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Totem: The gripping new crime thriller from the Bafta-winning screenwriter of BBC1's Keeping Faith and bestselling author of the Jenny Cooper Coroner novels
The gripping new crime thriller from the Bafta-winning screenwriter of BBC1's Keeping Faith and bestselling author of the Jenny Cooper Coroner novels.
The day Jessie Cunningham achieves her life's goal and is made partner in an ultra-powerful Toronto law firm, she suffers a catastrophic burnout. While attempting to recuperate, she volunteers for a charity preserving ancient trees in the wilderness of British Columbia. There she meets Todd Samson, a man with a troubled past and a wounded soul.
The attraction is instant, but they're from different worlds… that are about to collide.
When Todd is falsely accused of murdering a local conservation officer and his beleaguered community in the Three Valleys Reserve comes under pressure from the government to swap its ancestral territory for land on the outskirts of Vancouver, Jessie is drawn into their struggle against greed, corruption and injustice.
Forming an unlikely alliance with Chief Ray Squinas and wood carver and shaman Eldon Marshall, Jessie joins them in the fight of their lives – against just the kind of dark forces she has spent her career serving.
The day Jessie Cunningham achieves her life's goal and is made partner in an ultra-powerful Toronto law firm, she suffers a catastrophic burnout. While attempting to recuperate, she volunteers for a charity preserving ancient trees in the wilderness of British Columbia. There she meets Todd Samson, a man with a troubled past and a wounded soul.
The attraction is instant, but they're from different worlds… that are about to collide.
When Todd is falsely accused of murdering a local conservation officer and his beleaguered community in the Three Valleys Reserve comes under pressure from the government to swap its ancestral territory for land on the outskirts of Vancouver, Jessie is drawn into their struggle against greed, corruption and injustice.
Forming an unlikely alliance with Chief Ray Squinas and wood carver and shaman Eldon Marshall, Jessie joins them in the fight of their lives – against just the kind of dark forces she has spent her career serving.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2026
About the author
Matthew Hall
93 books10 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For the author of the Jenny Cooper series please check Matthew Hall's or M.R. Hall's profile
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For the author of the Jenny Cooper series please check Matthew Hall's or M.R. Hall's profile
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 14, 2026
Jessie Cunningham is happy. She is about to be made partner in a powerful Toronto law firm where she has worked for the last ten years, giving it everything she has. She has a partner, Travis, who teaches law, and they plan to start a family someday. She has just returned from sealing a deal in New York, but when she gets home, Travis isn’t there. But there is a note.
The next day at work, Jessie is officially made partner, the dream she has worked towards for years has finally come true. But is it really everything she wanted? As she enters the lift to go home for the weekend, the crowded space suddenly overwhelms her. A tight band closes around her chest, panic sets in, and then… nothing.
Meanwhile, Todd Samson is deep in the wilderness, sitting beneath a giant red cedar tree. He hasn’t eaten for nine days. He isn’t entirely sure what he is waiting for, but Elden told him that shamans once came here to commune with spirits and seek healing. Todd doesn’t truly believe in any of it, but if a vision quest helps him escape the bottle, then that is enough reason to try.
While sitting quietly, he senses something calm and powerful nearby. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he turns and sees a rare white albino bear, known locally as a spirit bear, with her cub. He follows them toward Blue Valley, an area where he once learned to hunt and camp, but soon loses their trail. Knowing he won’t make it home before dark, he heads down toward the creek trail.
Then he hears two sharp cracks like lightning. Gunshots.
Running toward the sound, shouting and waving his arms, Todd finds the spirit bear lying in a pool of blood while the cub paces nearby. Three hunters, faces hidden, turn their rifles on him. Todd lashes out, grabbing one of the guns and swinging wildly before he is tackled to the ground. Boots slam into his ribs and jaw until everything goes black.
The story revolves around Jessie and Todd. As well as the future of Three Valley’s. After suffering what appears to be a nervous breakdown, Jessie’s doctor insists she take time away from work. Looking for a change, she volunteers with Heritage Trees, recording some of the largest trees in the region, a job that takes her to Three Valleys where she meets Chief Ray Squinas.
When she sees where she will be staying, she immediately questions what she has signed up for. The chief recommends she hire a guide before venturing into the hills alone.
The following morning, while Jessie is gathering supplies in town, several RCMP officers arrive, creating immediate tension between the police and the local community. Chief Squinas attempts to calm the situation, but Inspector Frank Malone is there searching for guns, specifically the gun used to kill the spirit bear. He offers an amnesty: surrender weapons by the next morning and licensed guns will be returned while illegal ones will be confiscated. No one will be charged.
Todd Samson, now recovered from his beating, confronts Malone and asks whether they have found the men who attacked him. Instead of answers, he is threatened with arrest. Jessie finds herself uncharacteristically stepping forward to intervene, standing between Todd and armed police officers.
Todd is Jessie’s guide into the mountains. Jessie considers herself reasonably fit until she struggles to keep up with him climbing the steep trails. On the way back down she sprains her ankle, forcing them to shelter overnight in a semi-derelict cabin.
The next morning Todd disappears briefly, returning with ponies to help them down the mountain. Before leaving, he takes Jessie to a breathtaking meadow filled with lupins in every shade of pink, blue, and purple, a view that only lasts for a couple of weeks each year. As they stand together taking in the scene, something shifts between them, though Jessie cannot quite explain what it is.
The following day, Jessie is with the chief when sirens announce another police arrival. This time an Emergency Response Team has come to arrest Todd for murder. Conservation officer Faye Halton, the woman who found Todd after his beating, has been stabbed to death with what police believe is Todd’s knife.
But Jessie knows Todd could not have killed her because he was with her the night before. Determined to help him, she offers a statement, but nobody seems interested in hearing it they believe they have their man. No other investigating is going on.
As the story unfolds, Jessie realises there is far more happening beneath the surface. Todd is denied bail, and his lawyer lacks the money for investigators or expert help, so Jessie steps in to fund the defence herself.
But who really killed Faye Halton, and why?
Gradually, hidden connections begin to emerge, linking events together in unexpected ways. Even though Jessie is supposed to be on leave, her boss pressures her to return early, but she promises she will continue helping with Todd’s case.
This is an engaging read throughout. The pacing is slower, but there is always something happening beneath the surface. I really liked both Jessie and Todd. They come from completely different worlds and backgrounds, yet both are compelling characters in their own ways.
The mystery surrounding Faye Halton’s death kept me hooked because I was convinced Todd was innocent right from the start.
Jessie also learns about a proposed land swap involving the government and the Three Valleys community. The government wants the land and, in return, offers a two-hundred-acre site west of Vancouver along with money to build new homes. The community would still retain the area immediately around Three Valleys. The younger generation largely supports the proposal, while many of the elders remain deeply sceptical.
Overall, this is a thoughtful blend of mystery, community conflict, environmental themes, and slow-burn emotional connection that kept me invested from beginning to end
The next day at work, Jessie is officially made partner, the dream she has worked towards for years has finally come true. But is it really everything she wanted? As she enters the lift to go home for the weekend, the crowded space suddenly overwhelms her. A tight band closes around her chest, panic sets in, and then… nothing.
Meanwhile, Todd Samson is deep in the wilderness, sitting beneath a giant red cedar tree. He hasn’t eaten for nine days. He isn’t entirely sure what he is waiting for, but Elden told him that shamans once came here to commune with spirits and seek healing. Todd doesn’t truly believe in any of it, but if a vision quest helps him escape the bottle, then that is enough reason to try.
While sitting quietly, he senses something calm and powerful nearby. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he turns and sees a rare white albino bear, known locally as a spirit bear, with her cub. He follows them toward Blue Valley, an area where he once learned to hunt and camp, but soon loses their trail. Knowing he won’t make it home before dark, he heads down toward the creek trail.
Then he hears two sharp cracks like lightning. Gunshots.
Running toward the sound, shouting and waving his arms, Todd finds the spirit bear lying in a pool of blood while the cub paces nearby. Three hunters, faces hidden, turn their rifles on him. Todd lashes out, grabbing one of the guns and swinging wildly before he is tackled to the ground. Boots slam into his ribs and jaw until everything goes black.
The story revolves around Jessie and Todd. As well as the future of Three Valley’s. After suffering what appears to be a nervous breakdown, Jessie’s doctor insists she take time away from work. Looking for a change, she volunteers with Heritage Trees, recording some of the largest trees in the region, a job that takes her to Three Valleys where she meets Chief Ray Squinas.
When she sees where she will be staying, she immediately questions what she has signed up for. The chief recommends she hire a guide before venturing into the hills alone.
The following morning, while Jessie is gathering supplies in town, several RCMP officers arrive, creating immediate tension between the police and the local community. Chief Squinas attempts to calm the situation, but Inspector Frank Malone is there searching for guns, specifically the gun used to kill the spirit bear. He offers an amnesty: surrender weapons by the next morning and licensed guns will be returned while illegal ones will be confiscated. No one will be charged.
