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Omand's Creek
"Omand’s Creek is the best Canadian crime debut in recent memory." - The Montreal Gazette
A young woman has been brutally murdered, the body left on the banks of Omand’s Creek. Similarities with a murder a month earlier lead Detective Michael Shelter to believe he’s dealing with a killer preying on sex workers in the city's Indigenous community. He soon realizes he’s facing a far more cunning adversary than he’d imagined.
As he races to find the killer, Shelter uncovers a trail of corruption, violence and long-held secrets that reach into the city's elite. Along the way, he struggles to raise his defiant teenage daughter as a single father and come to terms with the reality of racism in the city and his own blind spots.
A young woman has been brutally murdered, the body left on the banks of Omand’s Creek. Similarities with a murder a month earlier lead Detective Michael Shelter to believe he’s dealing with a killer preying on sex workers in the city's Indigenous community. He soon realizes he’s facing a far more cunning adversary than he’d imagined.
As he races to find the killer, Shelter uncovers a trail of corruption, violence and long-held secrets that reach into the city's elite. Along the way, he struggles to raise his defiant teenage daughter as a single father and come to terms with the reality of racism in the city and his own blind spots.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2020
5 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 28, 2024
This was a riveting crime novel with unexpected twists! Great read!
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January 17, 2021Fun to read a book that takes place in the city where I grew up!
January 21, 2021
Omand's Creek has all the suspense, tight twists and turns of a good crime novel along with a poignant family story that unveils the harsh effects of racism and oppression suffered by women in the Indigenous community. A sensitive topic to take on, and Macdonald has met the challenge with intelligence and good research. The police officers, sex workers, activists, community workers are drawn effectively and felt authentic and nuanced to me who has little direct experience with people in the Native community. I particularly loved Niki. Shelter’s fascination with her is believable, and though the outcome is slightly stretched, it is thoroughly enjoyable. No spoilers here! Anyone who enjoys a fast moving, gripping read will thoroughly enjoy this book. Following suspects into the dark streets of Winnipeg, a rebellious teenage daughter and an unexpected, but believable villain all make the book a riveting read. Buy it!
January 11, 2021
Okay, Full Disclosure: I know and am a friend of Don Macdonald. He is a very close friend of my brother Mark. So if anyone wants to challenge my objectivity, I have laid my cards on the table!
“Omand’s Creek” is a highly readable and engaging thriller. The plot has more than its fair share of twists and turns, leading to an exciting conclusion. The characters are well drawn, particularly the police officers and the “office politics” in the Winnipeg police force. The main character is Michael Shelter, and the conflicts between his professional and personal life are effectively portrayed. I really enjoyed the internal conflicts of his partner, Gabriel Traverse, an indigenous man working in a
“ white” police force. His is a delicate dance indeed. Macdonald courageously sets his mystery in the ongoing trauma of race relations in Manitoba, and the tragic stories of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. I say courageously because in this day of accusations of cultural appropriation, these subjects must be approached with great tact. I believe Macdonald has succeeded in this, and incorporates the sad history of our relations with indigenous people deftly. So I enjoyed having this book as we begin our COVID Curfew period in Quebec!
“Omand’s Creek” is a highly readable and engaging thriller. The plot has more than its fair share of twists and turns, leading to an exciting conclusion. The characters are well drawn, particularly the police officers and the “office politics” in the Winnipeg police force. The main character is Michael Shelter, and the conflicts between his professional and personal life are effectively portrayed. I really enjoyed the internal conflicts of his partner, Gabriel Traverse, an indigenous man working in a
“ white” police force. His is a delicate dance indeed. Macdonald courageously sets his mystery in the ongoing trauma of race relations in Manitoba, and the tragic stories of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. I say courageously because in this day of accusations of cultural appropriation, these subjects must be approached with great tact. I believe Macdonald has succeeded in this, and incorporates the sad history of our relations with indigenous people deftly. So I enjoyed having this book as we begin our COVID Curfew period in Quebec!
November 28, 2020
Winnipeg, where this excellent crime mystery takes place, is a gateway city to the vast Canadian prairie region. Indigenous (or First Nations) people made up 5% of the total population of the nation, but in the City of Winnipeg that figure is 12%, making it the largest urban first nations population in North America. Challenges and injustice facing First Nations communities are as old as Canada itself. Limiting land rights through adopting treaties favouring European settlers, residential schools which attempted to assimilate Indigenous children, to experiencing double the unemployment rate, three times the national suicide rate, and being vastly over-represented in the prison system, making up 30% of the offender population. In 2019, an alarming number of murdered and missing Indigenous, Inuit and Métis women led to a national inquiry which likened the situation to "race-based genocide".
Growing up in and moving away from Winnipeg, as the author Don Macdonald and this reviewer did, one is aware of the tough and tender human condition which shapes the City and those who call it “home”. With a reporter’s keen eye (Macdonald worked in print journalism for two decades) and brisk, precise and engaging writing, 'Omand’s Creek' is a crime novel with all the elements which result in compulsive reading.
Macdonald sets the scene with unsolved murders facing a growing number of First Nations women. The author’s description of power and old money (in the late-1880s Winnipeg was known as “Chicago of the North”), corruption and systemic racism provides context. Throughout the story, the author masterfully and with sensitivity and care weaves in the grim social issues and challenges facing First Nations communities.
Winnipeg Police Detectives Shelter and Traverse, seasoned veterans and partners, are cautiously confident they will find the truth. Members of the First Nations community including an activist lawyer are also seeking justice. But their paths are full of obstacles, deception, power struggles and violence. Macdonald’s characters are deep, damaged, determined and frightfully believable. The Detectives aspire to good outcomes for themselves, one another, and those around them. Shelter’s perseverance for working and solving the case drives him up in the morning, if he gets any sleep at all. His will to succeed and make things right, including repairing a tattered relationship with a teenage daughter, comes at personal cost. In the end tireless police work, intuition, and courageous community engagement yields results. Like any good crime writer, the author leaves the reader hanging until the final pages.
Hat's off to Don Macdonald for writing a Prairie noir classic. As a fan of Nordic or Scandinavian noir fiction, this story can be classed with the best.
Growing up in and moving away from Winnipeg, as the author Don Macdonald and this reviewer did, one is aware of the tough and tender human condition which shapes the City and those who call it “home”. With a reporter’s keen eye (Macdonald worked in print journalism for two decades) and brisk, precise and engaging writing, 'Omand’s Creek' is a crime novel with all the elements which result in compulsive reading.
Macdonald sets the scene with unsolved murders facing a growing number of First Nations women. The author’s description of power and old money (in the late-1880s Winnipeg was known as “Chicago of the North”), corruption and systemic racism provides context. Throughout the story, the author masterfully and with sensitivity and care weaves in the grim social issues and challenges facing First Nations communities.
Winnipeg Police Detectives Shelter and Traverse, seasoned veterans and partners, are cautiously confident they will find the truth. Members of the First Nations community including an activist lawyer are also seeking justice. But their paths are full of obstacles, deception, power struggles and violence. Macdonald’s characters are deep, damaged, determined and frightfully believable. The Detectives aspire to good outcomes for themselves, one another, and those around them. Shelter’s perseverance for working and solving the case drives him up in the morning, if he gets any sleep at all. His will to succeed and make things right, including repairing a tattered relationship with a teenage daughter, comes at personal cost. In the end tireless police work, intuition, and courageous community engagement yields results. Like any good crime writer, the author leaves the reader hanging until the final pages.
Hat's off to Don Macdonald for writing a Prairie noir classic. As a fan of Nordic or Scandinavian noir fiction, this story can be classed with the best.
February 28, 2023
Omand’s Creek is an actual Winnipeg water feature and the book, an engaging read. It starts at a run with the murder of two indigenous women. Given the recent and ongoing reckoning in Canada including both the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, this is a controversial subject requiring a deft hand. The racism and murder rates that plague the city of Winnipeg are also another factor.
For a first novel, Don Macdonald delivers. Specifically, I enjoyed the pace. It is readable in just a few hours. The novel is hard not to compare to Louise Penny’s work. However, her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the homicide department of the Sûreté du Quebec, is more interesting and fleshed out than Detective Michael Shelter. If Macdonald writes a series, which I suspect he might, Shelter will develop.
