Widows and Orphans: A Quill & Packet Mystery, Book 2

A Quill & Packet Mystery #2

by Elizabeth Renzetti, Marnye Young (narrator), Kate Hilton

In Port Ellis, there's no off-season for murder.

Journalist Cat Conway is looking forward to an easy assignment covering a major wellness and self-actualization summit at the Pinerock Resort, featuring Bliss Bondar and Bree Guthrie, creators of the Welcome, Goddess empire and widows with attitude. Cat's mother, Marian Conway, bestselling author and defiantly mediocre parent, is on the agenda—and so is murder.

When one of the influencers turns up dead, suspicion falls on the high-profile guests. Could the killer be a jealous business partner? Or the Instagram-famous poet? The academic who takes vicious aim at the wellness movement? The empowerment guru whose wife hates him? Or Cat's mother, who has a reputation to protect and a shocking secret to hide?

Cat's pulled into investigating another celebrity death, but this time while struggling with the possible demise of her The Quill & Packet is struggling financially, and may be headed toward its final edition. A convoy of protesters, angry at Cat's reporting, has besieged the Quill's newsroom. Can Cat rescue her mother and her newspaper, or will the killer stalking Port Ellis beat her to the deadline?

Genres: Mystery, Canada, Fiction, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Canadian Literature, Ebooks

Audible Audio

Published May 13, 2025

About the author

It all began in a small sod hut on the Prairies .... no, it didn't. It began with my failure to do well in math, which led to journalism school, which led to the Globe and Mail, which led to interviewing dozens (hundreds? it felt that way sometimes) of authors, which led to this run-on sentence that would have caused my first journalism professor to cut off my typing digits.
In short, I was one of those kids whose best friends were fictional characters. I walked into poles regularly because I read as I walked, and I was a better reader than a walker.
Then I was a journalist, first in Toronto and then in Los Angeles and London for the Globe and Mail, sometimes known as the Mope and Pail, Canada's national newspaper. All along, I continued to find ways to interview writers and study their alchemy from up close. How did they manage to turn the dull stuff of everyday life into the gold I read on the page? It seemed like something only a magician could do. It seemed like something I could never do.
Yet somehow I did, and there's a novel with a very bright pink cover to prove it (Based on a True Story, House of Anansi, June 2014).
It's a comedy. Or a tragi-comedy. I wish there were a better way to encapsulate laughter with bitterness, or disappointment, at its core. I wish I could coin such a word, the way Tyra Banks, in her genius, has given the English language "smize" (smile with your eyes.) If anyone has such a neologism at hand, please let me know. In the meanwhile, read. Enjoy. The two should be synonymous.

Reviews

[Karine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful followup to Bury the Lead finds small town reporter Cat Conway covering a wellness conference. Hilton and Renzetti amusingly skewer anti-vax protesters and wellness gurus, but the joy of this cozy mystery series is the relatably well-meaning and beleaguered protagonist. I look forward to her further adventures.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★

This is the second installment in the series that centres journalist Cat Conway who at 45, has returned to the small Ontario holiday town where she spent her summers. Working as a reporter for the local paper, The Quill & Packet, Cat is assigned to cover a major wellness conference taking place at the Pinerock Resort. It should be a stress-free assignment which Cat is looking forward to, given that her last story about the science supporting vaccines has stirred up a hornet's nest and has resulted in the anti-vaccine set picketing The Quill & Packet newsroom. When a suspicious death occurs at the wellness conference however, the story that Cat is assigned to changes to a murder investigation.

I enjoyed this second book a bit better than the first, only because it spends additional time on Cat and her relationship with her mother which helped to flesh out Cat's character. I also enjoy the social commentary. The first in the series spoke to misogyny and the specific challenges women face in both their personal and professional life. This second book deals with the anti-vaccine movement and science deniers.

As a side note, I also enjoyed the quote at the beginning of the book that refers to the title:

In the context of typography, a "widow" refers to a single word or short line of text that appears alone at the bottom of a page or column and is then carried over to the top of the next page or column. An "orphan" is the opposite; it's a single word or short line of text that appears alone at the top of a new page or column, separated from the rest of its paragraph. Both are generally considered undesirable in good typography because they can disrupt the flow of reading and make the layout look messy.

If you're looking to support Canadian authors and enjoy a good mystery, I highly recommend this series.

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN A NUTSHELL
A big improvement on the first book. It has a stronger plot with more interesting characters. Seeing Cat's relationship with her formidable mother brought her character to life. The subtextual and sometimes explicit critique of the 'Wellness' industry and the anti-science cults spreading misinformation on social media gave the book an edgier, more contemporary feel. 

'Widows And Orphans' (2025) is the second book in a new cosy mystery series about Cat Conway, a former Toronto TV journalist who, after a divorce and an on-air incident, has restarted her life working for the Quill and Packet, a print newspaper in a small provincial town in Canada. The first book ‘Bury The Lead’(2024) was an entertaining mystery about a murder in the local theatre. It handled some #MeToo themes quite well and kept my interest in finding out who the killer was but the character of Cat Conway felt a little flat to me. Even so, I pre-ordered the second book 'Widows And Orphans' and I'm glad I did. It seemed to me that Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti got into their stride with this book. The pacing was tighter, the plot was more complicated and the people were fascinating and credible. 

This time, I got inside Cat Conway's head and started to understand her. The story is set at a Wellness conference run by two young widows whose podcast on surviving grief has a huge following. Cat's mother, a celebrity best known for her book on female leadership, is a speaker at the conference. The dynamic between Cat and her mother was fascinating to watch. 

I enjoyed how Hilton and Renzetti wove a critique of the ‘Wellness’ industry, the spread of disinformation, and the anti-science cults into the mystery. Their observations were penetrating, topical, credible and fully integrated into the mystery. I also liked how they played with the widows and orphans theme to display the different ways that family members deal with conflict and tragedy. The mystery stayed cosy in the sense that there was no directly observed blood and gore but this isn't a story that happens in a bubble of niceness and safety. The setting and themes are firmly rooted in the real world and the story is stronger as a consequence.

My wife and I listened to this on a couple of long drives that weren't quite long enough to finish the book so when we arrived home, we listened for another hour or so to see how everything worked out.

I’ll be back for book three whenever it comes out. 

I recommend the audiobook version of 'Widows And Orphans'. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample of Marnye Young's narration. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_5hs...

[mk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew when I read bury the lead that this would be a good series. Book 2 was better than book 1 and that’s how it should be. And i suspect it will only get better and better with each book as these series (set in small towns with a diverse cast of quirky, likeable, and mostly believable characters) tend to do. Also I love that it’s set in a small town in Ontario.

[Jacqueline Langille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably enjoyed this second book in the new, fun, mystery series a bit more than the first, and I didn't figure out whodunit this time! I'll be pre-ordering the next one in this excellent series: interesting characters, vivid settings, and the plot moved along at a pretty good pace.

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Pub Week! Another terrific entry in the well-plotted clever Canadian cozy mystery series, Quill & Packet, starring intrepid and beleaguered reporter Cat Conway. The pace is fast, the dialogue wry, and the surprises are truly surprising. The mystery at the core of the murder is topical and newsworthy, and the characters well-drawn. The developments at the end of the novel reflect what will no doubt be an excellent third novel in this series. Thank you to House of Anansi Press and NetGalley for the DRC.

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DRC was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and appreciative review.

A clever continuation of a Canadian series which manages to make its clever, determined and flawed protagonist - a middle-aged journalist in a small resort town - enormously sympathetic. That alone makes it worth reading but the snarky humor, skewering of the wellness and publishing industries, dissection of mother/daughter relationships, examination of the workplace of a failing newspaper, craziness surrounding public health, media and government is a rich read. And a quick one with the mystery nicely wrapped up with all tangles smoothed out, for now. Way to go!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second Quill & Packet cozy mystery was as strong as the first. I liked that we get to focus more on Cat's relationship with her mother and the world of health influencers when one turns up dead and her mother is the prime suspect. It's great on audio again and I'm excited for what comes next in the series! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Saltygalreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Cat Conway and the staff at the Quill & Packet are back in this second Port Ellis mystery. The Pinerock Resort hosts a wellness summit featuring two internet sensation business partners, and followers flock to Port Ellis to be enlightened by their wisdom. When one of them ends up dead at the bottom of a cliff there are plenty of suspects to choose from, including Cat's own mother, Marian Conway. Cat's investigation is also complicated by the looming threat of the financial demise of the Quill & Packet, along with the presence of local conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers, stirred up by the conference.

Thoughts: I think I enjoyed this second mystery in the series even more than the first one. Cat has hit her stride in Port Ellis and her investigative reporting has made her a target. I loved the periodic zingers that made me laugh out loud and the gentle roasting of the wellness industry. There is an undercurrent of potential romance between Cat and Amir, of which I am a fan. There are also some great twists which I didn't see coming. I love this series - keep them coming!

Huge thanks to House of Anansi and Tandem Global Collective.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Widows and Orphans, book two in the Canadian Quill & Packet cozy mystery series. I thought this one moved a lot quicker than the first (Bury the Lead), and it was fun having the same group of Port Ellis characters running around.

Bliss Bondar and Bree Guthrie have brought their wellness empire to the masses in Port Ellis, at their first annual Welcome Goddess Conference. Everything is going as planned until a body is found at the bottom of a cliff and the secrets start spreading and the accusations start flying.

Cat Conway and the gang of intrepid reporters from the Quill & Packet have their hands full with suspects including the mayor, members of the convoy, anti-vaxxers and Cat's own mother who has a big big secret.

A fun read with lots of Canadian references, eh!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

[Deb Mervold · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise and the characters

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat Conway is looking for a story that will be as big as her last one (in book one), and in the meantime she's covering a major wellness and self-actualization retreat at a local resort. The creators of the Welcome, Goddess empire, Bliss Bondar and Bree Guthrie, are both present.

This is not her preferred assignment, and to make things even more uncomfortable for Cat, her mother Marian Conway, bestselling author, is one of the presenters.

When an influencer is murdered, everyone looks to the high profile guests, as there are secrets and jealousies aplenty. What does concern Cat greatly is that her mother may be implicated.

Cat naturally begins investigating, even while the Quill & Packet newspaper is struggling financially, and likely will be closed soon. There are also lots of people protesting Cat's analysis of the movement and high profile presenters.

This book moves fast, but despite its speed, the author take the time to show us the dysfunction of Cat's and her mother's relationship, and also dive deeper into Cat's motivations and behaviours; of course both are driven women and whose professional statuses are successes are important to them, at the expense of their relationships.

At the same time, we get a critique of the wellness industry, its charlatans, and its manipulation of people through bunk science and lies.

I enjoyed this mystery and really hope there are more Quill & Packet novels on the horizon.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

not awful, not great.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

pleasant mystery that included an enjoyed roasting of the wellness industry, some twists including Cat Conway's Mom Marian, her new found sister Debbie and a touch of possible romantic relationship between Cat her boss Amir.
Favourite lines: "She was unfailingly polite and reasonable, and although young, she had the extra-ordinary competent air of someone who would be useful to know someday." (104). "Wellness: the idea that people felt they were broken inside, and they needed yoga with puppies and cold plunges and sound healing and expensive supplements made from grass to heal themselves" (123).
"That was Port Ellis for you: many toiled so that some could be idle" (163) "The day felt like an escalating joke with no punch line in sight. I wanted to jump into the nearest lake and float away from all the drama and pain and struggle and uncertainty." (279). "What can't be cured must be endured" (283). "It was my escape, my way of existing as a real human person in the world beyond my family roles" (284). "Healing may be a matter of time, but it's also a choice, one that too many people won't make." (333).

[Margo Allore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist Cat Conway, works for the Quill and Packet, a struggling local newspaper in (I believe in a small city in central Ontario). She is to cover a wellness and self-actualization summit featuring the two creators of Wellness, Goddess Empire. Also at this conference presenting is Cat's mother, a writer who is well-regarded, but with whom Cat has a fraught relationship with.

Shortly after the conference starts, Bliss Bonder, one of the founders of Wellness, Goddess Empire, is found dead and murder is suspected. This leads Cat to explore this.

There are many stories within this novel: the struggling newspaper, the corrupt local mayor, the conflict with the two creators of Wellness, Goddess Empire, the local protestors against vaccines, the horrifying secret that Cat's mother has, Cat's own past.

Sometimes I found the side stories were a bit too much. Not really a realistic murder story, but a good fun quick read.

[Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having reviewed the first book in the series, Bury the Lead, I was excited to return to Port Ellis. This sequel, Widows and Orphans, raises the stakes and deepens the emotional core.

Widows and Orphans, the second installment of the Quill & Packet mystery series, is a sharp step up from the first. The plot is tighter, the mystery more layered, and the stakes, both personal and professional, are deeply felt. The story cleverly folds in current issues like influencer culture, media ethics, and the politics of public opinion, all while grounding us in the warm, chaotic newsroom of Port Ellis.

Maryne Young picks up much better in this one, and the connection to all of the characters in the audiobook is instant. I especially loved how Cat’s relationships deepened with all of her family members, and with the staff at the Quill & Packet. The connection she is building with Amir is handled with subtlety and warmth, adding emotional depth without overwhelming the plot.

While the mystery kept me hooked, it’s the characters and their connections that lingered. Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti have brought more soul to this sequel. They reveal that a mystery isn’t just about who did it. It’s also about who we are to each other when everything’s on the line.

💬 Loved this one as much as I did? Let’s chat!
Drop a comment with your thoughts on Widows and Orphans, your favorite character, or what you think might be next for Cat and the Quill & Packet crew.
📚 Want more reviews like this? Visit my blog: Views She Writes

[Jocelyn Lockyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the earlier Renzetti/Hilton Quill & Packet Mystery. This is a cozy read that is fun to read at the beach or on a rainy/snowy day. I had just finished reading Empire of Pain (Sackler family story) and Careless People (Facebook story) so needed a lighter book. I must say that while the characters were not as manipulative and mean as the ones in the other two books, there were similarities.
Do read the book. It captures the life of a middle aged female extremely well, also tensions between mother/daughter which can persist for decades into middle and older ages, and the mystery is fun.

[Joanne Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rollicking new mystery, the second in the Quill and Packet series by Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, centres on the wellness industry, featuring quacks and serious players, with small-town reporter Cat Conway in the middle of the action. While covering a conference at the fancy resort in the fictional Tri-Lake area in cottage country, she encounters a variety of characters, from feuding divas at the top of the empire, to the anti-vaxxers and freedom fighters encamped outside of town, with a murder mixed in. Sharp-witted and irreverent, this book has lots of surprises and plot-twists to keep you reading till the end.

[Coca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

This was a fun "small town murder mystery."

The story revolves around journalist for the "Quill & Packet" Newspaper, Cat Conway. She's covering a wellness convention in her town when one of the presenters is murdered and Cat being the type to dig into stories sets about conducting her own investigation.

Shenanigans ensue.

I enjoy these types of stories as little pallet cleansers. The characters usually are engaging and funny but not too deep, and the plot is usually low stakes-ish. I kind of think of them like "what if the Hallmark channel made a murder mystery?"

[NM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, although at times it brought up my anxiety about the wellness and freedom of speech doublespeak that we are witnessing these days. I loved the setting of the story - living not far from the lovely forests and lakes in Ontario.

I haven’t read the first installment of the Quill and Packet, but it didn’t make a difference understanding the plot. I’m going to put it on my “to read” list and hope that there will be a sequel to Widows and Orphans, as well.

Thanks Kate and Elizabeth.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book from this talented pair of authors is well done. Cat Conway is still reporting for the Quill and Packet, the Port Ellis newspaper. When she assigned to cover a Wellness and self actualization conference it should be an easy assignment. When one of the two influencers is found dead, she is back into murider investigation. Who killed Bliss Bondar and why? I never guessed who committed the crime.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negative 5 stars .utterl trainwreck every liberal/woke . " Uber modern " feminist trope nonesense , made this female's brain want to strangle me so I quit reading .

No clue who those geniuses on the cover are claiming there's humor and wit in it ..they had to be reading another book .

Ps i really need to ck authors bios . If I had w this one 1 having two writers 1st red flag 2 reading their ideology / background 2nd red ag..never would taken it out of the library .

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of current issues happening here, the demise of print journalism, the wellness industry, podcasting, anti-vaxers. Thankfully there is enough snarky humour to break up all these serious themes! Oh yeah, and a murder to solve!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book in an evening?
Snappy storytelling, a super relevant issue, and some parts that made me giggle.
I really really liked this book and would love to read more about Cat Conway’s adventures.

[Jodie Siu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some whodunits written by "famous" people are not very good - they seem to simply trade on name recognition only... I loved reading Elizabeth Renzetti in the Globe and Mail and she and Kate Hilton have done a marvelous job together. Good characters, a fun plot: this book is a good time.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist Cat Conway is sent to report on a wellness conference for her struggling local paper. An easy assignment goes sideways when one of the influencers dies, and her mother is accused of the murder.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to admire my mother’s ability to twist reality to her will. To shape it through sheer determination…Though, in my experience, reality had a way of catching up with you whether you liked it or not.”

[Kbeckermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a brilliant mystery, but this is a good quick read mystery.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punny and witty, this return to Port Ellis is entertaining and a fun read. It involves the death of one of a duo of "influencers" and lots of small-town politics.