Todd Samson, now recovered from his beating, confronts Malone and asks whether they have found the men who attacked him. Instead of answers, he is threatened with arrest. Jessie finds herself uncharacteristically stepping forward to intervene, standing between Todd and armed police officers.
Todd is Jessie’s guide into the mountains. Jessie considers herself reasonably fit until she struggles to keep up with him climbing the steep trails. On the way back down she sprains her ankle, forcing them to shelter overnight in a semi-derelict cabin.
The next morning Todd disappears briefly, returning with ponies to help them down the mountain. Before leaving, he takes Jessie to a breathtaking meadow filled with lupins in every shade of pink, blue, and purple, a view that only lasts for a couple of weeks each year. As they stand together taking in the scene, something shifts between them, though Jessie cannot quite explain what it is.
The following day, Jessie is with the chief when sirens announce another police arrival. This time an Emergency Response Team has come to arrest Todd for murder. Conservation officer Faye Halton, the woman who found Todd after his beating, has been stabbed to death with what police believe is Todd’s knife.
But Jessie knows Todd could not have killed her because he was with her the night before. Determined to help him, she offers a statement, but nobody seems interested in hearing it they believe they have their man. No other investigating is going on.
As the story unfolds, Jessie realises there is far more happening beneath the surface. Todd is denied bail, and his lawyer lacks the money for investigators or expert help, so Jessie steps in to fund the defence herself.
But who really killed Faye Halton, and why?
Gradually, hidden connections begin to emerge, linking events together in unexpected ways. Even though Jessie is supposed to be on leave, her boss pressures her to return early, but she promises she will continue helping with Todd’s case.
This is an engaging read throughout. The pacing is slower, but there is always something happening beneath the surface. I really liked both Jessie and Todd. They come from completely different worlds and backgrounds, yet both are compelling characters in their own ways.
The mystery surrounding Faye Halton’s death kept me hooked because I was convinced Todd was innocent right from the start.
Jessie also learns about a proposed land swap involving the government and the Three Valleys community. The government wants the land and, in return, offers a two-hundred-acre site west of Vancouver along with money to build new homes. The community would still retain the area immediately around Three Valleys. The younger generation largely supports the proposal, while many of the elders remain deeply sceptical.
Overall, this is a thoughtful blend of mystery, community conflict, environmental themes, and slow-burn emotional connection that kept me invested from beginning to end
May 25, 2026
This is one of those books which comes along now and again and completely absorbs me into the storyline and the characters. What a brilliant read I loved every page.
What is initially a voluntary position for Jessie Cunningham, staying in a basic hut a world away from her usual life and recording ancient trees on land inhabited by an indigenous tribe, soon turns into a need to put her lawyer hat back on. So much for leaving everything behind for a while.
A woman is murdered and Todd, a local man whom Jessie platonically shared a cabin with one night after twisting her ankle, has been arrested for her murder.
Jessie promises to help his appointed lawyer prove his innocence, but she has no idea that this is just the tip of the iceberg and her own life and career are put in danger.
The descriptions of the valleys, the people and their history had me totally enthralled. I could visualise that beautiful Totem pole being carved by a talented one of the villagers.
Should they accept an offered ‘land swap’ to move from their ancestral valley to a new residential area near Toronto?
If you love a deep and meaningful read, one where you are drawn into the story completely, I would highly recommend this one. So far it is my book of the year and it’s going to take something exceptional to top it!
I’m so grateful to Sophie Portas for sending me a proof.
What is initially a voluntary position for Jessie Cunningham, staying in a basic hut a world away from her usual life and recording ancient trees on land inhabited by an indigenous tribe, soon turns into a need to put her lawyer hat back on. So much for leaving everything behind for a while.
A woman is murdered and Todd, a local man whom Jessie platonically shared a cabin with one night after twisting her ankle, has been arrested for her murder.
Jessie promises to help his appointed lawyer prove his innocence, but she has no idea that this is just the tip of the iceberg and her own life and career are put in danger.
The descriptions of the valleys, the people and their history had me totally enthralled. I could visualise that beautiful Totem pole being carved by a talented one of the villagers.
Should they accept an offered ‘land swap’ to move from their ancestral valley to a new residential area near Toronto?
If you love a deep and meaningful read, one where you are drawn into the story completely, I would highly recommend this one. So far it is my book of the year and it’s going to take something exceptional to top it!
I’m so grateful to Sophie Portas for sending me a proof.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews