Lightning Strikes the Silence: A Lane Winslow Mystery

Lane Winslow #11

by Iona Whishaw

Beginning with a bang, the latest mystery in the series Publishers Weekly calls “highly entertaining” is a study in bygone promises and lingering prejudice.

A warm June afternoon in King’s Cove is interrupted by an explosion. Following the sound, Lane goes to investigate. Up a steep path she discovers a secluded cabin and, hiding nearby, a young Japanese girl injured and mute, but very much alive.

At the Nelson Police Station, Inspector Darling and Sergeant Ames, following up on a report of a nighttime heist at the local jeweller’s, discover the jeweller himself dead in his office, apparently bludgeoned, and a live wire hanging off the back of the building.

As Lane attempts to speed the search for the girl’s family with her own lines of inquiry, Darling and his team dig deeper into a local connection between the jeweller and a fellow businessman that leads across the pond to Cornwall and north to a mining interest on the McKenzie River. Away at her police course in Vancouver, Sergeant Terrell’s favourite (former) waitress April McAvity is drawn into the case when Darling asks for her help with finding possible relatives in the city for Lane’s young charge.

Meanwhile offices are being ransacked and someone is following Lane. Through the alleyways of Nelson onto the country roads and woods trails of King’s Cove, the latest Winslow mystery is a study in bygone promises and lingering prejudice.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Canada, Audiobook, Fiction, Historical, Cozy Mystery

497 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

Iona Whishaw has been a youth worker, social worker, teacher and an award winning High School Principal, who continued with her writing throughout her working life. Receiving her Masters in Creative writing from UBC, Iona has published short fiction, poetry, poetry translation and one children's book, Henry and the Cow Problem. The Lane Winslow mystery series is her first foray into adult fiction.

Iona was born in Kimberley BC, but grew up in a number of different places, including a small community on Kootenay Lake, as well as Mexico and Central America, and the US because of her father's geological work. She took a degree in history and education from Antioch College, and subsequent degrees in Writing at UBC and pedagogy at Simon Fraser University. Her own writing output took a brief back seat during her teaching career, but she shared her passion for writing by nurturing a love of writing in the students in English, Creative Writing, and Spanish classes. During the course of her career as a Principal in Vancouver she was awarded the Woman of Distinction in Education by the YWCA in 2010 and a Canada's Outstanding Principals award in 2012.

Her hobbies have included dance, painting, reading, and gardening. She currently is a vocalist for a small Balkan dance band in Vancouver, and is patiently waiting for her next opportunity to engage in her current pash, long distance, cross country rambling in England.

She is married, has one son and two grandsons, and lives in Vancouver with her artist husband, Terry Miller.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery from Iona Whishaw! This time the story integrates Canada's internment of Japanese people during WWII. As usual, Whishaw adeptly takes us backwards in time and to different places. Characters are well defined, especially our regular Kings Cove people - at this point the reader really feels a sense of community and place.

[Tiffany E-P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this series just gets better with time. This one was very well done. The internment camps that happened in Canada and the US during WWII and even in other places at other times were a disgrace. Raising awareness of them and acknowledging the horror is the least we can do.

[Sandy Sonnenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly good read!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, #lightningstrikesthesilence, was my first Lane Winslow read
(@ionawhishawauthor), and I adored it. Loved the setting, the characters...the mystery was top-notch, too. In fact, I loved it so much, I went right out and bought the first book in the series. VERY very well done. Even though this book is in the 11th in the series, you don't have to read the others.

p.s. thanks to #edelweiss for the ARC.

[David]

This one tears along at a terrific pace, examining for its historical foundation the treatment of the Japanese in Canada during World War II. Family and the influence of the past continue to be in the foreground. Whishaw has great fun suddenly giving us a new Robin Harris after ten previous volumes in which he seems nothing but an old curmudgeon. Lots of things happening in the ongoing backstory as well, including April's police training, and Ames's purchase of jewellery--neither story finished, just bubbling away in the background.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always fun to return to beautiful Nelson, BC, and see what Inspector Darling and Lane Winslow are up to.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved returning to the familiar characters of King's Cove and another Lane Winslow mystery. In this book, post WWII, the matter of how Japanese Canadians were treated is blended into the story. And now that inspector Darling and Lane are married, it is amusing for them to watch the blossoming romance of junior's on the force! And crusty old Mr. Harris is quite transformed by a little girl much to everyone's astonishment.

[Deb Mervold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this canadian series. I look forward to the next book.