The big downside to the novel is descriptive features and atmosphere. They are missing. The city should be written as a character instead it feels like a high school play’s painted backdrop. Macdonald could learn from Penny who has chosen to emulate many hallmarks of the British genre, including murders by unconventional means, bucolic villages, large casts of suspects, red herrings, and a dramatic, last minute disclosure of the murderer. Macdonald’s feints failed to misdirect or fool.
The author and I are close in age. Both of us grew up in Winnipeg and now he lives in Montreal while I reside in Mont Tremblant. I must admit being a bit distracted while reading. Given we share the same hometown, I was constantly waiting for the next Winnipeg reference. Up would pop neighbourhoods like St. Boniface, River Heights, and St. James along with streets including Selkirk, Wellington Crescent, and Pembina Highway.
Mentions of Ravenscourt, Lower Fort Garry, Old Market Square, the Jets, Gimli, Lake of the Woods, and Steinbach made it like a board game. Most entertaining were the avatars the author chose to substitute most likely for legal reasons. Still, I knew Mayor Sam Klein stood in for former Mayor Sam Katz and the Bison Club was the Manitoba Club. Rae & Jerry’s became Jay’s and the Peking Garden restaurant sounds very much like my beloved Shanghai that has long been closed.
Here’s to a series of novels set in Winnipeg. Perhaps if it takes off, Amazon Prime Video will make it into a television show. After all, it happened for Louise Penny and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Arguably, Winnipeg is far grittier than the Eastern Townships.
For a first novel, Don Macdonald delivers. Specifically, I enjoyed the pace. It is readable in just a few hours. The novel is hard not to compare to Louise Penny’s work. However, her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the homicide department of the Sûreté du Quebec, is more interesting and fleshed out than Detective Michael Shelter. If Macdonald writes a series, which I suspect he might, Shelter will develop.
The big downside to the novel is descriptive features and atmosphere. They are missing. The city should be written as a character instead it feels like a high school play’s painted backdrop. Macdonald could learn from Penny who has chosen to emulate many hallmarks of the British genre, including murders by unconventional means, bucolic villages, large casts of suspects, red herrings, and a dramatic, last minute disclosure of the murderer. Macdonald’s feints failed to misdirect or fool.
The author and I are close in age. Both of us grew up in Winnipeg and now he lives in Montreal while I reside in Mont Tremblant. I must admit being a bit distracted while reading. Given we share the same hometown, I was constantly waiting for the next Winnipeg reference. Up would pop neighbourhoods like St. Boniface, River Heights, and St. James along with streets including Selkirk, Wellington Crescent, and Pembina Highway.
Mentions of Ravenscourt, Lower Fort Garry, Old Market Square, the Jets, Gimli, Lake of the Woods, and Steinbach made it like a board game. Most entertaining were the avatars the author chose to substitute most likely for legal reasons. Still, I knew Mayor Sam Klein stood in for former Mayor Sam Katz and the Bison Club was the Manitoba Club. Rae & Jerry’s became Jay’s and the Peking Garden restaurant sounds very much like my beloved Shanghai that has long been closed.
Here’s to a series of novels set in Winnipeg. Perhaps if it takes off, Amazon Prime Video will make it into a television show. After all, it happened for Louise Penny and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Arguably, Winnipeg is far grittier than the Eastern Townships.
April 26, 2021
When the body of a murdered woman is discovered on the banks of Omand's Creek, Detective Shelter can't help but notice the similarities between this victim and another victim from a month earlier. He suspects a murderer targeting indigenous women, but quickly uncovers something far deeper. While trying to bring the killer to justice, he is also struggling as a single dad to a teenage daughter.
Set in my hometown of Winnipeg, I instantly connected to the mention of familiar streets, establishments and areas of the city. Unfortunately that also means that I recognized the racism that runs rampant and the extremely raw and sensitive issue of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that were at the forefront of this novel. It's a sad reality, the circumstances that the indigenous population face just due to their race. It hit hard and was eye opening, yet it truly only skimmed the surface of these very relevant issues. It was sad to see the difference in reactions to each victim and the judgment from the community.
Shelter's relationship with his daughter was strained and relatable for me as a parent. It was interesting to see how that worked out and made for an interesting side plot. I found the story to be paced really well and just the perfect length. I was engrossed in the mystery and didn't want to stop flipping the pages, needing to know what truly happened.
Thank you Don MacDonald for the gifted copy to read and share my honest thoughts.
Set in my hometown of Winnipeg, I instantly connected to the mention of familiar streets, establishments and areas of the city. Unfortunately that also means that I recognized the racism that runs rampant and the extremely raw and sensitive issue of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that were at the forefront of this novel. It's a sad reality, the circumstances that the indigenous population face just due to their race. It hit hard and was eye opening, yet it truly only skimmed the surface of these very relevant issues. It was sad to see the difference in reactions to each victim and the judgment from the community.
Shelter's relationship with his daughter was strained and relatable for me as a parent. It was interesting to see how that worked out and made for an interesting side plot. I found the story to be paced really well and just the perfect length. I was engrossed in the mystery and didn't want to stop flipping the pages, needing to know what truly happened.
Thank you Don MacDonald for the gifted copy to read and share my honest thoughts.
February 21, 2021
Don Macdonald’s Omand’s Creek is a taunt, tightly woven murder mystery that gripped me from the first paragraph until the last.
Set in Winnipeg (where few novels are ever set) it exposes a complex society wrought with cultural issues closely intertwined with a series of unsolved murders that grips the city during the dog days of summer.
Macdonald has done a masterful job with no sign of a first-time novelist here.
It reads like a novel but I could easily see this adapted to a popular TV series or movie as well. Show-runners take note!
John Archer
Set in Winnipeg (where few novels are ever set) it exposes a complex society wrought with cultural issues closely intertwined with a series of unsolved murders that grips the city during the dog days of summer.
Macdonald has done a masterful job with no sign of a first-time novelist here.
It reads like a novel but I could easily see this adapted to a popular TV series or movie as well. Show-runners take note!
John Archer
February 14, 2021
Almost impossible to believe that this gripping novel is actually the author's first novel! Murdered indigenous women in Winnipeg - what could be more topical? I only put it down to sleep.
I hear that he is writing another. I am looking forward to it.
Remember that name, Don MacDonald, let's encourage this guy.
I hear that he is writing another. I am looking forward to it.
Remember that name, Don MacDonald, let's encourage this guy.
May 8, 2021
3.5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised that I really thought this was a well-written good book simply because I’m not one who typically reads crime novels. On one level, this is just that a crime novel but McDonald goes deeper, taking on issues such as racism, indigenous and white relations, sexual assault, prostitution, drug culture and other current issues. A vey well executed first novel.
February 2, 2021
Authors always deserve kudos for their effort - hence 3 stars at least. It's not an easy task writing a book, for that I am sure. Nevertheless, despite the hype behind this novel, I found it difficult to get going. Let's just say I found it predictable. Possibly one too many stereotypes.
February 26, 2021
A well written, highly engaging book. From the first few paragraphs I was hooked. Macdonald's writing style is detailed driven, and gives the reader strong and engaging visuals. Lots of twists and turns, I couldn't put it down!
June 3, 2021
Lots of Winnipeg!!! but not original enough - it's a cop story and there are too many already. yes the indigenous content and respect is good but characters aren't deep. also the title is misleading - after the first short bit they never return to really explore this unique creek...
June 23, 2021
Not my preferred genre, I enjoyed that it was written by a Winnipeg author and set in Winnipeg. Loaned to me by a friend
August 31, 2021
A interesting blend of a detective story and a look at some indigenous realities in Winnipeg.
April 27, 2023
This was a very good book. It kept you interested from the start to finish.
September 11, 2023
Really liked that it was in winnipeg! Made it feel that much more real.
March 9, 2025
It was fine for a crime story. Nothing particularly special.
November 2, 2021
A solid Canadian crime story.
Murder investigation in central Canada. Really gives a feel of Winnipeg & surroundings. Characters were realistic & came alive. The murder mystery at the heart of it kept you guessing. Kudos to Donald MacDonald on his first novel.
Murder investigation in central Canada. Really gives a feel of Winnipeg & surroundings. Characters were realistic & came alive. The murder mystery at the heart of it kept you guessing. Kudos to Donald MacDonald on his first novel.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews