Murder in the Monashees

By Roy Innes

RCMP Corporal Paul Blakemore is jolted from his mundane policing duties in the small Monashee Mountain village of Bear Creek by the discovery of a frozen corpse on a snowy slope just outside of town#46; There are no signs indicating how the body got there-no footprints or drag marks-nothing#46; It's as if the victim has fallen from the sky#46;

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1896300898
• ISBN13: 9781896300894
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: NeWest Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

There is no shortage of action

Roy Innes is a native of British Columbia, where he grew up and attended the University of British Columbia. He worked in Vancouver as a medical doctor and retired in Gabriola Island, where he "reads and writes to his heart's content." He also enjoys hunting and hiking. RCMP Corporal Paul Blakemore spends most of his time catching speeders at the sharp right-hand bend in the Crowsnest Highway. He loves hunting, fishing, and the laid back life of a rural setting. His partner is Constable Ernie Downs, who is a gentle but capable gay police man. Their world shatters as the report of a dead corpse, as yet unidentified, comes blaring over their police radio. The corpse turns out to be a prickly environmental protester who came from a moneyed background. Dr. Zachary Benson performs the autopsy and when he lays eyes on Heather McTavish, star reporter for the Bear Greek Bulletin, sparks fly. The superiors in Vancouver decide to bring in Inspector Mark Coswell to oversee the case, and in the meantime Ethel Roberts, who is Heather's best friend, is found murdered and her home is torched. A third murder intensifies the manhunt, and Heather becomes the probable next victim on the murderer's list even as the motive becomes clearer: "'It was really a tragedy,' he recounted. 'The boy was just trying to earn some money between university semesters. He was working with a crew that was clearing trails in what is now the Carmanha Provincial park. He was bucking a big windfall fir when his chainsaw hit a spike in the tree causing a tooth to break off the chain. Somehow the fragment flew under his face shield and lacerated his right carotid artery. He bled to death.'" Written in a straightforward manner, Roy Innes obeys all the rules in turning out the perfect mystery. The murderer is there in the background; pertinent clues abound; and the police have their problems tracking their man. He includes a captivating love story, his characters are ordinary people just trying to get by, and the killer has a human face. There is no shortage of action, and the book reads easily and has a refreshing twist. Innes is a mystery talent who should keep cranking out his product. An excellent read! Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer