latest page-turner featuring Cat Conway, an middle aged female amateur detective. I really enjoyed this on audio and can't wait to read the next book in the series. Recommended for fans of the Miranda Abbott series by Ian & Will Ferguson. Many thanks to TandemCollective global and the publisher for a #gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!
⚠️CW: infidelity, divorce, sexual assault, alcoholism
February 11, 2024
I truly enjoyed reading this debut murder mystery! A big city journalist, Cat Conway, goes back home to her small town of Port Ellis, to work at the Quill & Packet, where the lead actor in a play ends up dead on stage.
It got my attention right from the start…
So many suspects, so little time!!
Because….
Every one seems to have a reason to kill Elliott Fraser. Cat is determined to find out WHO did it. Before the murderer strikes again! 👀
It was a bit of a cat and mouse ( no pun intended) story. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next!
The main character was likeable but with flaws. Divorced. And she has a teenage son who doesn’t want to visit her or even talk to her hardly
If you love a good “whodunnit”, you will enjoy reading #burythelead! Fast paced, witty, and soooooo much cattiness between the characters, it’s everyman for themselves! Such a fun read!
Thank you to #netgalley, the authors Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, and the House of Anansi Press, Inc. for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Bury the Lead will be available on March 5, 2024!
It got my attention right from the start…
So many suspects, so little time!!
Because….
Every one seems to have a reason to kill Elliott Fraser. Cat is determined to find out WHO did it. Before the murderer strikes again! 👀
It was a bit of a cat and mouse ( no pun intended) story. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next!
The main character was likeable but with flaws. Divorced. And she has a teenage son who doesn’t want to visit her or even talk to her hardly
If you love a good “whodunnit”, you will enjoy reading #burythelead! Fast paced, witty, and soooooo much cattiness between the characters, it’s everyman for themselves! Such a fun read!
Thank you to #netgalley, the authors Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, and the House of Anansi Press, Inc. for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Bury the Lead will be available on March 5, 2024!
February 20, 2024
Bury the Lead by Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti is a debut murder mystery written by a best-selling author and a well-known journalist. Set in small-town Ontario, Cat Conway is a divorced, disgraced journalist, trying to rebuild a life for herself. Having once worked for a prestigious national paper, she accepts a job at a very small community rag. Struggling to pay the bills, and partially estranged from her adolescent son, Cat is forced to pick up shifts at a bar to make ends meet. In a twist of fortune, she happens to be present when a visiting actor and aging lothario, Elliott Fraser, is murdered. Cat seizes the opportunity to cover the story and suddenly finds herself uncovering small town secrets, navigating between individuals who are not who they claim to be, and resisting the call to return to her former big-city job.
Authors will be present at Blue Heron Books - Murderous March event on March 28th from 7-9pm. Tickets available.
Authors will be present at Blue Heron Books - Murderous March event on March 28th from 7-9pm. Tickets available.
March 24, 2025
★★★★
There is nothing I enjoy more than a mystery written by a female author (in this case, two of them) about a female amateur sleuth solving a murder in a small, Canadian town.
The story centers on Cat Conway, a reporter working for the local paper. Once, Cat worked for a big city paper in Toronto and then as an on air personality for a Toronto-based news television network. That is until she physically attacked a man who verbally harassed her on camera. Cat's backstory is pulled from real life events where on air female reporters were harassed across Canada and the U.S. You can read more about this misogynistic internet trend in this CBC article.
Currently, Cat is working for a small town paper in a small cottage country theater town where she spent summers as a child. As she tries to get her feet under her after losing her job and divorcing her unpleasant husband (who has custody of their 15 year old son), an actor made famous by his performance at the local community theater returns to perform another show in the twilight of his career. When he drops dead under suspicious circumstances, Cat is assigned to write the story.
She learns that there is no shortage of suspects. Honestly, Eliot Fraser is so unpleasant, I would have been in line to kill him if someone hadn't gotten there first. From actors he stole parts from to women he abused and worse, the town is filled with people who will happily celebrate Eliot's death. It's up to Cat to figure out who actually bumped him off.
This is a slow burn mystery that falls into the cozy sub-genre. There's not a lot of blood and gore but definitely some suspense builds as Cat gets closer to finding out who killed Eliot and puts herself in the cross hairs of the killer. Cat's redemption story is also interesting as are the varied and quirky residents of Port Ellis.