[Megan Reynolds]

These books keep getting better. I've enjoyed every book of the Lane Winslow mysteries, and will be starting the next one shortly. I hope the author continues on with this series.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I love this series.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 18/52 for 2025. I've discovered this unexpected gem of a mystery novel and it has it all! The main character Lane Winslow is a fantastic, strong, intelligent and creative lead character. The story setting in Nelson (real)/Kings Cove (fictional) BC is suburb. The historical context and discussion of the atrocities of the Canadian government against Japanese Canadians and the Doukhobora was fascinating. I'll definitely be reading more from the series.

[Srbwill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Lane Winslow Mystery from Iona! This book I found a bit harder to break into, but after the first handful of ‘foundation’ chapters, I was hooked.
I always love the true history brought into the fictional mysteries in and around Nelson.
Already looking forward to the next one!

[Ruth Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy to listen to another great historical mystery in the Lane Winslow series.

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition of the Lane & Darling show delves into the darker side of Canadian history; the internment of Japanese civilians and their subsequent mistreatment by both the government and ordinary Canadians. It is hard to reconcile this land of the free, my home, indiscriminately judged an entire race based on the actions of a foreign government. I know our government has apologized & acknowledged their failure, have read other accounts of this dark time, and commend Wishaw for not ignoring this in her storyline.

All the characters we have come to love move through another excellent mystery that makes me excited for the yet not published next installment.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Stronger addition to the series, but same critique - this series is set in the middle of the 20th century but the characters have a 21st century mindset. It disrupts the flow of the story and can be annoying. Otherwise, I do like the characters she's created and the growth they exhibit. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, give it a try.

[Elizabeth G. Dole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of the Lane Winslow series. I seldom give 5 stars but found this one to be very engaging. The description of a child's recovery from trauma created an additional tension to the mystery.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do enjoy reading these books.
I like all the characters and would move to Kings Cove in a heartbeat. The location of these stories is near Nelson B.C. Kings Cove is a little community near a lake and in the mountains. It is very idyllic and has some of the loveliest people.
Lane Winslow settled there after WWII in about 1945. She has relocated there from England. She is now married to the intrepid Police Chief F. Darling. Lane is well known for finding bodies and her husband as he leaves for work everyday asks her not to find any bodies. It would not be a Lane Winslow story if she did not find a body.
In this story she finds the body of a Japanese woman deep in the bush after there has been a big explosion. This story is based on a true story about Japanese bombs that were sent across the Pacific via balloons between 1944 and 45. They estimate about 300 reached here. One exploded in Oregon killing a family of 5. Eight of these bombs were found in Saskatchewan. There may still be some out there deep in the bush in B.C.
As Lane finds the body of the dead Japanese woman and an injured little girl her husband Police Chief Darling finds the body of the town jewelry store owner in Nelson B.C.
All the same characters are back. The lovely people of Kings Cove who come together to help the injured little girl. Police Sargent Ames and Constable Tyrell who work hard to help solve the murder of the store owner. April MacAvity who has gone to Vancouver to study to be a police officer even though in this time no one really thinks women should be doing a “man’s job”.
Iona Whishaw talks about how women were treated after the war and the discrimination they had to deal with. In this story she also dealt with the issue of the Japanese Canadians being sent to internment camps and losing their property because of the war.
She is not very hard hitting on these topics, but she does point out how wrong this thinking is.
I like this series because Lane Winslow is very independent, she has found a great place to live, and a man that any right-thinking woman would want. She has some financial independence because of her family, she is a thinker. Also, I like this series because of the banter between Lane and her husband.
I am all caught up on this series, so I hope there is a book 12 in the works.

[hjreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

At least, he thought, pushing open the station door, Lane had not found someone dead. That had been her usual practice. But a strange girl in an explosion in the mountains above King's Cove-that was going to be a story, he knew.

The idyllic inlet of King's Cove is rocked by a loud resounding noise that sounds too much like a bomb. But it couldn't be, right? Lane Winslow, a former WWII agent, remembers the sounds of war all too often. Taking it upon herself to investigate and ensure the safety of a now orphaned Japanese girl, she starts down a path of greed, hatred, and prejudice. With the Mounties warning her away, Canadian intelligence being vague, members of a political group seemingly wrongly imprisoned, and someone following her - Lane is trying her best to achieve peace for King's Cove and a child in need. Lane and Darling can both feel something more sinister simmering to the surface. Can they catch the culprit before it's too late?

Another incredible installment in the Lane Winslow series! I loved learning about the government's attitude and policies towards Japanese-Canadians as part of the War Measures Act. That even AFTER being forced to leave their homes and businesses behind, they were not welcome to come back to certain parts of Canada - despite being citizens. As a Canadian myself, I can't remember really learning about this shameful part of our history. It was just a couple sentences in a textbook. Searching online, I saw that the government formally apologized for the acts committed against Japanese Canadians in 1988, about 40ish years after the internment began.

Love the setting, makes me want to move to BC. Absolutely loved the community of King's Cove rallying behind a child need, despite not looking like the rest of the community.

Looking forward to seeing these lovely characters again in the next book!

More info on the history of Japanese Canadians here:
Canadian Encyclopedia - https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.c....

News reel on the government's apology: Apology to Japanese Canadians 1988 - https://youtu.be/fxVZtQULIMQ?si=BXBj1...

[Robyn Roscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 11 in the Lane Winslow series continues the excellent and engaging stories we’ve come to enjoy, with its usual cast of delightful characters. It’s hard to believe that barely three years has passed since Lane first arrived in King’s Cove, as so much has happened to her and around her.

It is June 1948, and Lane and Darling are living peacefully and happily after nine-ish months of marriage. The peace is shattered by an explosion from the mountain about the sleepy community, and by a robbery and murder in downtown Nelson. Lane and Darling respectively investigate each situation, and the mysteries and puzzles abound.

As always, Whishaw uses the story to explore a bit of Canadian history, this time about the internment of Japanese Canadians during WWII, and their ongoing disenfranchisement in the years following. This history and the prejudices surrounding it become central to the plot, and while Whishaw draws these out well, there is a bit more exposition by the main characters than is strictly necessary, making the commentary about this “shameful” history a bit more heavy-handed than in her past books. Here, history provides colour but also critique, which is perhaps intrusive to the story.

Regardless, the book is as wonderful as the others in the series. I was disappointed that the stories of Ames (and Tina) and Terrell (and April) did not advance a bit more, despite the wonderful pieces about April’s time at police academy in Vancouver and the hints about Ames and jewellery. But perhaps those are teasers for the next installment – who knows what the summer of 1948 will bring to King’s Cove. Or perhaps there’s a spin-off series in mind? The separation of the stories worked very well in A Match Made for Murder, and fairly well in To Track a Traitor.

I found the last two books a bit less well done, but with Lightning, Whishaw returns to excellent form. And the stage is well set for future stories. Yay!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

An explosion sounds high in the hills and Lane decides to investigate. Along with the Hughes sisters, they climb up the hillside. There they find a young Japanese girl who has burns and an obvious leg fracture. After they carry her down the hillside and Lane drives her to the hospital, she returns to do a further investigation. Back up at the site, she comes across a young Japanese woman who, it appears died from the same explosion. When Lane reports the scene to the RCMP, they firmly tell her to leave the investigation to them and not to return to the site.

Darling is busy with a homicide in Nelson, the local jeweler was found dead at his desk but his wife insists he had already left for Vancouver. Darling, Ames and Terrell follow the leads but solving the crime continually eludes them.

Meanwhile, Lane can't help but continue investigating the origin of the bomb that caused the explosion even though the RCMP were extremely blunt with their instructions. She visits the young girl in the hospital every day and hopes she will finally start speaking. She hasn't spoken since they found her.

Another great book in the series. I love the characters and I appreciate all the historical facts the author weaves into the story; Doukhobor Freedom Fighters, Japanese balloon bombs, Japanese internment during WWII and the anti Japanese movement following plus the common belief at that time that women belonged in the home, not in the workforce and the general belief that women's involvement during WWII was minor. Great job!

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to the Lane Winslow mystery series by Iona Whishaw. This book focuses on the aftermath of Japanese internment during World War II in Canada. Winslow is a worthy protagonist. Her wartime background in England included unspecified work for the government, and in Canada she unofficially assists her police chief husband with investigations. The book starts with a literal bang, a mystery explosion in a remote area near King's Cove, Winslow's home. When Winslow goes to investigate, she finds an injured Japanese girl who needs medical help. How did she come to be in such a remote area by herself?

The amateur sleuth is off and running, displeasing the Mounties and riling other government officials, including her husband. When she finds a body, presumably that of the young girl's mother, the story takes the first of its many true-to-life turns.

The history is solid. It includes mentions of a Doukhobor separatist sect that had immigrated from Russia and lingering anti-Japanese sentiment after the end of the war. I appreciate the author's work to get the details right, though references to "foolscap" and "plimsolls" seemed more strategic than natural.

I'm on the fence about whether to pursue other titles in the 13-book series. A quick read, all things considered.

[Cybercrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

AGAIN, no e-book listed. But that's all I read these days. So why are they never listed?

