Turncoat: A Marc Edwards Mystery

Henry G. MacLeod teaches sociology at both Trent University and the
University of Waterloo.

Turncoat offers a suspenseful blending of murder and Canadian history,
of fiction and fact, for those who enjoy a good whodunit and like to
acquire a bit of history at the same time. Actual historical figures,
including Lieutenant-Governor John Colborne and William Lyon Mackenzie,
appear as part of the storyline. Mackenzie’s brief appearance, though
fictionalized, captures his spirit and the times.

It is January 1836 and Ensign Marc Edwards, after eight months in Upper
Canada stationed at Fort York, is asked by Sir John Colborne to
investigate the suspicious death of one of his agents. When Smallman
moved to Crawford’s Corners, near Cobourg, to assist his widowed
daughter-in-law on her farm, he agreed to spy on the growing support for
Mackenzie and reformers among angry farmers in the area. Was his death
accidental or murder?

Edwards, a dashing young hero, is insightful and tenacious as he solves
the mystery and finds romance. The strength of the book lies in Don
Gutteridge’s depiction of everyday life in a small Upper Canadian
village the year before the Rebellion of 1837. Descriptions of the
farmers, the Yankee peddlers, and the tensions between the United Empire
Loyalists and post–1812 American immigrants are excellent. The issues
of the period are also well presented; the Family Compact, Clergy
Reserves, and rum-running are highlighted.

Don Gutteridge taught English at the Faculty of Education at the
University of Western Ontario until retiring in 1993. He is the author
of 13 books of poetry and seven novels as well as nine books and
numerous articles on the teaching of English. Turncoat is the first of a
series of Marc Edwards novels that will appeal to both mystery fans and
history buffs.