by Gail Bowen
Arthur Ellis Award-winning author
Grand Master Award of Crime Writers of Canada (2018)
The "queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press) returns with a new installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series that is perfect for readers of Louise Penny, Ruth Rendell, and Peter Robinson.
On a Saturday bright with harbingers of spring, Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve, her husband, Zack, and their family prepare to celebrate the season. Joanne's life is full, and at 60, she has been given the chance to understand a part of her history that for years was shrouded in secrecy.
Living Skies is producing Sisters and Strangers, a six-part TV series about the tangled relationships between the families of Douglas Ellard, the father who raised Joanne, and Desmond Love, her biological father. Joanne is working on the script with Roy Brodnitz, a brilliant writer and friend. The project's future seems assured, but before the script is completed, Brodnitz disappears while scouting locations in northern Saskatchewan. Hours later, he's found — sweat-drenched, clawing at the ground, and muttering gibberish. He dies in a state of mortal terror.
Heartsick and perplexed, Joanne resolves to learn what happened in the last hours of Roy's life. What Joanne discovers threatens Brodnitz's legacy, and the decision about whether or not to reveal the truth is hers to make. The Unlocking Season is another deeply satisfying and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada's finest crime writers.
Arthur Ellis Award-winning author
Grand Master Award of Crime Writers of Canada (2018)
The "queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press) returns with a new installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series that is perfect for readers of Louise Penny, Ruth Rendell, and Peter Robinson.
On a Saturday bright with harbingers of spring, Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve, her husband, Zack, and their family prepare to celebrate the season. Joanne's life is full, and at 60, she has been given the chance to understand a part of her history that for years was shrouded in secrecy.
Living Skies is producing Sisters and Strangers, a six-part TV series about the tangled relationships between the families of Douglas Ellard, the father who raised Joanne, and Desmond Love, her biological father. Joanne is working on the script with Roy Brodnitz, a brilliant writer and friend. The project's future seems assured, but before the script is completed, Brodnitz disappears while scouting locations in northern Saskatchewan. Hours later, he's found — sweat-drenched, clawing at the ground, and muttering gibberish. He dies in a state of mortal terror.
Heartsick and perplexed, Joanne resolves to learn what happened in the last hours of Roy's life. What Joanne discovers threatens Brodnitz's legacy, and the decision about whether or not to reveal the truth is hers to make. The Unlocking Season is another deeply satisfying and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada's finest crime writers.
Reviews-
-
Listeners follow detective Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve, whose life story is being made into a documentary. However, when the scriptwriter is found crazed with terror during a scouting trip and then dies, she realizes there is more than the production at risk. Narrator Athena Karkanis brings the story to life in a clear and concise way, giving just the right amount of personality to differentiate the many characters. Her portrayals of the males are strong, and her timing keeps the story moving. This is the 19th in the series, and the characters have plenty of backstories. Karkanis's clear delivery helps new listeners keep track of who's who in this engaging mystery. K.J.P. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
-
July 6, 2020
Arthur Ellis Award winner Bowen’s appealing 19th mystery featuring Regina, Saskatchewan, political science professor Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve (after 2018’s A Darkness of the Heart) finds Joanne producing Sisters and Strangers, “a six-part TV series based on the tangled relationships” of her family. In particular, the series focuses on Douglas Ellard, who raised Joanne, and his lifelong friend, artist Desmond Love, who was Joanne’s biological father. Outdoor shots are being filmed at Emma Lake, where scriptwriter Roy Brodnitz goes missing and is later found in “a state of mortal terror.” Much of the action centers on the difficulty in completing the script after Roy dies of a suspected heart attack. Speculation builds that Roy was murdered to sabotage the production, and then a fire breaks out at the production studio. Amid the mayhem, Joanne finds time to enjoy the company of her extended family and friends. Bowen creates fully rounded characters to serve her well-crafted plot. This long-running series shows no sign of losing steam. -
July 15, 2020
The production of a TV series chronicling a real-life murder in Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve's family is a fertile ground for conflicts magnified by a shocking death. The six parts of Sisters and Strangers promise to dramatize the story of family and murder that Joanne has worked to uncover since a fateful summer many years ago. The tone is established by the powerful voice of writer Roy Brodnitz, who's working with Joanne to ensure the script reflects not just the events, but the relationships driving them. Joanne and her husband, Zack, are both part of the Sisters and Strangers production company Living Skies, which also includes their daughter, Taylor, and Taylor's partner, Vale, an incandescent young woman perfect for the part of Joanne's friend Sally. Happy to begin a project that brings Taylor and Vale to their home in Regina, Joanne is horrified when she learns that Roy has had a mental break while scouting locations in Saskatchewan. Terrified and incoherent after separating from the rest of the crew, Roy doesn't even recognize his colleague and lifelong friend Ainsley Blair. When Roy dies soon after, Joanne hopes to press on with the shooting schedule, though she wonders what truly happened to Roy and who on the set might be involved. Things get even iffier when Ainsley brings in outsider Buzz Wells as a script doctor and new executive producer. It seems as though Joanne's story will still be told, but how? Newcomers to Bowen's series may be overwhelmed by the exhaustive detail and the interest in characters' stories over time.COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
