Innocent Murderer

Cordi O'Callaghan Mystery #2

by Suzanne F. Kingsmill

When zoology professor Cordi O'Callaghan reluctantly accepts an invitation to be a lecturer aboard the Susanna Moodie, a vessel ferrying tourists through Canada's Arctic, she figures it will be a breeze. Seasickness aside, Cordi becomes entangled in the deaths of two of her fellow passengers, both members of a close-knit fiction-writing group. The fatalities are ruled accidental, but Cordi suspects they're anything but. However, she lacks evidence and credibility, according to Martha Bathgate and Duncan McPherson, her sometimes reluctant sidekicks who try to keep her grounded.

After Cordi returns to her home in the Ottawa Valley, she hits the trail and stirs up a hornets nest of lies, intrigue, jealousy, and greed as she grills potential murderers, one of whom takes offense and stalks her. Getting marooned on pack ice, a harrowing trip in an airplane and a hot air balloon, and a mysterious fire all add to the menace that threatens Cordi as she attempts to nail down a killer.

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Suzanne F. Kingsmill has a B.A. in English literature, a B.Sc. in biology, and a M.Sc. in zoology. She is the author of four murder mysteries starring Cordi O'Callaghan and four non-fiction books and has written numerous magazine articles. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is new to me, but I really enjoyed this book after getting past a bit more about the Arctic than happened to interest me personally--but I did learn a lot. The plot had some similarities to a play called "Underground" which we saw once in London, and also "Murder on the Orient Express", but there were twists so not identical.

[Stephanie Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even begin to list the death defying feats of Cordi. They range from ice bergs, to polar bears to hot air balloons to motorcycles. How our girl defeats death defies description.

However, the fast pace keeps one breathless and I for one never figure out the ending until I'm told, so it's all most enjoyable.