Northern Winters Are Murder: A Belle Palmer Mystery

Lynne Perras teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

Set in winter in Northern Ontario, this suspenseful and highly
entertaining mystery novel revolves around Belle Palmer, a middle-aged
realtor and amateur sleuth, who discovers the body of her young friend,
Jim Burian, frozen in the ice of an isolated pond. Although the police
believe he has perished because of an accident, Belle, Jim’s parents,
and his girlfriend are doubtful, aware that Jim had wilderness
expertise. Suspicions are also aroused by the presence of two groups in
the area: drug traffickers and supporters of a development project Jim
had strongly opposed. As Belle enlists help from people like Professor
Franz Schilling, ex-convict Derek Santanen, and policeman Steve Davis,
she discovers new clues and subjects herself to much danger until the
final resolution.

Belle is an appealing heroine whose greatest passions are old movies
and her dog, Freya. Other characters in this fast-paced and enjoyable
book are also richly drawn. Another of the novel’s strengths is its
accurate and vivid portrayal of the brutal cold of a Canadian winter and
all the accommodations one must make in order to survive.