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An Amanda Doucette Mystery #4
The Ancient Dead: An Amanda Doucette Mystery
Amanda Doucette searches desperately for the connection between bones discovered in a remote Alberta coulee and an uncle who went missing thirty years ago.
Photographer Todd Ellison is engrossed in a photo shoot deep in Alberta’s dinosaur country when he stumbles upon human bones buried in the sand of a remote coulee. Not far away, while driving through the Alberta prairie, Amanda Doucette glimpses an abandoned farmhouse that reminds her of an old photograph hanging on her aunt’s wall.
Who is the cocky young cowboy in the photo? Could it be connected to Amanda’s uncle, who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago? As Amanda starts to make connections between his disappearance and the body in the coulee, she discovers more questions than answers. To make matters worse, a mysterious person will stop at nothing to get her to abandon the investigation.
Photographer Todd Ellison is engrossed in a photo shoot deep in Alberta’s dinosaur country when he stumbles upon human bones buried in the sand of a remote coulee. Not far away, while driving through the Alberta prairie, Amanda Doucette glimpses an abandoned farmhouse that reminds her of an old photograph hanging on her aunt’s wall.
Who is the cocky young cowboy in the photo? Could it be connected to Amanda’s uncle, who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago? As Amanda starts to make connections between his disappearance and the body in the coulee, she discovers more questions than answers. To make matters worse, a mysterious person will stop at nothing to get her to abandon the investigation.
344 pages, Paperback
Published February 23, 2021
10 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Fradkin
29 books164 followersBarbara Fradkin (nee Currie), an award-winning Canadian mystery writer and retired psychologist whose work with children and families provides ample inspiration for murder. She is fascinated by the dark side and by the desperate choices people make.
Her novels are gritty, realistic, and psychological, with a blend of mystery and suspense. She is the author of three series, including ten novels featuring the exasperating, quixotic Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green, and three short novels about country handyman Cedric O'Toole which provide an entertaining but quick and easy read. FIRE IN THE STARS is the first book in her new mystery thriller series which stars passionate, adventurous, but traumatized aid worker Amanda Doucette.
Fradkin's work has been nominated for numerous awards, and two of the Inspector Green books have won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. Fradkin was born in Montreal but lives in Ottawa.
Series:
* Inspector Green Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2005): Fifth Son
◊ Best Novel (2007): Honour Among Men
Her novels are gritty, realistic, and psychological, with a blend of mystery and suspense. She is the author of three series, including ten novels featuring the exasperating, quixotic Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green, and three short novels about country handyman Cedric O'Toole which provide an entertaining but quick and easy read. FIRE IN THE STARS is the first book in her new mystery thriller series which stars passionate, adventurous, but traumatized aid worker Amanda Doucette.
Fradkin's work has been nominated for numerous awards, and two of the Inspector Green books have won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. Fradkin was born in Montreal but lives in Ottawa.
Series:
* Inspector Green Mystery
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2005): Fifth Son
◊ Best Novel (2007): Honour Among Men
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 9, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy of The Ancient Dead in return for an honest review. I had read the three previous Amanda Doucette books by Barbara Fradkin with much enjoyment, and I regret this was not as compelling for me.
Photographer Todd Ellison is on a photo shoot that includes remote farmlands and the dry landscape. He is now in dinosaur territory where many ancient reptiles were buried. He hopes to add a photo of a dinosaur bone (or at least one of a buffalo) to a book he intends to publish. When he finds a bone, he learns it was not from an ancient animal but human remains buried about 30 years earlier.
There was much to admire in the book. The vivid portrayal of the prairies and its people gave a strong visual impression and the plot was well executed. I thought it slow-paced. I found the protagonist, Amanda, pushy and annoying but many readers will admire her conviction and determination.
Amanda is in Alberta preparing for an adventure and educational experience for a group of Indigenous youngsters from the far north. The dry fields and abandoned farmhouses remind her of a photo on her aunt's wall. The photo depicted a young man standing in front of a similar building. Her aunt tells her this was a picture of her uncle who was left home and he was in this area after a family dispute. He has not been heard from since. Amanda becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to him.
I was bothered by her aggressive, personal search for answers. This lead to her intruding into people's lives, dredging up painful memories, secrets, and profound sorrows. Her work preparing for and participating in the children's foundation activities took second place. She demanded that her boyfriend, Chris, an RCMP officer, use his position and connections to investigate and find answers for her. She also used her friend, Matthew, in the same way. She met Matthew when she was an aid worker in the worlds' trouble spots and he was a foreign correspondent. He now helps Amanda run the charitable foundation. Both men seemed reluctant to be pushed into helping her investigate her uncle Jonathan's mysterious disappearance from the vicinity 30 years earlier. They adored her and couldn't refuse her demands.