I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out, hopefully this year. Pick this one up if you enjoy cozy mysteries set in small towns solved by an amateur sleuth.
There is nothing I enjoy more than a mystery written by a female author (in this case, two of them) about a female amateur sleuth solving a murder in a small, Canadian town.
The story centers on Cat Conway, a reporter working for the local paper. Once, Cat worked for a big city paper in Toronto and then as an on air personality for a Toronto-based news television network. That is until she physically attacked a man who verbally harassed her on camera. Cat's backstory is pulled from real life events where on air female reporters were harassed across Canada and the U.S. You can read more about this misogynistic internet trend in this CBC article.
Currently, Cat is working for a small town paper in a small cottage country theater town where she spent summers as a child. As she tries to get her feet under her after losing her job and divorcing her unpleasant husband (who has custody of their 15 year old son), an actor made famous by his performance at the local community theater returns to perform another show in the twilight of his career. When he drops dead under suspicious circumstances, Cat is assigned to write the story.
She learns that there is no shortage of suspects. Honestly, Eliot Fraser is so unpleasant, I would have been in line to kill him if someone hadn't gotten there first. From actors he stole parts from to women he abused and worse, the town is filled with people who will happily celebrate Eliot's death. It's up to Cat to figure out who actually bumped him off.
This is a slow burn mystery that falls into the cozy sub-genre. There's not a lot of blood and gore but definitely some suspense builds as Cat gets closer to finding out who killed Eliot and puts herself in the cross hairs of the killer. Cat's redemption story is also interesting as are the varied and quirky residents of Port Ellis.
I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out, hopefully this year. Pick this one up if you enjoy cozy mysteries set in small towns solved by an amateur sleuth.
January 15, 2025
This was quite a good book!
It was nice to read something set in a Canadian context. It was a little funny to me that the town is named Port Ellis because that is my name, hehe. All the characters are lively, and I quickly became invested in the history and fate of this small town.
The protagonist Cat comes across as clever, knowledgeable and capable. It was refreshing to read about a woman in her 40s (maybe I have been reading too much YA lately).
I liked the feminist plot points/mentions of patriarchy throughout the story. It felt well integrated and often subtle. There was also some great discussion of power and privilege.
It was a compelling murder mystery, and the ending was satisfying.
It was nice to read something set in a Canadian context. It was a little funny to me that the town is named Port Ellis because that is my name, hehe. All the characters are lively, and I quickly became invested in the history and fate of this small town.
The protagonist Cat comes across as clever, knowledgeable and capable. It was refreshing to read about a woman in her 40s (maybe I have been reading too much YA lately).
I liked the feminist plot points/mentions of patriarchy throughout the story. It felt well integrated and often subtle. There was also some great discussion of power and privilege.
It was a compelling murder mystery, and the ending was satisfying.
June 27, 2024
Witty and so much fun to read. Very much looking forward to meeting these characters again in book 2.
January 23, 2024
Cat Conway is back home in Port Ellis, writing for the local newspaper, the Quill and Packet. How did this happen? After years of success in the city, she moved on to TV and then gave in to her feistier instincts…she grabbed a heckler by the neck and used language usually not heard on live TV while trying to strangle him. Now, back in Port Ellis where the big story its the upcoming, star studded (for Port Ellis) performance of Inherit the Wind. Cat interviews aging star Elliot Fraser, the man your mothers warned you about, He’s still at his old tricks but is a shock on opening night when he dramatically dies on stage in front of a horrified audience. His death becomes a major news story and Cat has that last interview but she wants the big story. Who killed Eliot Fraser and why? There are many suspects: a woman who lost business when she refused his advances, a young actor with secrets of his own, a man who is hiding his past…the list goes on. It’s almost too late when Cat realizes she’s playing a role in what could be her own murder.
I hope the Bury the Lead is the first in the new Cat Conway, Quill and Packet series. From the catchy, double meaning title to the surprise conclusion, Bury the Lead has everything. The small town setting is perfect with typical busybodies and local legends. Cat is both funny and intelligent and the supporting characters, especially Amir, Kaydence and Ned, add to the plot. Thank you to Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti! 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, House of Anansi Press Inc. and Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti for this ARC.
I hope the Bury the Lead is the first in the new Cat Conway, Quill and Packet series. From the catchy, double meaning title to the surprise conclusion, Bury the Lead has everything. The small town setting is perfect with typical busybodies and local legends. Cat is both funny and intelligent and the supporting characters, especially Amir, Kaydence and Ned, add to the plot. Thank you to Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti! 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, House of Anansi Press Inc. and Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti for this ARC.
August 6, 2024
Cat Conway has returned to Port Ellis, a town she spent years in during her childhood. Cat has left Toronto and her son after a bad divorce, and her promising tv journalism career in the dirt after an incident that got her fired.
Cat is staying in a small apartment over a swanky restaurant and bar, run by a kind and talented woman named Adeline Chen, who gave Cat a home and the slight kick in the pants she needed when she arrived in town, feeling a little sorry for herself.
Cat is now a reporter at the Port Ellis community newspaper, the “Quill & Packet”. Her fellow journalists are quirky misfits, while her new boss and friend Amir is stressed worrying about keeping the financially strggling paper going.
The story opens with Cat interviewing a famous, elderly actor, Elliott Fraser, in town as lead for a performance of “Inherit the Wind”. Cat quickly gets the sense that he is vain and self-absorbed, and likely handsy.
On opening night, Elliott dies suddenly, and Cat cannot help investigating, particularly as there are plenty of suspects, such as his ex-wife, a fellow actor whose career he ruined, the local baker whose contract with the theatre he forced theatre management to break, and, as Cat begins digging, the many women Elliott abused over many years.
Reporters from all over the world descend on the small town, eager to find a juicy story, and Cat is hard pressed to scoop the others, particularly a former coworker, and lover, who shows up with an offer from her former newspaper boss. Sorely tempted, Cat wonders whether she should return to Toronto and her former print investigative life, or stay and help build the “Quill & Packet”.
I was already very familiar with Elizabeth Renzetti's work from her former column in “The Globe and Mail”, so I was eager to read this book. The pacing is great, and the prose is economical and clever, often inserting wonderfully expressive phrases describing people or situations. The authors conjure just enough of a noir feeling in this fun mystery to make me happy, even while commenting on a number of things such as declining standards in journalism, vanishing periodicals, the difficulties of being a mother while working in a demanding career, rebuilding a life after divorce, white privilege, and the #MeToo movement. This should have made the novel overstuffed, but instead the authors handily balance these with Cat's investigation, keeping me rapidly turning pages.
I liked Cat, who is flawed, sometimes a little too quick to erupt in anger, but is also driven and smart. Of course she figures out who the killer is, and finally comes to a realization about where she wants to live and work. I am eager to read the next “Quill & Packet” mystery!
Thank you to Netgalley and to House of Anansi Press Inc. for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Cat is staying in a small apartment over a swanky restaurant and bar, run by a kind and talented woman named Adeline Chen, who gave Cat a home and the slight kick in the pants she needed when she arrived in town, feeling a little sorry for herself.
Cat is now a reporter at the Port Ellis community newspaper, the “Quill & Packet”. Her fellow journalists are quirky misfits, while her new boss and friend Amir is stressed worrying about keeping the financially strggling paper going.
The story opens with Cat interviewing a famous, elderly actor, Elliott Fraser, in town as lead for a performance of “Inherit the Wind”. Cat quickly gets the sense that he is vain and self-absorbed, and likely handsy.
On opening night, Elliott dies suddenly, and Cat cannot help investigating, particularly as there are plenty of suspects, such as his ex-wife, a fellow actor whose career he ruined, the local baker whose contract with the theatre he forced theatre management to break, and, as Cat begins digging, the many women Elliott abused over many years.
Reporters from all over the world descend on the small town, eager to find a juicy story, and Cat is hard pressed to scoop the others, particularly a former coworker, and lover, who shows up with an offer from her former newspaper boss. Sorely tempted, Cat wonders whether she should return to Toronto and her former print investigative life, or stay and help build the “Quill & Packet”.
I was already very familiar with Elizabeth Renzetti's work from her former column in “The Globe and Mail”, so I was eager to read this book. The pacing is great, and the prose is economical and clever, often inserting wonderfully expressive phrases describing people or situations. The authors conjure just enough of a noir feeling in this fun mystery to make me happy, even while commenting on a number of things such as declining standards in journalism, vanishing periodicals, the difficulties of being a mother while working in a demanding career, rebuilding a life after divorce, white privilege, and the #MeToo movement. This should have made the novel overstuffed, but instead the authors handily balance these with Cat's investigation, keeping me rapidly turning pages.
I liked Cat, who is flawed, sometimes a little too quick to erupt in anger, but is also driven and smart. Of course she figures out who the killer is, and finally comes to a realization about where she wants to live and work. I am eager to read the next “Quill & Packet” mystery!
Thank you to Netgalley and to House of Anansi Press Inc. for this ARC in exchange for my review.
July 20, 2024
A fun and well written cozy mystery by Canadians Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, both of whom have some writing chops, and both of whom live in Toronto.
Cat Conway returns to (fictional) Port Ellis, somewhere in cottage county (think Muskoka) trying to reinvent herself as a journalist with the Quill & Packet, the local newspaper. She is escaping a shattered career, and a bad divorce. Port Ellis is also home to a popular theatre (think Stratford or Shaw) and a very famous actor named Eliot Fraser is starring in the season's opener of Inherit the Wind. Until he winds up dead, on stage, on opening night. Can Cat break the story of who hated Eliot enough to kill him? Apparently Eliot had a number of enemies, and its up to Cat and her team to find out who dunnit.
Butter tarts, cottages, and enough references to actual current events to make this interesting and fun as heck.
I loved this! Cant wait for the next Quill & Packet mystery to be published.
Cat Conway returns to (fictional) Port Ellis, somewhere in cottage county (think Muskoka) trying to reinvent herself as a journalist with the Quill & Packet, the local newspaper. She is escaping a shattered career, and a bad divorce. Port Ellis is also home to a popular theatre (think Stratford or Shaw) and a very famous actor named Eliot Fraser is starring in the season's opener of Inherit the Wind. Until he winds up dead, on stage, on opening night. Can Cat break the story of who hated Eliot enough to kill him? Apparently Eliot had a number of enemies, and its up to Cat and her team to find out who dunnit.
Butter tarts, cottages, and enough references to actual current events to make this interesting and fun as heck.
I loved this! Cant wait for the next Quill & Packet mystery to be published.
March 8, 2025
Originally rated this 4 stars as I thought as a first novel in the series and had more room to grow. However, discussing this book as made me bump it up to 5 stars.
Negatives:
Because this is the first in the series, there was a lot of people, places, and thing backstories. I know its needed, but the first book always feels like it drags. So going into reading this, I was aware it was going to happen and pushed through.
Positives:
Even though I find backstories to be needed but extremely boring, I cannot wait to dive more into the FMC relationship with her son and ex husband. I am so excited to see if the boy joins us in the second book.
There were a lot of sentences where I had to pause and go "hmmm, I never would have thought to put these words that way". The paragraph and sentence structure was sublime and it was lovely to learn some new words along the way.
The ending...... Oh my gosh.... I guess correctly majority of the time right at the beginning who the murderer will be. This book I guessed at 85% of the way through, which shows that the author was really able to keep it a secret without any obvious foreshadowing. It wasn't just the murderer that shocked me. There were other secrets which were revealed that really put the cherry on top of the cake.
All in all a fantastic first novel in the series and I cannot wait to read the next one.
Negatives:
Because this is the first in the series, there was a lot of people, places, and thing backstories. I know its needed, but the first book always feels like it drags. So going into reading this, I was aware it was going to happen and pushed through.
Positives:
Even though I find backstories to be needed but extremely boring, I cannot wait to dive more into the FMC relationship with her son and ex husband. I am so excited to see if the boy joins us in the second book.
There were a lot of sentences where I had to pause and go "hmmm, I never would have thought to put these words that way". The paragraph and sentence structure was sublime and it was lovely to learn some new words along the way.
The ending...... Oh my gosh.... I guess correctly majority of the time right at the beginning who the murderer will be. This book I guessed at 85% of the way through, which shows that the author was really able to keep it a secret without any obvious foreshadowing. It wasn't just the murderer that shocked me. There were other secrets which were revealed that really put the cherry on top of the cake.
All in all a fantastic first novel in the series and I cannot wait to read the next one.
January 3, 2025
3.5 stars rounded down. This was a fun read! Set in a fictional theatre town in Ontario cottage country, it was easy to imagine the setting. The characters and plot were fun, but I would have liked to see more development there.
June 10, 2024
Really enjoyable and I loved the nods to Toronto and surrounding area. Walking the journalist/detective line was a nice thread throughout the storyline. Lots of good character development and I was not sure of the killer amongst them u til the very end. Looking forward to the next Quill & Packet mystery.
August 6, 2024
A nice who dunnit that is an easy read with references to cottage country in Canada. The mystery kept me engaged from start to finish. Did I suspect who the murderer was...maybe...but that still can't stop me from recommending this one
February 13, 2024
Bury the Lead is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series set in Canada. I love the main character, Cat (such a cool name!) and her interactions with her friends & work family as she struggles to make a new life post-divorce. The straight-forward interview with a famous actor (whom everyone hates of course) takes a big jump after he is found dead. The mystery was fast-paced with a satisfying number of suspects and motives. There are plenty of clues (and red herrings) to keep the reader guessing - or at least kept me guessing.
Thanks to #NetGalley and the House of Anansi Press, Inc. for a chance to check out the ARC from authors Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti of #BurytheLead. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Thanks to #NetGalley and the House of Anansi Press, Inc. for a chance to check out the ARC from authors Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti of #BurytheLead. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
February 11, 2025
A totally enjoyable murder mystery.
I actually guessed who did it near the end and am feeling quite clever. (I don’t usually solve mysteries)
I actually guessed who did it near the end and am feeling quite clever. (I don’t usually solve mysteries)
February 7, 2024
DRC from Edelweiss and Spiderline /House of Anansi/Groundwood Books
Cat Conway is back in her hometown after a blow to her career and a failed marriage. Working at the local paper, she is given the job of interviewing one of the national and local theatres' stars, Eliot Fraser. When he winds up dying in the middle of the show, she starts investigating. She finds a history of abused women, town secrets, and betrayed ex-wife. The killer could be anyone. Can Cat figure it out before she is next?
A fun mystery story with great characters. Not quite a cozy mystery, but not hard core either - a nice inbetween.
Cat Conway is back in her hometown after a blow to her career and a failed marriage. Working at the local paper, she is given the job of interviewing one of the national and local theatres' stars, Eliot Fraser. When he winds up dying in the middle of the show, she starts investigating. She finds a history of abused women, town secrets, and betrayed ex-wife. The killer could be anyone. Can Cat figure it out before she is next?
A fun mystery story with great characters. Not quite a cozy mystery, but not hard core either - a nice inbetween.
April 7, 2024
More of a 3.5. This mystery is set in small Ontario, where a journalist escapes to after being fired from her big-city newspaper. Cat Conway, 45, becomes the lead reporter at the small city paper that has big aspirations. She’s a divorced mother trying to connect with an increasingly distant teen son.
She ends up reporting on a murder in the town’s main attraction, a theatre reminiscent of Stratford and the Shaw.
There are the usual tropes — big ego clashes, nefarious doings behind-the-scenes in the theatre, a rich family’s development locals worry will ruin the small town — but they are handled well.
The writing is as good as you would expect from an award-winning former Globe and Mail journalist (Renzetti) and a bestselling fiction writer who also writes non-fiction (Hilton). Clever, funny, well-paced.
This lands in the genre of cosy mystery, easy to devour while lying in a hammock or snuggling under a blanket.
She ends up reporting on a murder in the town’s main attraction, a theatre reminiscent of Stratford and the Shaw.
There are the usual tropes — big ego clashes, nefarious doings behind-the-scenes in the theatre, a rich family’s development locals worry will ruin the small town — but they are handled well.
The writing is as good as you would expect from an award-winning former Globe and Mail journalist (Renzetti) and a bestselling fiction writer who also writes non-fiction (Hilton). Clever, funny, well-paced.
This lands in the genre of cosy mystery, easy to devour while lying in a hammock or snuggling under a blanket.
February 11, 2024
After a slow start, things finally start to pick up once the investigation into the murder, by Cat and the rest of the local paper's editorial team, gets under way. All in all an enjoyable read and the potential start of a new series ....
August 12, 2024
A nice light mystery, in an anonymous small town in Ontario - one of those towns that swells with a summer influx of visitors. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the murderer's reveal, but I was engaged enough to read it over two days.
April 15, 2025
I might have read too many whodunit novels in the past few years because I did figure out this one about halfway through. Still a fun read and interesting characters. Looking forward to the next one in this series.
July 3, 2025
I enjoyed this story. It was fun to have a story set in a small - albeit fictional - Ontario town (as that's where I live) and with characters I related well to.
Main character Cat I found both relatable and likable. She has her issues, but they are the sort that many women can probably also relate to - kids, ex-spouses, balancing work and personal life demands - so she was good as the lead here.
The setting of a small-town newspaper offered lots of fodder for interesting situations and potential for the murder investigation that made sense and was believable.
The murder investigation itself was engaging and interesting and the eventual resolution of who the killer was and why made sense even as it had a bit of a surprise twist with the reveal.
There were a few moments where Cat did TSTL things and I rolled my eyes a bit, but given that this is a cozy-type story that is to be expected and you can't fault the authors too much for that as it's literally what this genre typically has happen.
Overall this was an enjoyable read (really listen as I had this as an audio book from my library and the narrator was very good) and I would consider reading future installments.
Main character Cat I found both relatable and likable. She has her issues, but they are the sort that many women can probably also relate to - kids, ex-spouses, balancing work and personal life demands - so she was good as the lead here.
The setting of a small-town newspaper offered lots of fodder for interesting situations and potential for the murder investigation that made sense and was believable.
The murder investigation itself was engaging and interesting and the eventual resolution of who the killer was and why made sense even as it had a bit of a surprise twist with the reveal.
There were a few moments where Cat did TSTL things and I rolled my eyes a bit, but given that this is a cozy-type story that is to be expected and you can't fault the authors too much for that as it's literally what this genre typically has happen.
Overall this was an enjoyable read (really listen as I had this as an audio book from my library and the narrator was very good) and I would consider reading future installments.
February 6, 2025
3.5 stars. Murder at the theatre in an upscale community far from the big city. At the centre is a lecherous stage legend who drops dead on opening night.
Telling the story is reporter Cat Conway, fired from her TV job after fighting back at a young man who interrupted her live hit with an obscene comment. Conway is picking up the pieces of her life, working at the small paper and wondering why she’s there.
The trend of verbal assaults on female journalists was appallingly popular about a decade ago. That, and a lot of asides here will be well understood by journalists — current or not. This isn’t surprising since the book was co-authored by former Globe and Mail reporter and columnist Elizabeth Renzetti. The book has all the twists and turns that make cosy mysteries popular, plus a few touches that ring very true. Clever and entertaining, it’s a welcome diversion from the current news cycle.
Telling the story is reporter Cat Conway, fired from her TV job after fighting back at a young man who interrupted her live hit with an obscene comment. Conway is picking up the pieces of her life, working at the small paper and wondering why she’s there.
The trend of verbal assaults on female journalists was appallingly popular about a decade ago. That, and a lot of asides here will be well understood by journalists — current or not. This isn’t surprising since the book was co-authored by former Globe and Mail reporter and columnist Elizabeth Renzetti. The book has all the twists and turns that make cosy mysteries popular, plus a few touches that ring very true. Clever and entertaining, it’s a welcome diversion from the current news cycle.
June 22, 2025
I saw the authors give a talk at the library last week and so this caught my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cat Conway moves up to cottage country to escape a bad divorce and an imploded journalism career. There she works for the local newspaper. On opening night at the local playhouse a famous actor gets murdered. As in any good cozy, Cat decides to investigate.
A jolly good romp. Two thumbs way up.
Cat Conway moves up to cottage country to escape a bad divorce and an imploded journalism career. There she works for the local newspaper. On opening night at the local playhouse a famous actor gets murdered. As in any good cozy, Cat decides to investigate.
A jolly good romp. Two thumbs way up.
May 1, 2024
This was a pleasant read, and I enjoyed cottage country setting, but I felt there could have been more tension and better character development; however, this is the first book in a series so I am hopeful that these things will improve in subsequent installments.
July 4, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I always looked forward to reading Elizabeth Renzetti when she wrote for The Globe & Mail, and was sad when she left. Happy to follow her into her new writing!! She and Kate Hilton have written an engaging whodunnit, with a great cast of characters and a well developed plot. The storyline kept me guessing until close to the end. I look forward to reading the next one!
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