By Mike Martin
A Capital Mystery Volume 2 is a continuation of the storytelling that started with the first Ottawa mystery anthology, A Capital Mystery. This new collection takes you to familiar Ottawa locations to find hidden truths and sometimes unpleasant scenes and memories. No place is safe from the prying eyes of these inquisitive writers. A jewelry store, an escape room, even the frozen Rideau Canal are the scenes for stories that range from humorous to deadly serious, from light romps to accidental death and to the loss of a young immigrant who was entangled and, finally, trapped in love.
There’s even a murder in the iconic Peace Tower that hangs over Parliament Hill
The authors of A Capital Mystery Volume 2 are as interesting as the stories themselves. We’d like to introduce some of them to you.
Christina Spencer is a name you might recognize. She was the editorial pages editor of the Ottawa Citizen and is now senior editor for features and investigations at Postmedia Network. Although she has a lot of experience writing, the story Operation ‘On Thin Ice’ is her first work of fiction. And even though she didn’t learn to skate until moving to Ottawa from Scarborough as an adult and discovering the Rideau Skateway, her story is set on and near the frozen Rideau Canal.
In Operation ‘On Thin Ice’ the main character gets dropped off with friends at Fifth Avenue to go skating on the Rideau Canal. They stop for BeaverTails and while they enjoy their snacks, someone steals her skates. She and her friends launch a plan to get the skates back. Will they succeed? You’ll have to read Operation ‘On Thin Ice’ to find out.
Andrew Kohut, on the other hand, you have probably never heard of. He was with the army of public sector workers who make up the bedrock of the federal government. After 34 years crunching data, he has graduated to working with words. Not surprisingly, the story Trouble with Numbers takes place in the Jean Talon Building at Tunney’s Pasture.
A rookie mystery writer, he combines his expertise in data collection with his new-found love of crime and criminals. The story is about an Ottawa police officer dealing with his young, quirky granddaughter while investigating an unusual call. Working together through some humorous interactions, they manage to solve a crime while re-establishing a family connection.
Glenda Stewart is another of the newbie short story writers in A Capital Mystery Volume 2. With a degree in English literature from Queen’s University, she worked in communications with the federal government and even sold real estate for a few years. Now that she is retired, she is starting a new chapter in her life, maybe as a mystery writer. The story Once Bitten, Twice Dead follows the adventures of a woman who has to make sure her abusive husband doesn’t come back from the dead. Ever Again. How does she get rid of him for good? Great question…
A Capital Mystery Volume 2 has something for every mystery or crime reader in the family. The stories are set in all four corners of Ottawa from Kanata to Orléans and everywhere in between. One story takes us back to the days of the trucker convoy, and Ottawa readers will feel right at home solving crimes at the Tulip Festival or the Ottawa Farmers’ Market at Lansdowne. There’s even a few spins into the past with visits to Barrymore’s, Nate’s Deli, the Beachcomber Room, Le Hibou and the Grand Hotel.
There’s something really comforting about reading a book set in your hometown or neighbourhood. Even when the stories might be about a young man who learns that love can be deadly dangerous. Or when a woman picks up a hitchhiker while returning to Ottawa. It doesn’t go well, for the hitchhiker that is. How about a story involving a jewelry store heist, a fast-food restaurant fire and shenanigans in an escape room? All become relatively normal in a day in the life of Ottawa.
A Capital Mystery Volume 2 is the gateway to an Ottawa you never knew existed. It’s all fiction. Or is it?
Mike Martin is the co-editor of A Capital Mystery Volume 2. It will be released by Ottawa Press and Publishing and available at local bookstores in September.