It was learned that Jonathan had been seeing a young woman from a wealthy oil family. She was fired from her job and he quit protest. They both disappeared but not together. When Amanda learns of the body unearthed from the coulee, she fears it is Uncle Jonathan and is determined to find out who killed him.
In the meantime, a young reporter has been attacked in her apartment. She had been near death and was researching a story involving the man's death. Todd's information is in her missing computer and he fears a similar attack. Amanda keeps making assumptions about the case. She is on the wrong track with her theories. The police have warned her to stop interfering in their murder case.
Now she is being followed by a man in a white vehicle and fears he plans to harm her. The car is identified to belong to a Private Investigator from BC. Why is he spying on her, and who can be paying him? It is obvious that someone does not want the true facts surrounding the probable murder to be revealed. There is a violent and surprising ending that concludes in the solution to the mystery.
I will read more books about Amanda Doucette. I just hope she learns to relax more in her pursuits.
Photographer Todd Ellison is on a photo shoot that includes remote farmlands and the dry landscape. He is now in dinosaur territory where many ancient reptiles were buried. He hopes to add a photo of a dinosaur bone (or at least one of a buffalo) to a book he intends to publish. When he finds a bone, he learns it was not from an ancient animal but human remains buried about 30 years earlier.
There was much to admire in the book. The vivid portrayal of the prairies and its people gave a strong visual impression and the plot was well executed. I thought it slow-paced. I found the protagonist, Amanda, pushy and annoying but many readers will admire her conviction and determination.
Amanda is in Alberta preparing for an adventure and educational experience for a group of Indigenous youngsters from the far north. The dry fields and abandoned farmhouses remind her of a photo on her aunt's wall. The photo depicted a young man standing in front of a similar building. Her aunt tells her this was a picture of her uncle who was left home and he was in this area after a family dispute. He has not been heard from since. Amanda becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to him.
I was bothered by her aggressive, personal search for answers. This lead to her intruding into people's lives, dredging up painful memories, secrets, and profound sorrows. Her work preparing for and participating in the children's foundation activities took second place. She demanded that her boyfriend, Chris, an RCMP officer, use his position and connections to investigate and find answers for her. She also used her friend, Matthew, in the same way. She met Matthew when she was an aid worker in the worlds' trouble spots and he was a foreign correspondent. He now helps Amanda run the charitable foundation. Both men seemed reluctant to be pushed into helping her investigate her uncle Jonathan's mysterious disappearance from the vicinity 30 years earlier. They adored her and couldn't refuse her demands.
It was learned that Jonathan had been seeing a young woman from a wealthy oil family. She was fired from her job and he quit protest. They both disappeared but not together. When Amanda learns of the body unearthed from the coulee, she fears it is Uncle Jonathan and is determined to find out who killed him.
In the meantime, a young reporter has been attacked in her apartment. She had been near death and was researching a story involving the man's death. Todd's information is in her missing computer and he fears a similar attack. Amanda keeps making assumptions about the case. She is on the wrong track with her theories. The police have warned her to stop interfering in their murder case.
Now she is being followed by a man in a white vehicle and fears he plans to harm her. The car is identified to belong to a Private Investigator from BC. Why is he spying on her, and who can be paying him? It is obvious that someone does not want the true facts surrounding the probable murder to be revealed. There is a violent and surprising ending that concludes in the solution to the mystery.
I will read more books about Amanda Doucette. I just hope she learns to relax more in her pursuits.
July 11, 2025
***2025 Summer: Murder Across Canada***
Alberta
It is very pleasurable to read a mystery set in your own stomping grounds when it is done well. Fradkin is not from Alberta, but she described it accurately and resisted the temptation to make Albertans look like unsophisticated rednecks. We've got them and they are loud, but they aren't the only demographic. The author has obviously done her homework and spent some time here. For example, her description of Calgary traffic felt very genuine. As I read, I got evocative descriptions of Drumheller, the Royal Tyrell Museum, and the Badlands, places where I spent my childhood. Reminders of the dust, the cacti, the delicate flowers, and the blazing heat. The people are hardy, opinionated, and individualistic. We do have a laser focus on the oil & gas industry, but are still connected to our agricultural roots. This is portrayed well in the novel.