Apparently this will be the last book in the series, and I'm going to miss it a lot. Really liked all the regular characters. The location was spectacular and described fully and well.

This particular plot had much to do with the internment of the Japanese during WWII. On top of the horrible internment, men and their families were separated, the sale or gifting of all their property, homes and businesses to others which left them destitute when they were released, Vancouver would not allow them back in the city for years after the war. Canadians obviously aren't always nice.
Anyway, several people are murdered (not gory) and a young Japanese girl is found a few feet from a bomb that exploded way up the mountain. She is burned and battered and mute. A day later Lane finds the girl's mother, killed by the same bomb.
There are the murders and soon it becomes obvious that whoever the murderer is, is really trying to get at the child, and I won't tell any more and spoil it for any other fans.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series by Vancouver author Iona Wishaw. Wishaw's heroine is Lane Winslow, a woman who worked as an intelligence officer for the British Government during World War Two, and has come to live in a rural area of British Columbia, hoping for a quiet life. However, adventure has a way of finding her and she becomes involved in investigating murders and other crimes. In this story, there is an explosion nearby and on investigation, she finds an injured Japanese girl who does not speak. Winslow gets her to hospital and begins to try to find her family. This leads her to locate other Japanese people in Vancouver, and to find possible relatives in the UK. In the meantime, her husband, Inspector Darling is looking for the perpetrator of a murder/robbery which seems to have ties to a local family and another family in England. A very good read.

[Valeria Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whishaw writes such great series. I hate that I have to wait until next year for the next installment. Whishaw takes her time and the patience she takes and the background work she does shines through. It is 19948 but the effects of WWII continue to have a significant impact and the prejudices, especially against the Japanese, continue. I did not know that people of Japanese descent were interred in Canada as they were here in the US.
Lightning is a mystery on top of a mystery on top of a mystery. Trust Lane and Darling to get to the bottom of everything, with many mishaps and revelations along the way. their lovely relationship continues apace. All is well in the town of Nelson, B.C. with Lane and Darling watching over it all.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. It sheds light on an ugly part of Canadian history during WWII (and after) when it incarcerated Japanese Canadians and robbed them of their livelihoods and dignity. Personalizing the story serves to educate the reader without lecturing or talking down to us. Iona Whishaw's story are such a delight to read. I love her kind and courageous heroine and all of the denizens of King's Cove. I recently heard an interview with Ms. Whishaw on CBC and was delighted to learn that she's hard at work on book #12, which apparently will be set in Mexico. Looking forward to reading it!

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hard-pressed to imagine a way in which this novel could be improved. The characters are easily identifiable (which is not always the case with some mysteries), the plot is complex yet not so intricate that I couldn't set my mind to calculating the solution, the setting is one with which I am very familiar, and the wartime history describing the treatment of Japanese-Canadians was done with a light yet sympathetic touch. And throughout, there are hints that women's struggle for equality has taken a leap forward since the end of the Second World War, although they still have a long way to go. Highly recommended.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

1948, British Columbia. Another excellent book in this always excellent series. When Lane and her neighbors find an injured Oriental child after an explosion up the hill from their homes, they have no idea where it will lead. Meanwhile, Lane's husband, Inspector Darling has a murder case on his hands, when the local jeweller is found dead in his office, and his store ransacked. Who killed him and what were they looking for? And who is the child and what was she doing in the wilderness? These are only part of a very convoluted and thought-provoking mystery. Occasional flashbacks provide clues to the reader. Recommended.

[™ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one but not as much as the previous one - the criminal was so obvious and it really annoyed me that they didn’t look at the will sooner 😭😭😭 that’s all I could think until they did!!! Also the fact that they didn’t see the bomb before didn’t make any sense - if it was so close to their house, how come they didn’t accidentally trigger it years before?

I did appreciate the additional history about the Japanese internment camps in Canada - it’s genuinely criminal that people were kicked out and then weren’t allowed to return and I didn’t know this before

[Jennybeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has become such a comfort to me -- I love the characters so much, and I love how they buck against the traditions that surround them. I have to admit that there are some things that happen in this installment that strain a certain amount of belief, but I don't really care. It's a solid mystery, great storytelling, and we get to spend more time with Lane and Inspector Darling in King's Cove. Wonderful!

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

[Beckster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy a lot of books that are written in a series, and this series is no exception. I find this series quiety interesting as I usually learn history of the time period, and I find most of the characters very endearing, which is comforting. This book is no exception. I enjoyed it, and recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction. As well as Three Pines, I would like to visit King's Cove.