What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dominion Archives Mysteries #1
The Foulest Things
Jess Kendall is desperate to make a good impression on her new boss at the Canadian Archives and thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she finds some mysterious letters from the First World War. Setting out to unravel their story, Jess stumbles across a body in the archives’ vaults. It’s only when Jess makes the connection between the letters, the murder and a priceless Rembrandt, that she realizes just how high the stakes are. Her knowledge makes her the murderer’s next target and suddenly it’s not her career she’s worried about, but her life.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2022
16 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Amy Tector
6 books108 followersAmy Tector has spent more than 20 years plumbing the secrets squirrelled away in archives - whether it's uncovering a whale's ear (true story) in a box of old photographs, or working for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, she has been privy to hidden records and extraordinary secrets.
She now works at Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives Canada and is adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and a sessional instructor at Carleton University.
Amy has a PhD in English literature from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and now lives in Ottawa, Canada with a daughter named Violet, a husband named Andrew and a dog named Daffodil.
She now works at Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives Canada and is adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and a sessional instructor at Carleton University.
Amy has a PhD in English literature from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and now lives in Ottawa, Canada with a daughter named Violet, a husband named Andrew and a dog named Daffodil.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 20, 2023
Jess must navigate competitive coworkers and an unappreciative, demanding boss as she tries to turn an archives internship into a full-time job.
With a murder, stalking, chases, and romance this novel is a page-turner. -Stacy M.
With a murder, stalking, chases, and romance this novel is a page-turner. -Stacy M.
December 28, 2022
For a while, I thought I was going to read the second terrific book of the year about a Canadian archivist--what are the odds? It was even blurbed by Louise Penny! Unfortunately, the young woman who is very much the center of this book was not appealing to me. She's ambitious (mommy issues), and seems quite willing to break professional norms in the name of her ambitions, though the events --robbery, murder, things like that-- do chasten her, and although her superiors never do find out all that she's up to, she ends up even more unhappy in some ways after her experiences. As she discovers love letters in a set of old business ledgers, she realizes that she's on the trail of a lost painting. She also starts to fall in love with one of her co-workers, and is stalked by a dangerous member of a biker gang after she discovers a dead body. I didn't find the big reveal a big surprise, but that's not the real problem as much as her personality.
September 27, 2022
I loved Amy Tector's first book and this one was equally enjoyable! I love how she mixes history, mystery, and humor. She's great with pacing and character development. I'm already looking forward to what's next in this series.
January 15, 2023
This is the most Ottawa book I've ever read.
October 15, 2025
"The Foulest Things" - written by Amy Tector and published in 2022 by Keylight Books, Turner Publishing Company. An archives mystery sounded like fun. But once again I was presented with a self-centered female protagonist who constantly makes bad decisions. Of course after each blunder she repents - "How could I have been so stupid?" she thinks. The mystery involving a Rembrandt was okay, but the story as a whole was disappointing. And the title has virtually nothing to do with the book.
January 17, 2023
When Jess Kendall became the newest junior archivist in Ontario 2010 her biggest concern was eventually being hired on permanently. After she goes to her first auction for the Jarvis estate she is excited when Simon lets her catalog the farming logs for the Jarvis estate but this will lead her to a murder, a mystery romance in a painting from one of the greats but what does it all have to do with each other. Between Jess and her best friend Adele going to 80s nights visiting dive bars and trying to figure out who’s stalking Jess can she solve the case? Will commissioner Thibodeau be the only one to die? In the Jim and his unwed lady Love ever get back together after World War I? So many questions and they all get answered in this fun mystery I loved how she kept finding the old letters and I loved reading about just in the Dells investigating tactics which made for lots of lol moments. I did think the narrators cadence took a bit to get used to but she does great character distinction set a great tone for a fun mystery. I am not saying the narrator had a bad voice but it seems while she reads it sounds like she leaves the sentence open ended… If that makes sense but once you get used to it it’s fine I think she did a great job with that one exception. She has a great voice great understanding of the material she read and most importantly great character distinction. If Jess and Adele starts solving crimes again in the future I would be totally down to read that. This was a fun crazy book that I found so interesting and such a joy to listen to. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
May 9, 2022
If you love a good murder mystery, snarky sarcasm, with the perfect dose of romance, this page turner is for you!! Amy delivered a fun, witty, slightly comical, and mystery all wrapped up into one package. Highly recommend
February 28, 2023
This semi-cozy mystery set in Ottawa was all about the setting and the archival details for me. The URN (Unreliable Narrator), Jess, is often the heroine who predictably takes risks that turn into violent jeopardy throughout the book, and I have a low threshold for the amateur detective making bad choices. What Tector does well is give Jess a realistic voice as she ponders her decisions, the archival material she is assessing, and her past issues with her journalist mother (one of the motives for some of those decisions), and a long list of needy boyfriends. Her best friend Adela is a pistol and, sometimes, enabler and the archivists she works with at the Ottawa Dominion Archives a mixed bag of academics with their own foibles. You’ll be shouting at the book like it’s a horror film as Jess makes one bad call after another to solve an art mystery and uncover a murderer. The art and archival details are excellent, as is the winter weather of Ottawa and Montreal, and the realistic apartments and reading rooms Tector provides as a backdrop. Jess uses her archival knowledge and learns how to do some real reference work as the historical details of WWI era Paris and Canada pulled me into the narrative. A second one is due in March, 2023: Speak for the Dead. I hope most of the CHs are back, especially the annoying but attractive Detective Lemieux. For fans of academic and art mysteries or readers who enjoy M.E. Hillard, Paige Shelton, Judith Flanders or are craving an authentic ice-encrusted Canadian setting. RED FLAG: Violence on the page and hints of torture and rape which is why I consider this Semi-Adjacent.
January 12, 2023
"It is the aim ... of Rembrandt to paint the foulest things he could see by rushlight." Jess Kendall is an intern with Canada's Dominion Archives when she finds a body in the art vault. Who killed him, and what was their motive? The murder coincides with a discovery in a new archives acquisition, and Jess begins to wonder if there's a connection.
There's an interesting transition for Jess over the course of the novel, as she goes from wide-eyed newcomer struggling for a job and stumbling over a body to becoming integral to the murder investigation and puts solving the mystery ahead of her career. At the same time there's a matching tonal shift, from a breezy fish-out-of-water story to real danger.
Jess is well drawn and I liked the secondary romance plot, but this is less character-driven than the author's first novel: this time, it's mystery first. Clues and suspects abound, so which of them are red herrings and which are the real deal? There were enough moving pieces to keep the solution well obscured until the conclusion. Jess tackles her naivete head-on and is ready to suspect anyone, which I appreciated, but even she gets caught by surprise.
There's an interesting transition for Jess over the course of the novel, as she goes from wide-eyed newcomer struggling for a job and stumbling over a body to becoming integral to the murder investigation and puts solving the mystery ahead of her career. At the same time there's a matching tonal shift, from a breezy fish-out-of-water story to real danger.
Jess is well drawn and I liked the secondary romance plot, but this is less character-driven than the author's first novel: this time, it's mystery first. Clues and suspects abound, so which of them are red herrings and which are the real deal? There were enough moving pieces to keep the solution well obscured until the conclusion. Jess tackles her naivete head-on and is ready to suspect anyone, which I appreciated, but even she gets caught by surprise.
January 13, 2023
I learned a lot about what archivists do..and about “overpainting”
October 7, 2022
The Foulest Things will likely appeal to many, but I will take this moment to highly recommend it particularly to young women (and men!) in the GLAM sector (Galleries - Libraries - Archives - Museums), you know who you are. You’re just like Jess Novak, new, nervous, precariously employed and seemingly at the mercy of those around you. Oh, and you really want to prove yourself. All while finding hidden treasures in dusty archival tomes and staying on your mom’s good side.
Jess is every young woman. Really you ask? But what about all those girls I worked (read: work) with who always seemed to have it all? Nope, they too were worried about how their colleagues perceived them and if they’d get made permanent in time to ward off their mom’s insistent and well-intended but unwelcome job offers, if they could take sick days without earning hairy eyeballs from their manager and of course, if they could somehow land *the* guy while simultaneously pulling it all off, in heels.
Jess and her bestie (because isn’t it great that she has a non-GLAM bestie who’s actually GLAMMER than Jess?) take the matter of investigating the murder of a security guard into their own hands when a jurisdictionally messy case doesn’t seem to going anywhere.
Not surprisingly, Tector sets the scene perfectly. From the description of snow on the always inefficient carpeting meant to capture the sludge and slush of January to how the characters kick their heels together to shake off the snow before getting into a car, this is Ottawa to a T. And if that wasn’t enough there’s also Barrymore’s, the Metropolitan Brasserie and the imposing and unfriendly architecture of downtown that serves as the backdrop for this Louise Penny-esque murder mystery.
No gore: this is a “safe” murder mystery for those of us who get a bit squeamish or frankly don’t need all that mess to be transported to the scene of the crime
Jess is every young woman. Really you ask? But what about all those girls I worked (read: work) with who always seemed to have it all? Nope, they too were worried about how their colleagues perceived them and if they’d get made permanent in time to ward off their mom’s insistent and well-intended but unwelcome job offers, if they could take sick days without earning hairy eyeballs from their manager and of course, if they could somehow land *the* guy while simultaneously pulling it all off, in heels.
Jess and her bestie (because isn’t it great that she has a non-GLAM bestie who’s actually GLAMMER than Jess?) take the matter of investigating the murder of a security guard into their own hands when a jurisdictionally messy case doesn’t seem to going anywhere.
Not surprisingly, Tector sets the scene perfectly. From the description of snow on the always inefficient carpeting meant to capture the sludge and slush of January to how the characters kick their heels together to shake off the snow before getting into a car, this is Ottawa to a T. And if that wasn’t enough there’s also Barrymore’s, the Metropolitan Brasserie and the imposing and unfriendly architecture of downtown that serves as the backdrop for this Louise Penny-esque murder mystery.
No gore: this is a “safe” murder mystery for those of us who get a bit squeamish or frankly don’t need all that mess to be transported to the scene of the crime
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2022
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed this one.
This is Amy Tector's second published book and I absolutely loved her first earlier this year (The Honeybee Emeralds - definitely recommend checking it out as well). I was eagerly anticipating The Foulest Things and it did not disappoint! This mystery book set around the Canadian archives in Ottawa /Gatineau in the winter leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was so well written and very hard to put down. Amy's writing is smart, her chapter structures make it so that I always need to start the next chapter, and I really enjoyed the pace of this book especially as I read it to escape the stress and anticipation of hurricane Fiona and finished it in the relieving aftermath.
I'm excited that these characters will be in a series because I really enjoyed Jess and her close friend Adela and her colleagues at the archives. I loved how I expected parts of the book to go in one direction and it actually went in another direction (so fun as a reader to have that experience). I loved the Canadian-ness of the book but I think it'd be enjoyable to anyone who roots for mysteries from the past to be solved. The length of the book was perfect too and I felt the ending left a lot open to read about in the future in this setting.
Overall, I highly recommend this one and her other book too (completely unrelated to this) - thank you again for sending it to me, Amy!
I really enjoyed this one.
This is Amy Tector's second published book and I absolutely loved her first earlier this year (The Honeybee Emeralds - definitely recommend checking it out as well). I was eagerly anticipating The Foulest Things and it did not disappoint! This mystery book set around the Canadian archives in Ottawa /Gatineau in the winter leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was so well written and very hard to put down. Amy's writing is smart, her chapter structures make it so that I always need to start the next chapter, and I really enjoyed the pace of this book especially as I read it to escape the stress and anticipation of hurricane Fiona and finished it in the relieving aftermath.
I'm excited that these characters will be in a series because I really enjoyed Jess and her close friend Adela and her colleagues at the archives. I loved how I expected parts of the book to go in one direction and it actually went in another direction (so fun as a reader to have that experience). I loved the Canadian-ness of the book but I think it'd be enjoyable to anyone who roots for mysteries from the past to be solved. The length of the book was perfect too and I felt the ending left a lot open to read about in the future in this setting.
Overall, I highly recommend this one and her other book too (completely unrelated to this) - thank you again for sending it to me, Amy!
October 30, 2022
Fast moving twists and turns marinated in sharp human insight
This, the first of Amy Tector's 'Dominion Archives' series but her second novel, sparkles from the get-go, holding readers on the edge of their seats. The narrative zigs and zags as it runs into dead ends and down blind alleys. Tector's dialogue snaps and pops like a bowl of Rice Krispies overdosing on s, all the while revealing deep insights into the humanity of her characters. Tector's own human insight is incisive, and she reveals this through her colorful exposition. As for the ultimate outcome? Who'da ever thunk?
This, the first of Amy Tector's 'Dominion Archives' series but her second novel, sparkles from the get-go, holding readers on the edge of their seats. The narrative zigs and zags as it runs into dead ends and down blind alleys. Tector's dialogue snaps and pops like a bowl of Rice Krispies overdosing on s, all the while revealing deep insights into the humanity of her characters. Tector's own human insight is incisive, and she reveals this through her colorful exposition. As for the ultimate outcome? Who'da ever thunk?
December 9, 2022
This review was first published at https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/12...
After reading and loving Tector’s The Honeybee Emeralds, I was excited to read her next book, The Foulest Things. I’m glad I did – it was really a fun read!
It all starts when the main character, Jess, finds a body in the archives’ art vault. She’s an aspiring junior archivist, and suddenly everything in her life goes…a bit nuts. There’s a really fun mystery, and Jess is right in the middle of it with a discovery she makes inside some old ledgers.
I really had no idea about the life of an archivist, so this was a really fun read. It lends itself so well to mystery!
After reading and loving Tector’s The Honeybee Emeralds, I was excited to read her next book, The Foulest Things. I’m glad I did – it was really a fun read!
It all starts when the main character, Jess, finds a body in the archives’ art vault. She’s an aspiring junior archivist, and suddenly everything in her life goes…a bit nuts. There’s a really fun mystery, and Jess is right in the middle of it with a discovery she makes inside some old ledgers.
I really had no idea about the life of an archivist, so this was a really fun read. It lends itself so well to mystery!
June 1, 2024
You ever read a book where the main character continuously chooses chaos? That was this book. It made me legitimately angry. It was too heavy on making stupid decisions, and not enough of the lore, secrecy, history. I was so excited to read about hidden letters, but it was barely the storyline. I also thought the characters were too stereotypical and fit into the cookie-cutter mold (bad boss, condescending coworker, friend coworker). Great premise, poorly executed. I don’t know if I’ll read another one of this author’s books. Thanks to Net Galley for access.
November 16, 2022
Jess is a jr. archivist hoping to land a permanent job when she stumbles across letters hidden in books she is reviewing and realizes this might be her ticket. While she is researching the history of the letters she finds a dead body, believes someone is stalking her and that the letters may not be as innocent as they seem. First in the series. Fun characters and a great setting!
March 28, 2023
Predictable and I didn't like any of the characters. Not sure why I finished reading it.
July 4, 2023
There's something special about reading a murder mystery set at your own workplace... I thoroughly enjoyed this!
February 15, 2024
The narrator was so bad I couldn’t finish the audiobook. Try again with the ebook.
September 16, 2024
Not for me - cliched writing and silly predictable plot.
September 27, 2023
(3.5 rounded to 4.0).
Jess Kendall is the newest employee at the Dominion Archives. After an auction purchase, her boss assigns her to catalog years of farm financial journals dating from prior to WWI. When inspecting the journals for their condition, she discovers, hidden under the end papers, a love letter from someone named Jim to a woman named Vic (Victoria). Then she finds another … and another … and another…until the love affair begins to take shape. On the night she found the first letter, she also discovers a body of one of the Archives scholars. Jess decides she to go through all of the journals and recover as many letters as possible, then write a scholarly paper focused on their affair. She begins the research to find out who they were and what happened to them. Soon she realizes that she is being stalked and the Police detective is watching her as a suspect.
The most interesting part of this story is the love affair in their letters. The “mystery“ involving the murders and a missing painting that is the spoils of war for Jim and Vic. The writing was expressive and the characters well developed. However it couldn’t make up for a selfish, spoiled heroine and a group of smug, self-important academics who make it their mission to either discredit or degrade her efforts to research and publish her work. Doing the climatic ending, the method of dealing with Jess and her pursuers is unique and well executed. Recommend to readers of mysteries, thrillers, Canada, epistolary, WWI, and archives.
Jess Kendall is the newest employee at the Dominion Archives. After an auction purchase, her boss assigns her to catalog years of farm financial journals dating from prior to WWI. When inspecting the journals for their condition, she discovers, hidden under the end papers, a love letter from someone named Jim to a woman named Vic (Victoria). Then she finds another … and another … and another…until the love affair begins to take shape. On the night she found the first letter, she also discovers a body of one of the Archives scholars. Jess decides she to go through all of the journals and recover as many letters as possible, then write a scholarly paper focused on their affair. She begins the research to find out who they were and what happened to them. Soon she realizes that she is being stalked and the Police detective is watching her as a suspect.
The most interesting part of this story is the love affair in their letters. The “mystery“ involving the murders and a missing painting that is the spoils of war for Jim and Vic. The writing was expressive and the characters well developed. However it couldn’t make up for a selfish, spoiled heroine and a group of smug, self-important academics who make it their mission to either discredit or degrade her efforts to research and publish her work. Doing the climatic ending, the method of dealing with Jess and her pursuers is unique and well executed. Recommend to readers of mysteries, thrillers, Canada, epistolary, WWI, and archives.
December 24, 2025
This was pretty funny, being someone who has worked at the so called “Dominion Archives.” It’s not every day you get to read a crazy murder mystery set in your workplace, covering pretty specific location details down to the streets that are part of the commute. A few things felt off to me (some of the details around vault security, her job in general, the plausibility of getting hired permanently over an academic article publication), but the character’s supposed job is so far removed from what I do that I could suspend my disbelief. I did find it pretty unbelievable that she didn’t know how to do basic research as a grad of an MA in Information Science though. How did you get this far ?
This was the first book I’ve read that was set in Ottawa, so that was fun as well. Hintonburg being that sketchy in 2010 felt a bit off to me, but accurate for the 90s or maybe even early 2000s (disclaimer: this is what I’ve heard from others because I was a kid back then).
The story and writing were not my favourite. The main character was really whiny and got herself into all kinds of trouble for no reason, and really there were very few other characters I liked other than Louise. I could not stand Mike or even fathom what was so attractive about him. Lots of corny expressions and references were used, including pretty goofy French Canadian stereotypes.
Would I read the next book though? Yeah, probably. It was a fun read to get me through the day.
This was the first book I’ve read that was set in Ottawa, so that was fun as well. Hintonburg being that sketchy in 2010 felt a bit off to me, but accurate for the 90s or maybe even early 2000s (disclaimer: this is what I’ve heard from others because I was a kid back then).
The story and writing were not my favourite. The main character was really whiny and got herself into all kinds of trouble for no reason, and really there were very few other characters I liked other than Louise. I could not stand Mike or even fathom what was so attractive about him. Lots of corny expressions and references were used, including pretty goofy French Canadian stereotypes.
Would I read the next book though? Yeah, probably. It was a fun read to get me through the day.
January 13, 2023
The Foulest Things by Amy Tector tells a story of Jessica, a new archivist at the Dominion Archives in Ottawa, Canada. She finds some interesting letters from the WWI era. She also finds a corpse of one of her colleagues in the art vault.
I thought the story and the mystery was interesting although a bit predictable. But it was very nice to learn about some of the behind the scenes information from the lives of the archivists. I thought Jessica's character was believable and well thought out. I didn't believe how toxic her work environment was! I really hope it does not really happen often to have such mean and jealous co-workers!
I listened to the audiobook and I did not love the narrator, I'm afraid. The voice sounded robotic and absolutely impossible to listen to at 1x speed. I listened at 1.75 and 2x speed and it was just bearable. I feel really bad as it's a real person but something just didn't click. I honestly think I'd enjoy the book a lot more if the narrator was different.
I almost gave up on it right away but I decided to stick around and I actually did enjoy the book and the story itself. It has a lot of action and some interesting additional information about art and the Great War.
Thank you, NetScape and Dreamscape Media, for the advanced copy of this book for my review. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
I thought the story and the mystery was interesting although a bit predictable. But it was very nice to learn about some of the behind the scenes information from the lives of the archivists. I thought Jessica's character was believable and well thought out. I didn't believe how toxic her work environment was! I really hope it does not really happen often to have such mean and jealous co-workers!
I listened to the audiobook and I did not love the narrator, I'm afraid. The voice sounded robotic and absolutely impossible to listen to at 1x speed. I listened at 1.75 and 2x speed and it was just bearable. I feel really bad as it's a real person but something just didn't click. I honestly think I'd enjoy the book a lot more if the narrator was different.
I almost gave up on it right away but I decided to stick around and I actually did enjoy the book and the story itself. It has a lot of action and some interesting additional information about art and the Great War.
Thank you, NetScape and Dreamscape Media, for the advanced copy of this book for my review. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
March 4, 2023
Jessica is a new archivist at the Dominion Archives and as such is still on probation. She is given a new collection to organize and clean. While looking at one of the ledgers she noticed something and extracted a letter from a hiding place. The letter is written during the beginning of WWI by a painter visiting Paris to his sweetheart back home in Canada. Eventually, Jess finds more letters in the other ledgers While researching the couple and a painting mentioned in the letters Jess finds a dead body in the closed stacks. This occurrence triggers a series of events that include the police, a stalker, a possible romance, and a questionable office friendship.
As a professional archivist I can say the Dominion Archives is a toxic work environment, and I know of similar ones in higher education. The publish or perish environment is not for everyone, since it is full of anxiety and competition. I laughed and identified myself in a couple of places. One, every archivist will tear, break, or somehow unintentionally damage an item at least once in their career. Second, I don’t know very many people who keep accurate reference stats, I’ve guesstimated mine for at least a decade. Jess seemed to be newer to the profession and I liked the character. One of the other characters seemed hinky to me and now I know why. Overall, I enjoyed the book but this is probably something I should have listened to while I was at work instead of during my time off. Some arch-uhv-ist might cringe with the word arch-hive-ist.
The narrator was good, the inspectors accent kind of grated on my nerves a bit. Many imitated French accents do that. I listened to the first chapter at regular speed and then sped it up to 1.75.
#NetGalley and Dreamscape Media provided an Advanced Listeners Copy
As a professional archivist I can say the Dominion Archives is a toxic work environment, and I know of similar ones in higher education. The publish or perish environment is not for everyone, since it is full of anxiety and competition. I laughed and identified myself in a couple of places. One, every archivist will tear, break, or somehow unintentionally damage an item at least once in their career. Second, I don’t know very many people who keep accurate reference stats, I’ve guesstimated mine for at least a decade. Jess seemed to be newer to the profession and I liked the character. One of the other characters seemed hinky to me and now I know why. Overall, I enjoyed the book but this is probably something I should have listened to while I was at work instead of during my time off. Some arch-uhv-ist might cringe with the word arch-hive-ist.
The narrator was good, the inspectors accent kind of grated on my nerves a bit. Many imitated French accents do that. I listened to the first chapter at regular speed and then sped it up to 1.75.
#NetGalley and Dreamscape Media provided an Advanced Listeners Copy
Read
January 30, 2023Set in Ottawa, Canada, this book by Amy Tector begins a new series called the Dominion Archives. Jess Novak, a new and probationary archivist at the institution runs across some letters stashed in a series of old account books. The letters hint at a lost Rembrandt and Jess wants to track it down.
When she ventures into the art vault of the Dominion, she discovers the body of an art historian there. As she finds and reads more of the letters, she realizes that the murder victim may somehow be involved in the search for the missing painting. Before she can unravel it all, she becomes the target of a stalker as well as a suspect of the police. Jessica juggles being a suspect, avoiding her stalker, a new romantic relationship with a co-worker, and trying to keep up with her job in addition to searching for the missing painting.
Things eventually come to a head and Jessica undergoes a harrowing experience.
Senn Annis, award winning narrator, easily portrays Jess and the other characters, each with a distinctive voice.
When she ventures into the art vault of the Dominion, she discovers the body of an art historian there. As she finds and reads more of the letters, she realizes that the murder victim may somehow be involved in the search for the missing painting. Before she can unravel it all, she becomes the target of a stalker as well as a suspect of the police. Jessica juggles being a suspect, avoiding her stalker, a new romantic relationship with a co-worker, and trying to keep up with her job in addition to searching for the missing painting.
Things eventually come to a head and Jessica undergoes a harrowing experience.
Senn Annis, award winning narrator, easily portrays Jess and the other characters, each with a distinctive voice.
February 20, 2023
"What are you some later day Columbo?"
"I was Nancy Drew on steroids!"
The Foulest Things: A Dominion Archives Mystery Book One by entertaining author Amy Rector is a clever start to a new cozy mystery series. In Ottawa Canada we enter the life of Jess trying to impress everyone as the newest archivist in a world I never knew was so political and backstabbing. While cataloguing material she finds letters from lovers during WWl that suggest they stole a famous missing painting. In the art vault to research she finds a dead body. So begins her adventures as the lastest Nancy Drew but it gets serious when someone tries to kill her too!
I loved narrator Senn Annis as Jess a young woman anxious to impress and yet having age appropriate vulnerability. I never had the guilty party in my sights but it all made sense at the end and nothing was foul about it.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
*This Review Is For The Audiobook*
"I was Nancy Drew on steroids!"
The Foulest Things: A Dominion Archives Mystery Book One by entertaining author Amy Rector is a clever start to a new cozy mystery series. In Ottawa Canada we enter the life of Jess trying to impress everyone as the newest archivist in a world I never knew was so political and backstabbing. While cataloguing material she finds letters from lovers during WWl that suggest they stole a famous missing painting. In the art vault to research she finds a dead body. So begins her adventures as the lastest Nancy Drew but it gets serious when someone tries to kill her too!
I loved narrator Senn Annis as Jess a young woman anxious to impress and yet having age appropriate vulnerability. I never had the guilty party in my sights but it all made sense at the end and nothing was foul about it.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
*This Review Is For The Audiobook*
May 14, 2023
In this story we meet junior archivist Jess Kendall. She is working as an intern at the Ottawa Archives. This is very much a Canadian story. It all takes place in Ottawa and across the provincial boundaries into Quebec. Jess has been relegated to doing what she feels is menial research work. Basically, cataloguing documents purchased at an auction. Much to her surprise she finds within these items love letters from WW1. She begins to research the people in the letters only to find herself involved in a murder, and art forgery.
I did find the story interesting. I was a bit put off with Jess at first because she was the type of character I hate. I really do not like it when female characters are ditzy and can’t seem to cope with problems in some kind of logical manner. Jess finally finds her feet and starts to make some sense, but she lapses occasionally.
I was not as enthralled with this story as I was with the Honey Bee Emeralds by the same author. I did like it by the end.
I will look for more books by this author.
I did find the story interesting. I was a bit put off with Jess at first because she was the type of character I hate. I really do not like it when female characters are ditzy and can’t seem to cope with problems in some kind of logical manner. Jess finally finds her feet and starts to make some sense, but she lapses occasionally.
I was not as enthralled with this story as I was with the Honey Bee Emeralds by the same author. I did like it by the end.
I will look for more books by this author.
April 16, 2023
I very much enjoyed this book set in the National Archives in Ottawa, a building I walked past when on holiday in our nation's capital. Used to the quiet environs of the Archives building, Jess Novak's quiet life is upturned when she discovers a dead body in the stacks. Jess has discovered some letters from the 1940s which suggest that a previously unknown painting by Rembrandt may have been smuggled out of Paris during the First World War, and is hidden behind a painting by a Canadian artist and may be in the Archives. Jess tries to pursue the painting but is hindered by a co-worker who wants the glory for herself, her boss who hates her, not to mention a shadowy figure who is probably the murderer of the dead body. The pursuit turns dangerous when the murderer tries to silence her and she relies on the support from a member of the Surety in Gatineau. The author keeps up a steady pace and the book is different and most enjoyable.
April 15, 2023
The Foulest Things by Amy Tector is an elegantly written and unapologetically Canadian book that kept me anxiously turning the pages to the very end.
Part historical mystery with an engaging love story demonstrated through engaging correspondence at the beginning of the Great War, and part modern murder mystery, the storyline is engaging and the characters both past and present are compelling and wonderful to get to know; in particular Jess, the young archivist, is complex, relatable, and stronger than she initially appears. There are a number of viable suspects for the murder, and the interactions between Jess and the French detective are particularly entertaining.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one! Thank you to Amy Tector, who sent me a paperback ARC of this and the next book when I won an online contest.
Part historical mystery with an engaging love story demonstrated through engaging correspondence at the beginning of the Great War, and part modern murder mystery, the storyline is engaging and the characters both past and present are compelling and wonderful to get to know; in particular Jess, the young archivist, is complex, relatable, and stronger than she initially appears. There are a number of viable suspects for the murder, and the interactions between Jess and the French detective are particularly entertaining.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one! Thank you to Amy Tector, who sent me a paperback ARC of this and the next book when I won an online contest.
September 8, 2023
I learned of this book from an interview between Strong Sense of Place Podcasters Mel and Dave and the author as part of a Teh Newburyport Literary festival in April 2023. It intrigued me because I live in Ottawa and know people who work at the National Archives. I enjoyed the story and the setting was particularly well done. The mystery unfolded at a good pace and it did not dwell on the little bits of violence. The details on archives and why they are important were interesing. I am curious as to why they have a different name of the lead character in the Goodreads summary - it is Jessica Novak in the copy I have. #strongsenseofplace
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews