Cold Mourning is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Stonechild and Rouleau by Brenda Chapman, a Canadian author who lives in Ottawa. It was the second book I’d read by Brenda and I recommend you read them in order unless, like me, you intend to rush out after turning the last page and buy all the previous books because you absolutely must have the background and must have it now.
Cold Mourning is set in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and detective Stonechild is a new addition to a special task force who has two things working against her when she arrives to join her team: she’s a woman and she’s native. The head of her team, Rouleau, is on her side and is the kind of detective who will back her up and evaluate fairly. Not every member of her team is willing to do that.
The Prologue gives a rather eerie beginning as two young native girls, tired from a trek to town, accept a lift from a stranger who turns out to be a racist pervert. It is a long way into the story before the significance of this episode becomes apparent.
Wealthy wheeler dealer Tom Underwood, unhappy with his second wife, estranged from his son, and despised by his son-in-law, disappears after the staff Christmas party just a few days before Christmas. Is it a business deal gone sour? Or one of his family members or associates hoping to benefit from his demise? Stonechild uncovers layer upon layer of secrets, hidden jealousies, infidelities, and many motives for revenge. Previously operating as a lone wolf on a fairly quiet reserve, Kala Stonechild has to work hard to make a fit with her partner and avoid the cynicism and racism of a fellow team member. She is missing her dog (left with a friend until she gets settled), trying to track down an old friend in trouble, and attempting to prove her own and her team’s worth against stacked odds.
While I enjoyed this story immensely — I started it in bed and finished it by morning — I found there to be an awful lot of truly evil men in it. Hopefully this is an unrealistic demographic. The characters of Stonechild and Rouleau are completely engaging. The settings are bang on and it was a pleasure to read about hometown locations for a change. The empathy Stonechild feels for suspects and homeless characters who come in and out of the story, and the complexity of character and plot make for a riveting read. I highly recommend this series but suggest you read the books in order. * * * *
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If you, too, are a fan of mysteries, I hope you’ll not only enjoy my Monday posts but will contribute by publishing your own Monday Mystery, mention my meme, then come to my blog, comment on your mystery (or mine) briefly, and include the link directly to your mystery review. You can also copy my MMM badge to your post or your sidebar.
I had bought the movie based on Annie Proulx‘s book (winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award) because I had missed it at the theatre and had heard it was good. (Also, I don’t have to be told something is good if Judy Dench is in it.) But somehow, I had never got around to watching it. When 
The movie, of course, has some great acting in it and wonderful sweeping settings. Cate Blanchet and Julianne Moore play Quoyle’s love interests and his daughter becomes best friend to Moore’s autistic son who adds a lot of both funny and poignant moments to the story. Canada’s Gordon Pinsent contributes total authenticity to the movie, being a home-grown Newfoundlander himself. It’s a low-key plot, as in the book, but the interesting characters who come alongside the family and help Quoyle rise to his potential are all well-played and add to the charm of the movie. Warning: quite a bit of enthusiastic sex in the early part of the movie.
The book was a bit startling at first, as the writing, I’m told, is exactly the way Newfoundlanders talk — incomplete sentences, lack of antecedents — and threw me off quite a bit at first. Once I got used to it, it was much easier to follow and enjoy. I liked the way the chapters began with definitions from 
I’m hosting this Tuesdays’ Tantalizing Teasers which is easy to participate in. It may not appear every week but when it does, it will always be on Tuesday. To participate, show the title, author, and cover, and choose a random (or not) quote to share with other readers (two or three sentences), and leave a comment with the link to your own tantalizing teaser for the day. Here’s my quote from the above book:
As with most if not all of Ms. Christie’s Marple mysteries, this one is set in a small village in rural England where there is a manor, and church, a vicarage, a post office, and a clutch of cottages with large beautiful gardens. Colonel Protheroe is a rather loathsome character whose demise, according to the vicar, would be of benefit to the world as a whole. A tactless and unfortunate remark since, within 24 hours, the Colonel is found in the vicar’s own library stabbed to death, bringing the clergyman into the role of main suspect.
The reader is assisted by floor plans of the vicarage, the murder scene, and a village map. There is no list of characters in my copy and the narrator is the vicar, which I found a bit unusual. All in all, a rather cozy read without too many gory details that modern authors seem compelled to include with people dropping left, right, and centre. I plan to read more of Christie’s novels in the future. * * * * *
