The competition is fierce, the shortlisted books are:

• Lou Allin, Contingency Plan, Orca Rapid Reads
• Vicki Delany, A Winter Kill, Orca Rapid Reads
• Barbara Fradkin, Evil behind that Door, Orca Rapid Reads
• Christopher G. Moore, “Reunion”, Phnom Penh Noir, Heaven Lake Press

Click here to learn more about A WINTER KILL.

In A STARRED REVIEW Library Journal says: “In a change of pace from her Con. Molly Smith mysteries (Among the Departed), Delany has written a splendid Gothic thriller with a theme of strong women throughout history. Readers will be captivated by the haunted root cellar and how Delany contrasted one woman’s struggles in the past with the plight of contemporary refugees.”

New York Times Bestselling author Susanna Kearsley says, “This clever mystery mingles past and present in an atmosphere as chilling as the subtle roll of mist across a field.”

MORE THAN SORROW from Poisoned Pen Press

Once, Hannah Manning was an internationally-renowned journalist and war correspondent.  Today, she’s a woman suffering from a traumatic brain injury.  Unable to read, unable to concentrate, full of pain, lost and confused, haunted by her memories, Hannah goes to her sister’s small-scale vegetable farm in Prince Edward County, Ontario to recover.

As summer settles on the farm, she finds comfort in the soft rolling hills and neat fields as well as friendship in the company of Hila Popalzai, an Afghan woman also traumatized by war.

Unable to read the printed word, Hannah retreats into the attic and boxes of mouldy letters that have accumulated for more than two centuries.  As she learns about the original settlers of this land, Loyalist refugees fleeing the United States in 1784, she is increasingly drawn to the space beneath the old house.  More than carrots and potatoes, soups and jams, are down in the dark damp root cellar.

Hannah experiences visions of a woman, emerging from the icy cold mist. Is the woman real? Or the product of a severely damaged brain?

Gold Mountain

“Delany is a master at her craft, able to use language and historical events to build a story that rivets the reader until the last page.. A must read for historical mystery buffs.” Mystery Scene Magazine.

“Smart and Funny.” The Globe and Mail.

“The bizarre closing twist will leave readers prospecting for a sequel.” Publishers Weekly

For a sneak peek at the first chapter,

Click Here!

Available from Amazon.ca, From Amazon.com, From Chapters/Indigo. Also available from your favourite independent bookstore. In paperback and all e-book formats.

In the summer of 1897 Fiona MacGillivray, resourceful, ambitious, unscrupulous, fled Toronto with only a valise full of stolen jewellery and her 11 year old son, Angus. They arrived in Vancouver in time to hear the news – Gold Discovered in the Klondike! Fiona immediately set off for Skagway, Alaska, intending to open a theatre.

After one encounter with the infamous gangster Soapy Smith and his henchman Paul Sheridan, Fiona wisely decides to pursue her ambitions on the other side of the border, and she and Angus climb the Chilkoot trail for Dawson City, Yukon.

It’s a year later and Fiona is now part-owner of the highly successful Savoy Saloon and Dance Hall. Soapy Smith is about to be gunned down on the Skagway waterfront, but Paul Sheridan has set off for newer pastures. It seems that a German (or was it a Frenchman?) was stabbed in a bar fight (or did he collapse on Dead Horse Trail?), and as he breathed his last he passed his most precious possession to Sheridan.

A map.

A map pointing due north to the fabled Gold Mountain, where hills of pure gold keep the heat from the hot springs contained in a valley as warm as California. Sheridan is determined to venture into the Yukon wilderness alone to pursue his fortune and become the self-declared King of Gold Mountain.
Alone, that is, except for the woman he intends to marry and make his Queen, Fiona MacGillivray. Fiona, however, wants no part of either Sheridan or his mad plans.

Sheridan, in the grips of gold fever, refuses to take no for an answer. And it is up to Corporal Richard Sterling of the NWMP, young Angus MacGillivray, a headstrong assortment of dancers and musicians, croupiers and bartenders, prostitutes and madams without hearts of gold, miners and shopkeepers, gentleman and layabouts to head into the vast wilderness in pursuit.

But are they after Fiona. Or Gold Mountain itself?

From Amazon.ca, From Amazon.com, From Chapters/Indigo. Also available for pre-order from your favourite independent bookstore.

Orca Publishers has released Vicki’s book, A WINTER KILL.  A Winter Kill is a Rapid Reads book, intended for reluctant adult readers and those wanting a fast, suspenseful read.

A Winter Kill

Nicole Patterson is a young, green and very eager probationary constable with the Ontario Provincial Police. Although she spends much of her time breaking up bar fights, giving out traffic tickets and finding lost kids, she dreams of one day becoming a detective.

Late one bitterly cold winter night, she comes across the body of a young woman lying on the edge of a snow-covered field on the outskirts of town. The girl appears to have been strangled. Nicole recognizes the victim as a local high school student with a somewhat sullied reputation, the daughter of the town drunk. Though both under-qualified and unauthorized, Nicole feels compelled to throw herself into the murder investigation.

Was the murdered girl really as promiscuous as her classmates described or the victim of bullying? What was her relationship with the star of the football team? And what is the significance of the ring with the large blue stone found near her body?

Is Nicole Patterson herself heading for trouble by pretending to be a detective?

Available for Kindle here, KOBO here,

Order:  From Amazon.ca. From Amazon.com. From Chapters/Indigo.  Also available from your favourite Independent Bookstore.

Poisoned Pen Press will be releasing my first two books with them, Scare the Light Away and Burden of Memory with new editions and new covers.  If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, why not give them a try.  These books are standalone novels of suspense in the modern Gothic style. The re-release is in trade paperback format only, so if you want to read them on your e-reader, they’re still available in all the popular formats

More on Burden of Memory

Burden of Memory by Vicki Delany

More on Scare the Light Away

Scare the Light Away by Vicki Delany

The books are now available for pre-order for Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Chapters.ca, or your favourite independent bookstore.

April 1st:

Orca Publishers will be releasing Vicki’s book, A WINTER KILL.  A Winter Kill is a Rapid Reads book, intended for reluctant adult readers and those wanting a fast, suspenseful read.

A Winter Kill

Nicole Patterson is a young, green and very eager probationary constable with the Ontario Provincial Police. Although she spends much of her time breaking up bar fights, giving out traffic tickets and finding lost kids, she dreams of one day becoming a detective.

Late one bitterly cold winter night, she comes across the body of a young woman lying on the edge of a snow-covered field on the outskirts of town. The girl appears to have been strangled. Nicole recognizes the victim as a local high school student with a somewhat sullied reputation, the daughter of the town drunk. Though both under-qualified and unauthorized, Nicole feels compelled to throw herself into the murder investigation.

Was the murdered girl really as promiscuous as her classmates described or the victim of bullying? What was her relationship with the star of the football team? And what is the significance of the ring with the large blue stone found near her body?

Is Nicole Patterson herself heading for trouble by pretending to be a detective?

Preorder:  From Amazon.ca. From Amazon.com. From Chapters/Indigo.  Also available for Pre-Order from your favourite Independent Bookstore.

April 23

Dundurn Press releases GOLD MOUNTAIN, the third in the Kondike Gold Rush Series.

Gold Mountain

In the summer of 1897 Fiona MacGillivray, resourceful, ambitious, unscrupulous, fled Toronto with only a valise full of stolen jewellery and her 11 year old son, Angus. They arrived in Vancouver in time to hear the news – Gold Discovered in the Klondike! Fiona immediately set off for Skagway, Alaska, intending to open a theatre.

After one encounter with the infamous gangster Soapy Smith and his henchman Paul Sheridan, Fiona wisely decides to pursue her ambitions on the other side of the border, and she and Angus climb the Chilkoot trail for Dawson City, Yukon.

It’s a year later and Fiona is now part-owner of the highly successful Savoy Saloon and Dance Hall. Soapy Smith is about to be gunned down on the Skagway waterfront, but Paul Sheridan has set off for newer pastures. It seems that a German (or was it a Frenchman?) was stabbed in a bar fight (or did he collapse on Dead Horse Trail?), and as he breathed his last he passed his most precious possession to Sheridan.

A map.

A map pointing due north to the fabled Gold Mountain, where hills of pure gold keep the heat from the hot springs contained in a valley as warm as California. Sheridan is determined to venture into the Yukon wilderness alone to pursue his fortune and become the self-declared King of Gold Mountain.
Alone, that is, except for the woman he intends to marry and make his Queen, Fiona MacGillivray. Fiona, however, wants no part of either Sheridan or his mad plans.

Sheridan, in the grips of gold fever, refuses to take no for an answer. And it is up to Corporal Richard Sterling of the NWMP, young Angus MacGillivray, a headstrong assortment of dancers and musicians, croupiers and bartenders, prostitutes and madams without hearts of gold, miners and shopkeepers, gentleman and layabouts to head into the vast wilderness in pursuit.

But are they after Fiona. Or Gold Mountain itself?

Pre-Order: From Amazon.ca, From Amazon.com, From Chapters/Indigo. Also available for pre-order from your favourite independent bookstore.

A Starred Review from Library Journal:

By using western Canada as her setting, Delany gives us a breath taking vista, in which she places her deceptively minimalist plots. Her exceptional ability to create characters, both realistic and sometimes creepy, makes this another terrific addition to her outstanding body of work.

Fifteen years ago a young girl by the name of Moonlight Smith went to her best friend Nicky Nowak’s house for a sleepover. Moonlight joined the family for breakfast the following morning and was then picked up by her mother. Shortly after, Mr. Nowak went for a walk.

