A Murder of Prose

by Scott Charlton Paul

440 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

Scott writes gritty, atmospheric mysteries set in Southern Alberta, drawing from his experience as a foreign correspondent and Federal Crown prosecutor.
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Scott is a founding member of the Alexandra Writers Centre chapter in Lethbridge and was a juror in the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in 2023.
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When not writing, you will find him hiking in the Rockies, walking a pilgrimage trail in Europe, or travelling across Canada with his wife in their vintage Westfalia van named Finn.

https://www.scottpaul.ca

Reviews

[Donna Glawson]

I enjoyed reading every single page of this book. I hope Scott writes another murder mystery. This book caught my attention right from the beginning. I didn’t have a clue as to who the Crow Killer was until the very end, and it really surprised me. I certainly look forward to reading more books from this author.

[Canadian Mystery]

Scott Charlton Paul’s A Murder of Prose is a crime novel with literary aspirations—a murder mystery set not in the seedy underbelly of a city, but in its libraries, classrooms, and creative-writing circles. The result is an unusual hybrid: part procedural, part meditation on language, ego, and the blurred line between fiction and confession.

The story follows Samuel Rigondeaux, a precise, solitary reference librarian in Lethbridge, Alberta, whose quiet life is upended when members of his writing group begin dying in grotesquely symbolic ways. Teaming up with Flagstaff, a former RCMP officer turned homeless wanderer, Samuel becomes an unlikely sleuth, drawn into a web of rivalries, plagiarism, and buried guilt. The murders themselves are theatrical—staged with literary clues that feel ripped from the victims’ own manuscripts—and Paul uses that conceit to explore the darker side of artistic ambition.

Paul’s prose is crisp and observational. He writes about libraries and classrooms with affection and authority, giving the book an authenticity rare in genre fiction. The sense of place—Lethbridge’s coulees, prairie winds, and late-autumn skies—is rendered with quiet precision. You can feel the chill of the stacks, the hum of fluorescent light, the loneliness of people who read to escape themselves.

What keeps A Murder of Prose from ascending to greatness is its uneven rhythm. The novel toggles between procedural tension and philosophical rumination, and while both are interesting, the transitions can feel abrupt. Some scenes of investigation are taut and engaging; others sag under the weight of self-conscious reflection. Samuel, though likeable, remains emotionally opaque—his inner life more narrated than felt.

Still, Paul’s ambition deserves credit. He’s less interested in the spectacle of murder than in the psychology of those drawn to stories, and to the lies they tell about themselves. The recurring imagery of crows, feathers, and manuscripts lends the book a mythic undertone, as though the city itself is watching, keeping score.

The climax ties its threads with efficiency if not surprise. Yet even as the killer is unmasked, what lingers is the novel’s quiet melancholy—a sense that writing, like crime, leaves stains that can’t quite be scrubbed clean.

My Humble Opinion: A Murder of Prose is a thoughtful, slightly uneven debut that values introspection over adrenaline. Scott Charlton Paul has written a mystery for readers who love books about books—where the sharpest weapons are words themselves.

[Peyton]

As an independently published book, this one could have benefited from an editor. Also, in the acknowledgments SCP shows that he did a lot of research for the book, except in consulting with library staff, which is probably why there are so many mistakes. A lot of the descriptions felt off, like someone using a thesaurus without actually understanding the meaning of the word in relation to the sentence. I really struggled when I started reading this book, but it did get better over time. I didn’t really like any of the characters. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be Flagstaff. Dirty Brian was loathsome, which I know is intentional, but odd since he’s the main police presence in a mystery series.

The cover has a crow and a raven. I’m not sure if that is deliberate, but as a “Two Crows Mystery”, it would make more sense to have two crows.

[Jaime]

A Murder of Prose was such a fun read! The cast of characters was diverse and I found myself really rooting for some of them. I really enjoyed reading about the different characters traits and how their relationships developed. I'm a big fan of murder mysteries and this one didn't disappoint. Scott had me guessing until the very end! I could not put this book down as I needed to know who The Crow Killer was. Definitely didn't see that ending coming! I really hope that there is a future for "Two Crows Investigations" and there is another case in Samuel and Flagstaff's future.

This is the second Scott Charlton Paul book I have read. They are both well researched and written. I would recommend if you enjoyed a Murder of Prose to pick up his earlier work "The Sunbeam Room."

[Precious]

Entertaining! The mystery hooks you and the characters keep you reading. A cozy read that creatively plays with tension and symbolism. As with most mystery readers, I can't help but constantly guess who the culprit is from the first page. My search field was narrow but not definite, which I enjoyed. But with every page, knowing who exactly it was became less important as going along for a ride with the gang of misfits. As I got closer to the end, I kept thinking I'd love to know even more about these characters, perhaps in the next book. As it turns out, a second book IS coming out! Yay!

[Scott Warris]

Who can resist a serial killer who's part of a book club that meets in an independent bookstore? Certainly I couldn't and I am glad I picked up Scott's first Murder Mystery novel. Plenty of twists and turns that had me guessing (wrong) and re-guessing (still wrong), from the very beginning. A great fun whodunnit ride with some weird and wonderful (and a few relatable) characters including the introduction of an unlikely crime solving pair that I suspect will be with us for a number of books into the future. Well worth the time and effort and the five stars.

[Erin McDougall]

I really enjoyed A Murder of Prose by Scott Charlton Paul. The characters are engaging and fully formed, and their relationships are well developed. Getting to the reveal was a clever, twisty ride that kept me guessing. The author writes with specific details of Lethbridge, a beautiful, windy, southern Alberta city with a darker underbelly than meets the eye, and a great setting for this cozy, Canadian mystery novel. Looking forward to the next chapter of the Two Crows mystery series.

[Marie]

He got me! I was feeling pretty confident, and maybe a little smug, that I had the identity of the murderer figured out in this novel. I was solidly knocked down a few pegs as the truth became clear. This is a very compelling read. I love the author's writing style! I'm looking forward to Scott's next book!

[K]

I enjoyed this book! The local setting was so much fun to read about. It's clear the author is intimately familiar with the city, with distinct references to landmarks and local terminology throughout. The identity of the killer was a surprise, which was great. It seems like the author did a good job consulting experts and researching to ensure accuracy. There was a diverse range of characters and the author made sure they all had distinct personalities. I'm looking forward to future books in this series!

I enjoyed the Canadian spelling, but I was surprised by the editorial errors that made it through despite the involvement of multiple beta readers and an editor.

(Note: I went out of my way to purchase this from a local retailer, so I was really disappointed to see that the book was manufactured by Amazon.)

[Christie Thacker]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Initially I purchased it because I love a good mystery and live in Lethbridge. I was entirely swept away(or is it blown by the wind) by the story.

Well written characters, intriguing storyline and an ending I didn't see coming.

I hope the author makes a series.

[MBC]

A highly original premise with fascinating characters and snappy dialogue. I guessed wrong, which is the mark of a good mystery. You will enjoy this book if you are a mystery/thriller fan.