I know that I jumped into this series at book 4, so I don't have all of the backstory of the main character, Amanda Doucette. I'm still not sure how I feel about her bull in a china shop approach to information gathering. She is far more aggressive than I would be comfortable with, but I know people like her and in fact may be related to some. I was also annoyed with her treatment of her friend Matthew. I had to convince myself that he kept volunteering to be taken advantage of, but it didn't make me any happier. I did wonder about Amanda's charitable work, which she seemed to be willing to delegate to everyone else. It didn't seem to matter much to her.
Fortunately I never felt like I was missing important story details. Fradkin seeded the necessary knowledge from the earlier books into the narrative. The only thing I might have benefited from was a bit more detail on the Nigerian experience that altered Amanda's life. I could empathize with her desire to find her uncle, having done family history research. It's easy to get fixated on the hunt and end up doing things outside your normal behaviour.
The climactic chapter had me reading frantically to figure out who did what. The mystery itself was sufficiently intriguing, with the clues leading me astray just as they were meant to. A good read.
Alberta
It is very pleasurable to read a mystery set in your own stomping grounds when it is done well. Fradkin is not from Alberta, but she described it accurately and resisted the temptation to make Albertans look like unsophisticated rednecks. We've got them and they are loud, but they aren't the only demographic. The author has obviously done her homework and spent some time here. For example, her description of Calgary traffic felt very genuine. As I read, I got evocative descriptions of Drumheller, the Royal Tyrell Museum, and the Badlands, places where I spent my childhood. Reminders of the dust, the cacti, the delicate flowers, and the blazing heat. The people are hardy, opinionated, and individualistic. We do have a laser focus on the oil & gas industry, but are still connected to our agricultural roots. This is portrayed well in the novel.
I know that I jumped into this series at book 4, so I don't have all of the backstory of the main character, Amanda Doucette. I'm still not sure how I feel about her bull in a china shop approach to information gathering. She is far more aggressive than I would be comfortable with, but I know people like her and in fact may be related to some. I was also annoyed with her treatment of her friend Matthew. I had to convince myself that he kept volunteering to be taken advantage of, but it didn't make me any happier. I did wonder about Amanda's charitable work, which she seemed to be willing to delegate to everyone else. It didn't seem to matter much to her.
Fortunately I never felt like I was missing important story details. Fradkin seeded the necessary knowledge from the earlier books into the narrative. The only thing I might have benefited from was a bit more detail on the Nigerian experience that altered Amanda's life. I could empathize with her desire to find her uncle, having done family history research. It's easy to get fixated on the hunt and end up doing things outside your normal behaviour.
The climactic chapter had me reading frantically to figure out who did what. The mystery itself was sufficiently intriguing, with the clues leading me astray just as they were meant to. A good read.
February 14, 2021
I read the first two books in Barbara Fradkin's Amanda Doucette mystery series about three years ago. I loved the first book, Fire in the Stars, but rapidly fell out of love with the main character in the second book, The Trickster's Lullaby. I wish I'd remembered that before reading this fourth book in the series, The Ancient Dead.
Author Barbara Fradkin knows how to write a strong, compelling mystery, and her settings create vivid mental pictures as you read. I felt as though I were in the Alberta badlands as Amanda searched for answers. No, the plots and the settings aren't the problems for me in these Amanda Doucette mysteries. The problem is Amanda herself.
She is the type of person who can drive me up the wall without her breaking a sweat. Being with her is like being held captive in a room with thousands of ravenous mosquitoes. In "her relentless drive for answers," Amanda has no filter. She badgers the grieving. She has no shame, thinking nothing of insisting that people put themselves in danger or abuse their positions and possibly lose their jobs in order to give her the answers she requires. Amanda Doucette is the squeaky wheel who demands the grease, and she will not stop until she gets it.
Amanda is a former international aid worker who narrowly escaped with her life from a nightmarish situation in Africa. Now she has PTSD, and her canine companion Kaylee is my favorite character in the book. Amanda's behavior may have been necessary to care for people in her former line of work, but having personally had to deal with countless people like her in my line of work, I can do without being in her presence.
If characters like this don't bother you, please, go ahead and read this mystery series because it is very well crafted. You can even say that Fradkin's art of characterization is powerful as well because Amanda Doucette certainly comes to life. However, for the sake of my blood pressure, The Ancient Dead is the last time I'll be spending time with her. Goodbye, Amanda. I do wish you well.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Author Barbara Fradkin knows how to write a strong, compelling mystery, and her settings create vivid mental pictures as you read. I felt as though I were in the Alberta badlands as Amanda searched for answers. No, the plots and the settings aren't the problems for me in these Amanda Doucette mysteries. The problem is Amanda herself.
She is the type of person who can drive me up the wall without her breaking a sweat. Being with her is like being held captive in a room with thousands of ravenous mosquitoes. In "her relentless drive for answers," Amanda has no filter. She badgers the grieving. She has no shame, thinking nothing of insisting that people put themselves in danger or abuse their positions and possibly lose their jobs in order to give her the answers she requires. Amanda Doucette is the squeaky wheel who demands the grease, and she will not stop until she gets it.
Amanda is a former international aid worker who narrowly escaped with her life from a nightmarish situation in Africa. Now she has PTSD, and her canine companion Kaylee is my favorite character in the book. Amanda's behavior may have been necessary to care for people in her former line of work, but having personally had to deal with countless people like her in my line of work, I can do without being in her presence.
If characters like this don't bother you, please, go ahead and read this mystery series because it is very well crafted. You can even say that Fradkin's art of characterization is powerful as well because Amanda Doucette certainly comes to life. However, for the sake of my blood pressure, The Ancient Dead is the last time I'll be spending time with her. Goodbye, Amanda. I do wish you well.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
March 6, 2021
Barbara Fradkin has been entertaining readers since 2000 with her crime writing. Her various series include eleven Inspector Green mysteries and four mysteries featuring amateur sleuth and rural handyman Cedric O’Toole. Since 2016 yet another series has made its appearance, this one featuring former international aid worker Amanda Doucette. Fradkin cleverly crosses the Canadian landscape to showcase these tales, beginning in Newfoundland (Fire in the Stars) before moving to the Laurentian Mountains outside of Montreal (The Trickster’s Lullaby), and then moving on to Ontario’s Georgian Bay (Prisoner of Hope).
Fradkin’s latest foray, The Ancient Dead, finds Amanda in the Alberta badlands where Todd Ellison, a photographer shooting pictures for a book, comes across human remains. They could be ancient or more recent, and the cause of death is unclear. He reports the find to the RCMP, who cordon off the isolated site and refuse to tell him more.
Ellison is intrigued by the identity of the body he unearthed; it could be key to piquing public interest in his forthcoming book. He enlists the help of a local reporter, but before long she ends up in the local hospital, the victim of an attacker she caught ransacking her home. Could the two events be related?
Meanwhile, off on her own journey Amanda runs across a derelict farmhouse not far away; it stirs fond memories of a long-forgotten uncle who mysteriously disappeared decade earlier. She embarks on a quest to visit family members who live in the region in the hope of learning more, but all she encounters is hostility. The small rural community seems to be harbouring than its share of secrets.
With two decades of multiple award-winning crime writing under her belt, Barbara Fradkin is a seasoned veteran, and it shows. The writing is first-rate, a puzzling plot wrapped around a flawless account of the bleak rural Albertan landscape. And although her story involves references to dinosaur fossils and forensics, Fradkin never allows the science to get in the way of the story. All in all it’s an informed and satisfying read that marks yet another milestone in Amanda Doucette’s compelling cross-country odyssey.
______
Jim Napier is a novelist and crime-fiction reviewer based in Canada. Since 2005 his book reviews and author interviews have been featured in several Canadian newspapers and on multiple websites. His crime novel Legacy was published in April of 2017, and the second novel in the series, Ridley’s War, was released in November of 2020.
Fradkin’s latest foray, The Ancient Dead, finds Amanda in the Alberta badlands where Todd Ellison, a photographer shooting pictures for a book, comes across human remains. They could be ancient or more recent, and the cause of death is unclear. He reports the find to the RCMP, who cordon off the isolated site and refuse to tell him more.
Ellison is intrigued by the identity of the body he unearthed; it could be key to piquing public interest in his forthcoming book. He enlists the help of a local reporter, but before long she ends up in the local hospital, the victim of an attacker she caught ransacking her home. Could the two events be related?
Meanwhile, off on her own journey Amanda runs across a derelict farmhouse not far away; it stirs fond memories of a long-forgotten uncle who mysteriously disappeared decade earlier. She embarks on a quest to visit family members who live in the region in the hope of learning more, but all she encounters is hostility. The small rural community seems to be harbouring than its share of secrets.
With two decades of multiple award-winning crime writing under her belt, Barbara Fradkin is a seasoned veteran, and it shows. The writing is first-rate, a puzzling plot wrapped around a flawless account of the bleak rural Albertan landscape. And although her story involves references to dinosaur fossils and forensics, Fradkin never allows the science to get in the way of the story. All in all it’s an informed and satisfying read that marks yet another milestone in Amanda Doucette’s compelling cross-country odyssey.
______
Jim Napier is a novelist and crime-fiction reviewer based in Canada. Since 2005 his book reviews and author interviews have been featured in several Canadian newspapers and on multiple websites. His crime novel Legacy was published in April of 2017, and the second novel in the series, Ridley’s War, was released in November of 2020.
September 6, 2020
328 pages
4 stars
Having visited Alberta several times, the descriptions of the land and its inhabitants resonated with me. It is exactly as Ms. Fradkin describes. I simply love it.
A photographer out on a walking trip near Drumheller in Alberta to take pictures for his upcoming book stumbles on some bones. He doesn't even know what kind they are until a friend and he return to the site and discover that they are human.
At the same time, Amanda Doucette is scouting the area and planning her next trip with her company that helps children have adventures. She notices a picture in the B & B that rings a faint bell.
When she contacts her Aunt Jean and her mother, she gets curt and distinctly cold replies. Aunt Jean finally relents and shares with Amanda that she has an uncle named Jonathan who lived out in Alberta. Could the man in the photo be him? Amanda becomes obsessed with finding Jonny.
She investigates and gets some surprisingly nasty reactions. Then, the respondents seem to thaw somewhat and she begins to learn the whole story. Or, so she thinks.
Then she ;earns about the bones found not far from where she is staying.
This is a very well written and plotted novel. It moved a little slowly for me. I felt it wasn't as good as Ms. Fradkin's previous Amanda books. I did like having Amanda's boyfriend Corporal Chris along for the ride. I hope he doesn't tire of all her getting into hot water – and making some unfounded assumptions – as she does in this story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
4 stars
Having visited Alberta several times, the descriptions of the land and its inhabitants resonated with me. It is exactly as Ms. Fradkin describes. I simply love it.
A photographer out on a walking trip near Drumheller in Alberta to take pictures for his upcoming book stumbles on some bones. He doesn't even know what kind they are until a friend and he return to the site and discover that they are human.
At the same time, Amanda Doucette is scouting the area and planning her next trip with her company that helps children have adventures. She notices a picture in the B & B that rings a faint bell.
When she contacts her Aunt Jean and her mother, she gets curt and distinctly cold replies. Aunt Jean finally relents and shares with Amanda that she has an uncle named Jonathan who lived out in Alberta. Could the man in the photo be him? Amanda becomes obsessed with finding Jonny.
She investigates and gets some surprisingly nasty reactions. Then, the respondents seem to thaw somewhat and she begins to learn the whole story. Or, so she thinks.
Then she ;earns about the bones found not far from where she is staying.
This is a very well written and plotted novel. It moved a little slowly for me. I felt it wasn't as good as Ms. Fradkin's previous Amanda books. I did like having Amanda's boyfriend Corporal Chris along for the ride. I hope he doesn't tire of all her getting into hot water – and making some unfounded assumptions – as she does in this story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
November 22, 2020
The Ancient Dead.
This thriller is set in Alberta, Canada, and the descriptions of this vast country and various areas are fascinating!
Todd Ellison, a photographer, discovers a bone buried in an area where Dinosaur bones have previously been found, but this bone is human.
Amanda Doucette, also in Alberta, sees an abandoned house, that reminds her of a photograph on the wall of her Aunts house, that shows a young man standing in front of the building. Her Aunt reluctantly confirms that the man is her missing brother, Jonathan, Amanda’s uncle.
The photographer is also at the scene of the abandoned house, and their stories collide.
I found Amanda to be a real pain in the derrière, very interfering and oblivious to people’s feelings, whilst she was investigating her uncle’s disappearance. She seemed to get great pleasure from dragging all and sundry into her family problems, I felt so sorry for Chris, her boyfriend.
I didn’t really feel the love for this book, it annoyed me , Amanda was a little too needy for my taste. However, I did love the dog!! I admit I had to look up what a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever was, but when I found a picture, I thought that Kaylee was a gorgeous girl and she and Amanda had a very harmonious relationship, perhaps the only one in the whole book!
I will rate this as a 3 star read. This is my honest and unbiased opinion. I will send reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when the pages are open.
This thriller is set in Alberta, Canada, and the descriptions of this vast country and various areas are fascinating!
Todd Ellison, a photographer, discovers a bone buried in an area where Dinosaur bones have previously been found, but this bone is human.
Amanda Doucette, also in Alberta, sees an abandoned house, that reminds her of a photograph on the wall of her Aunts house, that shows a young man standing in front of the building. Her Aunt reluctantly confirms that the man is her missing brother, Jonathan, Amanda’s uncle.
The photographer is also at the scene of the abandoned house, and their stories collide.
I found Amanda to be a real pain in the derrière, very interfering and oblivious to people’s feelings, whilst she was investigating her uncle’s disappearance. She seemed to get great pleasure from dragging all and sundry into her family problems, I felt so sorry for Chris, her boyfriend.
I didn’t really feel the love for this book, it annoyed me , Amanda was a little too needy for my taste. However, I did love the dog!! I admit I had to look up what a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever was, but when I found a picture, I thought that Kaylee was a gorgeous girl and she and Amanda had a very harmonious relationship, perhaps the only one in the whole book!
I will rate this as a 3 star read. This is my honest and unbiased opinion. I will send reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when the pages are open.
February 3, 2021
Photographer Todd Ellison is Alberta’s Badlands shooting photos for an upcoming book when he finds bones buried in a coulee. Thinking he has found a new dinosaur fossil, he enlists the help of a buddy and they return to the site and discover the remains are human.
Former aid worker Amanda Doucette is traveling with her RCMP boyfriend Chris as she scouts locations for her next outing with troubled teens. Amanda finds an abandoned farmhouse that reminds her of an old photograph at her aunt Jean’s bedroom in Ontario.
Amanda is stunned to learn that the cocky young cowboy in the photo is Jonathan Lewis, the fraternal twin to her mother who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago. Everyone in the family had kept silent about Jonathan's existence.
When Amanda learns about the buried body in the coulee, she wonders if there is a connection between it and her missing uncle.
This was another strong entry in the Amanda Doucette mystery series. The Alberta Badlands setting and prairie settings were vividly described and Amanda is a feisty protagonist who will do anything to get to the truth.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Dundurn Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
Former aid worker Amanda Doucette is traveling with her RCMP boyfriend Chris as she scouts locations for her next outing with troubled teens. Amanda finds an abandoned farmhouse that reminds her of an old photograph at her aunt Jean’s bedroom in Ontario.
Amanda is stunned to learn that the cocky young cowboy in the photo is Jonathan Lewis, the fraternal twin to her mother who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago. Everyone in the family had kept silent about Jonathan's existence.
When Amanda learns about the buried body in the coulee, she wonders if there is a connection between it and her missing uncle.
This was another strong entry in the Amanda Doucette mystery series. The Alberta Badlands setting and prairie settings were vividly described and Amanda is a feisty protagonist who will do anything to get to the truth.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Dundurn Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
September 19, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
Amanda Doucette is in Alberta getting ready to take one of her educational trips with indigenous youth when bones are discovered near where she and her love, Chris (who is with the RCMP), are spending some much needed time together. The bones are found to be human and about 30 years old and Amanda believes they may be those of a long lost uncle.
The descriptions of the landscape are fantastic, so wild and forbidding and, so fascinating!, full of dinosaur fossils. But I got a bit fed up with Amanda, she was so obsessed with finding the truth about the skeletal remains that she involved Chris, her business partner and the families concerned, with the mystery into her quest ad nauseam. It felt intrusive and rude at times. I do love her relationship with Kaylee, her beloved dog, who she looks after with much love and care. I also love the author's descriptions of the different parts of Canada in her books and hope she'll do Ontario at some point. It's a treat to read good Canadian authors; having lived in Montreal and Toronto I love reading about the Canadian wild outside of the big cities.
Amanda Doucette is in Alberta getting ready to take one of her educational trips with indigenous youth when bones are discovered near where she and her love, Chris (who is with the RCMP), are spending some much needed time together. The bones are found to be human and about 30 years old and Amanda believes they may be those of a long lost uncle.
The descriptions of the landscape are fantastic, so wild and forbidding and, so fascinating!, full of dinosaur fossils. But I got a bit fed up with Amanda, she was so obsessed with finding the truth about the skeletal remains that she involved Chris, her business partner and the families concerned, with the mystery into her quest ad nauseam. It felt intrusive and rude at times. I do love her relationship with Kaylee, her beloved dog, who she looks after with much love and care. I also love the author's descriptions of the different parts of Canada in her books and hope she'll do Ontario at some point. It's a treat to read good Canadian authors; having lived in Montreal and Toronto I love reading about the Canadian wild outside of the big cities.
February 11, 2021
In The Ancient Dead, the 4th book in Barbara Fradkin's Amanda Doucette Mystery series, a photographer discovers a human bone in an Alberta coulee. A million undiscovered bones lie hidden in the ruthless wilderness. But this one is newer, fresher. Unearthed, it brings secrets to light. Secrets someone would rather keep buried, no matter the cost.
Amanda Doucette is in Alberta to organize her Fun for Families adventure trip for First Nations youth. The money raised by the charity will support Reconciliation Canada. She plans to have the teenagers dig for dinosaur bones, climb hoodoos and ride horseback over the endless plains. But her research takes a detour when she discovers a connection between the body in the coulee and her uncle, who disappeared in the Alberta badlands thirty years ago.
As always, Barbara Fradkin brings the Canadian wilderness to life. Heat radiates off the parched and cracked soil. The searing shades of the green, ochre and rust landscape, the perfect setting for adventure. But murder has its own itinerary, and Amanda plunges headlong into danger as she digs up the past. The prairie heat will burn your fingers as you turn the pages!
Amanda Doucette is in Alberta to organize her Fun for Families adventure trip for First Nations youth. The money raised by the charity will support Reconciliation Canada. She plans to have the teenagers dig for dinosaur bones, climb hoodoos and ride horseback over the endless plains. But her research takes a detour when she discovers a connection between the body in the coulee and her uncle, who disappeared in the Alberta badlands thirty years ago.
As always, Barbara Fradkin brings the Canadian wilderness to life. Heat radiates off the parched and cracked soil. The searing shades of the green, ochre and rust landscape, the perfect setting for adventure. But murder has its own itinerary, and Amanda plunges headlong into danger as she digs up the past. The prairie heat will burn your fingers as you turn the pages!
August 22, 2024
Lots of things to like about this book. It starts off compellingly and Fradkin really paints a picture of the Prairies. You feel the heat and the vast space. And the story grabbed me at the start, too, with the two different viewpoints moving toward the same goal, unknowingly. But, as with other readers, I got really irritated with Amanda. Selfish, aggressive, annoying. When she decided that the adopted daughter in the book, who didn't know the the truth about her parents, should be told because it suited Amanda's needs, I decided I really disliked our brave sleuth. And casually saying that the daughter would just have to lump it, because she'd get over the shock eventually, well, that made it hard to finish this book. What an insensitive ass! I did finish because I was curious enough about the mystery. By the way, who was staying in the abandoned bedroom? Did that ever get solved? And was Uncle Jonathan a big man or a small man? I feel like things were confusing at the end, but maybe that was just me rushing to get this book over with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2021
This novel opens with a love song to the prairies’ people, places, and history. Set partly amid the Drumheller hoodoos, the mystery starts with a dinosaur bone hunt and delves into the dusty secrets of a prairie ranching family. When the secrets spill over to include a ancient mystery in series lead Amanda Doucette's own family, she can't resist their pull even though it's costing her holiday time with her main squeeze.
Although well-grounded in the present, the plot has thirty-year old roots that, over the decades, bind the characters and the landscape from Drumheller to Fort Mac and into Calgary’s oil-company office towers as surely as the long roots of prairie grasses tangle beneath gently rolling pastures..
Part travelogue, part exploration of parallel family secrets, this crime novel is a good fit for both mystery readers and anyone trying to navigate the tricky questions of love and relationships in our highly mobile modern society.
#AncientDead #Netgalley
Although well-grounded in the present, the plot has thirty-year old roots that, over the decades, bind the characters and the landscape from Drumheller to Fort Mac and into Calgary’s oil-company office towers as surely as the long roots of prairie grasses tangle beneath gently rolling pastures..
Part travelogue, part exploration of parallel family secrets, this crime novel is a good fit for both mystery readers and anyone trying to navigate the tricky questions of love and relationships in our highly mobile modern society.
#AncientDead #Netgalley
July 24, 2023
This was a freebie I got somewhere-- it was in my stack of ARCs so I grabbed it on the way to the lake one day, but it's not a pre-pub galley. Still no idea where it came from.
I haven't read any others in this series but managed pretty well. There are references to the main character's earlier adventures, and to her relationship with 2 side characters who appeared in this book, but readers can get the gist well enough.
This book (series?) would be great to recommend to people who visualize heavily or in significant detail. The narration includes a lot of detailed descriptions of the landscape, so would appeal to readers who like an immersive sense of place.
Seemingly common to a lot of mysteries, the text suffered from unnecessary repetition as well as character dialogue that was contradictory, or dialogue that contradicted narration. Better editing would have caught these details, as well as the dialogue non-sequiturs that seemed to come out of nowhere.
I haven't read any others in this series but managed pretty well. There are references to the main character's earlier adventures, and to her relationship with 2 side characters who appeared in this book, but readers can get the gist well enough.
This book (series?) would be great to recommend to people who visualize heavily or in significant detail. The narration includes a lot of detailed descriptions of the landscape, so would appeal to readers who like an immersive sense of place.
Seemingly common to a lot of mysteries, the text suffered from unnecessary repetition as well as character dialogue that was contradictory, or dialogue that contradicted narration. Better editing would have caught these details, as well as the dialogue non-sequiturs that seemed to come out of nowhere.
September 27, 2020
I was excited to see a book set in Canada, especially a murder mystery. This book kept me interested throughout the whole thing. I needed to keep reading to find out how it would end. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main female character. I found her annoying at times. This Is also definitely a cozy mystery. In itself there is nothing wrong with that, but I prefer darker mysteries and as such I might not have enjoyed it as much as someone who usually goes for cozy mysteries. I’d give it more like 3.5 stars.
April 17, 2021
A story set in southern Alberta, in the Calgary/Drumheller area. Amanda is organizing a tour for indigenous youth from the north, while also searching for links to a long-lost uncle she has only now learned about. I enjoyed the story.
I attended the virtual book launch (with Rick Moranis and Barbara in conversation). It was clear that Barbara enjoyed her researches in Alberta to produce this book - fourth in the Amanda Doucette series.
And I'm glad to hear there's another Inspector Green book in the works, as well!
I attended the virtual book launch (with Rick Moranis and Barbara in conversation). It was clear that Barbara enjoyed her researches in Alberta to produce this book - fourth in the Amanda Doucette series.
And I'm glad to hear there's another Inspector Green book in the works, as well!
December 28, 2022
In my opinion, this is the second most interesting book in the series (after the first one set in Newfoundland). Set in Alberta, of course it would have to be about bones and dinosaurs. The children charity trip is very low key in this book. Amanda is more personable in this story as she searches after a long-lost uncle. The Albertans seem very relaxed and lad back. Chris is definitely in for the long haul. I learned that Ukrainian Christmas is celebrated (at least in Saskatchewan) on January 7th.
February 10, 2021
An awesome WhoDunIt. And who was it done to? And why was it done? All set in my back yard! Explore with Amanda Doucette the uncanny landscape of south-eastern Alberta in the context of finding human as well as dinosaur bones in the badlands. I am never disappointed with a Barbara Fradkin novel, and this is no exception. Strongly character-driven with a plot that keeps on twisting. highly recommended.
March 23, 2021
Interesting book, the first one in this series which I have read. This one presents mysteries linking past and present, mostly taking place in dinosaur & ranching country in southern Alberta, with tentacles across the provinces & into the US. I think I'll go back & read at least one of the previous two books in the series, now that I know more of what seem to be the three central characters in the series.
October 29, 2020
This mystery is so well developed and the detail so precise that I thought it was a true crime book. Entirely credible, every character was realistic - and often unlikable - and I found myself fully invested in reaching the outcome. The author is insightful and the writing crisp - very accessible for all readers who love a good mystery.
December 3, 2023
Years ago, I enjoyed Fradkin’s Inspector Green series, so I was pleased to discover Amanda Doucette. I just wish I could locate the previous books in the series. Having visited the Drumheller area and the dinosaur museum, it was great to read her descriptions of the setting. The plot and characterizations are also good.
April 18, 2024
The main character borders on being a bully. So microfocussed on her own agenda she bullies a woman.taking care of a husband with severe dementia; believes it is her responsibility to share anothers' secrets: is so pushy she very nearly loses her boyfriend his job. No thought of how her actions and demands affect those around her as long as she gets what she wants.
May 7, 2021
I wanted to love this story because the blurb sounded promising. Unfortunately I couldn't connect to the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
December 26, 2021
The plot in this novel was okay but it is the protagonist who I have problems with. She is a pushy determined person whose primary goal is herself although she is portrayed as being concerned about others.
February 15, 2021
Terrific book - didn’t want to put it down!
February 24, 2021
Sometimes Amanda drives me nuts, but I really enjoy these books. And any series where the main character has an ever-present dog is a winner in my opinion!
March 24, 2021
3.5 stars. Enjoyed this mystery set in Alberta's dinosaur country
May 9, 2021
A good mystery, an entertaining story and a very interesting MC. i wan to read the rest of the series.
I received this arc from the publisher via Netgalley
I received this arc from the publisher via Netgalley
September 17, 2021
Another great mystery book by Barbara Fradkin that takes you to Alberta as we learn more about Amada Doucette and her family history.
July 23, 2024
Such an annoying protagonist!
July 30, 2025
It was okay, not as good as the other three in this series
January 28, 2022
People who write about female heros need to figure out that their audience knows the difference between brave and foolish.
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