He was never seen again.

It is now autumn in the mountain town of Trafalgar, British Columbia. A police dog is called out to help in the search for a child lost in the wilderness. The dog uncovers something else: human remains.

When Sergeant John Winters reopens the investigation he finds a shattered family and townsfolk desperate to keep their secrets.   As the investigation into the life and disappearance of Brian Nowak grows, old secrets are brought to light and new ones struggle to remain hidden.

Among the Departed is much more than a mystery novel: it is also a story of love - new and old, long-concealed, life-affirming and fatal.

Fifth in the Constable Molly Smith Series.
Have an e-reader? Among the Departed is available for Kindle, Sony e-reader, Nook

In paper at Amazon.com , Amazon.ca , Chapters.ca , BN.com or your favourite independent bookseller. Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA is one of the best: Click here to order any of Vicki’s books. Or you can contact the friendly staff at Poisoned Pen in Scottsale: sales@poisonedpen.com Have an e-reader: Among the Departed is available for Kindle, Sony e-reader, Nook

 Read the prologue: Click Here

Read the first chapter: Click Here

“Delany … deftly sprinkles clues–and red herrings–without ever slighting her engaging characters.” Publishers Weekly

 Now available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca , Barnes and Noble, and your favourite independent bookseller. Have an e-reader? Buy Negative Image for Kindle.

What would you do if you believe the person you trust most in the world has betrayed you? What would you do if you discover that the person you trust most in the world believes you capable of betrayal? 

As the mountain town of Trafalgar, British Columbia shakes off a long hard winter, famous photographer Rudolph Steiner arrives to do a feature on mountain tourism. Steiner is accompanied by his assistant and sexy young wife, but he has another reason for the visit: to re-connect with the woman who left him twenty-five years ago to marry another man. Twenty-five years ago she was young, beautiful, naïve, an internationally known supermodel. Today Eliza Winters is no longer young, and definitely not naïve, but still beautiful and married to Trafalgar City Police Sergeant John Winters.

When Steiner is found dead in his luxury hotel room, shot once in the back of the head, suspicion falls upon Eliza. John Winters is forced into the most difficult decision of his life: loyalty to his job or to his wife. As the RCMP dig into the secrets of both Steiner and Eliza, John Winters slowly comes to realize that he doesn’t know the woman to whom he has been married for twenty-five years as well as he thought he did.

Unable to help the Sergeant, Constable Molly Smith has her own troubles: a series of B&Es has the peaceful town in an uproar, her overprotective Mountie boyfriend is fighting with her colleagues, and a vengeful stalker is watching her every move. When tragedy strikes at the heart of her own family, Molly can’t even turn to her mother, Lucky, for help.  

In Negative Image Vicki Delany deftly blends a taut murder mystery and nail-biting suspense with an exploration of the very meaning of family and the forces that bind, or separate, them.

Read the first chapter:  click here

Read the second chapter: click here

–   The discovery early one Christmas morning of the bodies of best friends Jason Wyatt-Yarmouth and Ewan Williams, two privileged young men from Toronto, in an SUV sunken in an ice-covered river propels Delaney’s stellar third mystery to feature constable Molly Smith of Trafalgar, B.C. (after Feb. 2009’s Valley of the Lost). Molly investigates what at first appears to be an accident, but when the times and manner of Jason’s and Ewan’s deaths turn out to differ, she and her colleagues have a murder case on their hands. Whether at the Glacier Chalet B&B, on a black diamond ski trail or in the police station, Delaney glides between scenes with ease. She uses a bare-bones style, without literary flash, to achieve artistry as sturdy and restrained as a Shaker chair. Warmth and menace, past and present, are nicely balanced, with a denouement that’s equally plausible and startling. This confident performance is sure to win new fans to the series. (Publishers Weekly, September 21,2009)

NOW AVAILABLE at Amazon.com,  amazon.ca, Chapters.ca, and your favourite independent bookstore.

NEW: Vicki’s earlier books from Poisoned Pen Press just released on KINDLE!  Click here for In the Shadow of the Glacier and here for Valley of the Lost

Read the first chapter (PDF)

It’s the Great Klondike Gold Rush and people are pouring into the Yukon Territory.  Among them are Martha Witherspoon, a writer with more tenacity than talent, and her nervous companion Euila Forester. There’s something familiar about Euila’s accent, and Fiona MacGillivray vows to keep the newcomer as far away from her son, Angus, as possible.  Angus, however, has his own troubles. When he saves a Native woman from drowning, he sets off a chain of events that give Fiona’s arch-enemy, the Madam with a heart of coal, the opportunity to destroy the Savoy Dance Hall once and for all.

More about Gold Fever: A Klondike Mystery

Read the First Chapter

Order from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca or Chapters/Indigo or your favourite independent bookstore