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Crime Writers of Canada Presents: A Capital Mystery
A CAPITAL MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY is presented by THE CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA and features 21 talented mystery authors. Edited by Bernadette Cox and Mike Martin (award-winning and bestselling author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series) with an introduction by bestselling author Ron Corbett (Yakabuski Mystery Series and Danny Barrett Mystery Series)
“Compelling stories that pull you into Ottawa's shadows. A tour de force of mystery and suspense." Rick Mofina Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, bestselling author.
An heiress befriends a saleswoman at Ogilvy’s department store in 1955. They fall in love with the same man. What could go wrong?
An unknown assailant is terrorizing the quiet suburban neighbourhood of Riverside South. Can a young boy succeed where the adults have failed and put an end to the reign of terror?
An upmarket restaurant in downtown Ottawa is plagued by threats from a poison pen. The proprietor, the chef and a former vice cop turned major domo try to fend off disaster while cooking up a side order of romance.
A young artist travels to Bytown in the early 1850s. An employee of the artist’s uncle turns up dead, and the only clue to the killer’s identity seems to be a sketch the artist made near the crime scene. Can this sketch solve the man's murder?
These mysteries, and seventeen more, can be found in A Capital Mystery , an anthology of short stories that span the length, breadth and history of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.
Some of our mysteries are set in modern times, some reach all the way back to Bytown, Ottawa’s original settlement. But what each story features — whatever the setting — is a crime that will leave you wondering, or leave you shocked, or maybe, awake at night wondering if you should read one more.
A Capital Mystery is a book that celebrates the magic, history and most of all — mystery — that is Ottawa.
“Compelling stories that pull you into Ottawa's shadows. A tour de force of mystery and suspense." Rick Mofina Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, bestselling author.
An heiress befriends a saleswoman at Ogilvy’s department store in 1955. They fall in love with the same man. What could go wrong?
An unknown assailant is terrorizing the quiet suburban neighbourhood of Riverside South. Can a young boy succeed where the adults have failed and put an end to the reign of terror?
An upmarket restaurant in downtown Ottawa is plagued by threats from a poison pen. The proprietor, the chef and a former vice cop turned major domo try to fend off disaster while cooking up a side order of romance.
A young artist travels to Bytown in the early 1850s. An employee of the artist’s uncle turns up dead, and the only clue to the killer’s identity seems to be a sketch the artist made near the crime scene. Can this sketch solve the man's murder?
These mysteries, and seventeen more, can be found in A Capital Mystery , an anthology of short stories that span the length, breadth and history of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.
Some of our mysteries are set in modern times, some reach all the way back to Bytown, Ottawa’s original settlement. But what each story features — whatever the setting — is a crime that will leave you wondering, or leave you shocked, or maybe, awake at night wondering if you should read one more.
A Capital Mystery is a book that celebrates the magic, history and most of all — mystery — that is Ottawa.
- GenresMystery
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2025
13 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Mike Martin
117 books22 followersMike Martin is a freelance writer and workplace wellness consultant. He has written and published thousands of articles about workplace issues for magazines and publications in Canada, the United States and New Zealand. He has worked in human resources for over thirty years and has experience both as a senior manager and a union representative. For the past fifteen years he has worked with dozens of small, medium and large organizations in the areas of workplace intervention and conflict management.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2026
I am an Ottawa townie, so this is right up my alley, the stories were quick and fun, coming at the mystery genre from a lot of different angles. I kept going “I know that spot!” Through the whole anthology and that was a treat.
The cover was thin and of lowish quality paper, so this edition is a bit cheaply bound.
Individual stories reviewed below;
Cold Shock - Barbara Fradkin. 4/5. Well told, suspenseful and character driven. I knew someone was ending up in the drink, but who how and why were up in the air until the climactic ending. Packed a lot of character into a short space. Strong opener.
The Sparks Street Sapper -AE Pittman. 2/5. This was a fun but formulaic, Scoobie Doo mystery. A minor crime, two template detectives (a rookie and a veteran, natch) and clues sprinkled throughout the story.
Dead End - Stewart Dudley. 4/5. More a ghost story and morality play than a mystery. Fun twist worked into the ending. Creative idea told a little clumsily but pulled off nicely in the end.
The Incident In Bytown - Nancy Pawelek. 2/5. Short and quippy, not much to it really. A background “girl meets boy at a party and tells a story” frames the narrative. A caught splash of colour at the scene turns out to be the proof needed.
Blind Spot - Katie Tallo. 3/5. Unreliable narrator tells his fantasy story about getting revenge on his bully as a distraction from what he thinks is a diagnosis of upcoming blindness. Kind of a quirky tale, but it does call to light the intensity of kids life. They’re going through intense dramas the adult world remains oblivious to.
Cafe Amore, Adrienne Stevenson. 3/5. Fairly cheesy but short and sweet. A former brothel turns fine dining, a salacious pun-heavy menu sets the tone. The boy gets the girl, the bad guy is caught in the act, all-happy ending.
Intuition, PR Isfeld. 2/5. A bit too mystical for my liking. A woman is abducted by two witch hunters intent or raping and killing her, she turns the tables and escapes.
Cold Shoulder. 3/5. A woman guest (and old flame) needs a place to crash with her two terrible kids. The host and narrator is also just a terrible snob and can’t figure out how to make them leave. He succeeds in the end and carries on with his snobby Manotick life.
The success story. 3/5. It felt like a romance novel for the first half but then flipped the script and reversed the hero/villain roles nicely. One brother does time and comes back to find his sister-in-law has been wronged by his successful jerk of a brother.
The Roaring Lion. 2/5. An old doctored photo sparks an investigation that reveals a dark secret. Pretty unlikely stretch, ten minutes of internet research to crack the case, a reach.
SHOOT. JOE ITALIANO. 4/5. More in my wheelhouse, a story with a villain and a hero, plotting the perfect crime. A lot of forensics, abuse, drug and sex trade. The villain was dastardly and had it coming, the protagonist was conflicted but competent. A good tale.
THE KEY IS IN THE BUTTONS, ANNA DI MEGLIO. 2/5. Cute and cozy was the vibe, but just too short to establish anything. The secrets were silly and unnecessary, though the ending was cathartic.
BETTIN' MAN. JENNIFER JORGENSEN. 3/5. A good setup with tension and anticipation rising by slow increments. The big reveal wouldn’t have fooled anyone in my opinion, but hey. It’s a story.
THE CASE OF DESPERATION, DRUNKENNESS, DEBAUCHERY AND DESPAIR. BERNADETTE HENDRICKX.5/5. Very impressed by B Hendrickx, best story of the anthology so far. Some good elements of a mysterious death, laid out slowly one by one with excellent character work on the protagonist. Great resolution at the end. Every character had a point and an arc, motives and personality rendered in a short span. Very tight writing.
PRESSURE POINT. MADONA SKAFF. 4/5. A solid reverse murder mystery where the clues are laid out building up to the big event and the protagonist stays sympathetic with the murderer throughout. The best laid plans...
CRAZY ABOUT HIM. RUBY URLOCKER. 4/5. Great character work on the protagonist, she was a very real voice and point of view, seemingly self-aware enough to stay out of trouble but just damaged enough not to avoid it when it came. A tragic story of misplaced love.
IMOGEN ST. PIERRE IS DEAD. KATHY MACLELLAN. 3/5. Good characters with an interesting history together then a rift. The sudden opportunity in a bizarre situation gives the protagonist her chance at the perfect crime and she takes it ruthlessly.
NOT ALL POLAR BEARS ARE CREATED EQUAL. ELIZABETH HOSANG. 4/5. An RCMP & Ottawa Police procedural about meth smuggled in tacky pottery. The dog was a fun character in this and there was some action in the end after unraveling a criminal conspiracy. Solid writing and I look forward to more from Elizabeth Hosang.
UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. LIS ANGUS. 4/5. A single scene brought vividly to life with an abusive husband forcing his way back into his wife's life with the intent of dragging her and her daughter back to his control. The conclusion is some wish-fulfillment that we all have about the bully getting what they deserve.
THE GREELY WIDOW'S SECRET. JOANNE WHITE. 3/5. A rural widow calls the police to establish a prowler in the area as a cover for his murder a couple days later.
MASKED HYSTERIA. MAYA VALENZUELA. 5/5
A fun bedtime story about people getting carried away and a suburban panic run amok. The characters were all relatable and typical of Canadian families, the kid was precocious and fun. The dad was tired, the mom was trying to protect everyone and keep things running smoothly.
The cover was thin and of lowish quality paper, so this edition is a bit cheaply bound.
Individual stories reviewed below;
Cold Shock - Barbara Fradkin. 4/5. Well told, suspenseful and character driven. I knew someone was ending up in the drink, but who how and why were up in the air until the climactic ending. Packed a lot of character into a short space. Strong opener.
The Sparks Street Sapper -AE Pittman. 2/5. This was a fun but formulaic, Scoobie Doo mystery. A minor crime, two template detectives (a rookie and a veteran, natch) and clues sprinkled throughout the story.
Dead End - Stewart Dudley. 4/5. More a ghost story and morality play than a mystery. Fun twist worked into the ending. Creative idea told a little clumsily but pulled off nicely in the end.
The Incident In Bytown - Nancy Pawelek. 2/5. Short and quippy, not much to it really. A background “girl meets boy at a party and tells a story” frames the narrative. A caught splash of colour at the scene turns out to be the proof needed.
Blind Spot - Katie Tallo. 3/5. Unreliable narrator tells his fantasy story about getting revenge on his bully as a distraction from what he thinks is a diagnosis of upcoming blindness. Kind of a quirky tale, but it does call to light the intensity of kids life. They’re going through intense dramas the adult world remains oblivious to.
Cafe Amore, Adrienne Stevenson. 3/5. Fairly cheesy but short and sweet. A former brothel turns fine dining, a salacious pun-heavy menu sets the tone. The boy gets the girl, the bad guy is caught in the act, all-happy ending.
Intuition, PR Isfeld. 2/5. A bit too mystical for my liking. A woman is abducted by two witch hunters intent or raping and killing her, she turns the tables and escapes.
Cold Shoulder. 3/5. A woman guest (and old flame) needs a place to crash with her two terrible kids. The host and narrator is also just a terrible snob and can’t figure out how to make them leave. He succeeds in the end and carries on with his snobby Manotick life.
The success story. 3/5. It felt like a romance novel for the first half but then flipped the script and reversed the hero/villain roles nicely. One brother does time and comes back to find his sister-in-law has been wronged by his successful jerk of a brother.
The Roaring Lion. 2/5. An old doctored photo sparks an investigation that reveals a dark secret. Pretty unlikely stretch, ten minutes of internet research to crack the case, a reach.
SHOOT. JOE ITALIANO. 4/5. More in my wheelhouse, a story with a villain and a hero, plotting the perfect crime. A lot of forensics, abuse, drug and sex trade. The villain was dastardly and had it coming, the protagonist was conflicted but competent. A good tale.
THE KEY IS IN THE BUTTONS, ANNA DI MEGLIO. 2/5. Cute and cozy was the vibe, but just too short to establish anything. The secrets were silly and unnecessary, though the ending was cathartic.
BETTIN' MAN. JENNIFER JORGENSEN. 3/5. A good setup with tension and anticipation rising by slow increments. The big reveal wouldn’t have fooled anyone in my opinion, but hey. It’s a story.
THE CASE OF DESPERATION, DRUNKENNESS, DEBAUCHERY AND DESPAIR. BERNADETTE HENDRICKX.5/5. Very impressed by B Hendrickx, best story of the anthology so far. Some good elements of a mysterious death, laid out slowly one by one with excellent character work on the protagonist. Great resolution at the end. Every character had a point and an arc, motives and personality rendered in a short span. Very tight writing.
PRESSURE POINT. MADONA SKAFF. 4/5. A solid reverse murder mystery where the clues are laid out building up to the big event and the protagonist stays sympathetic with the murderer throughout. The best laid plans...
CRAZY ABOUT HIM. RUBY URLOCKER. 4/5. Great character work on the protagonist, she was a very real voice and point of view, seemingly self-aware enough to stay out of trouble but just damaged enough not to avoid it when it came. A tragic story of misplaced love.
IMOGEN ST. PIERRE IS DEAD. KATHY MACLELLAN. 3/5. Good characters with an interesting history together then a rift. The sudden opportunity in a bizarre situation gives the protagonist her chance at the perfect crime and she takes it ruthlessly.
NOT ALL POLAR BEARS ARE CREATED EQUAL. ELIZABETH HOSANG. 4/5. An RCMP & Ottawa Police procedural about meth smuggled in tacky pottery. The dog was a fun character in this and there was some action in the end after unraveling a criminal conspiracy. Solid writing and I look forward to more from Elizabeth Hosang.
UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. LIS ANGUS. 4/5. A single scene brought vividly to life with an abusive husband forcing his way back into his wife's life with the intent of dragging her and her daughter back to his control. The conclusion is some wish-fulfillment that we all have about the bully getting what they deserve.
THE GREELY WIDOW'S SECRET. JOANNE WHITE. 3/5. A rural widow calls the police to establish a prowler in the area as a cover for his murder a couple days later.
MASKED HYSTERIA. MAYA VALENZUELA. 5/5
A fun bedtime story about people getting carried away and a suburban panic run amok. The characters were all relatable and typical of Canadian families, the kid was precocious and fun. The dad was tired, the mom was trying to protect everyone and keep things running smoothly.
October 31, 2025
A CAPITAL MYSTERY Edited by Mike Martin and Bernadette Cox and features 21 Ottawa authors.
An anthology of 21 short‐mystery stories, each rooted in the rich history and neighbourhoods of Ottawa…Manotick, Bytown, Westboro, Orleans. Perfect reading for this time of year. I especially loved the final story, “Masked Hysteria” by Maya Valenzuela…what a hoot! And also Anna Di Meglio’s “The Key is in the Buttons” #OttawaPressAndPublishing https://www.ottawapressandpublishing....
An anthology of 21 short‐mystery stories, each rooted in the rich history and neighbourhoods of Ottawa…Manotick, Bytown, Westboro, Orleans. Perfect reading for this time of year. I especially loved the final story, “Masked Hysteria” by Maya Valenzuela…what a hoot! And also Anna Di Meglio’s “The Key is in the Buttons” #OttawaPressAndPublishing https://www.ottawapressandpublishing....
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews