To Die in Spring

Ellen Pilon is a library assistant in the Patrick Power Library at Saint
Mary’s University in Halifax.

To Die in Spring is an absorbing mystery set in Toronto in 1979. When
the recently widowed Dr. Rebecca Temple returns to practice, she is
consulted by Goldie Kochinsky, a former patient. Goldie, an elderly
Jewish woman, appears to be suffering from paranoia and anxiety. She
lived through the camps in Germany and then dangerous political times in
Buenos Aires before escaping to Canada with her sister, Chana. Chana is
now a confused invalid living in a nursing home. Chana’s husband, a
cold man with many secrets, lives near Goldie.

Goldie’s paranoia, it turns out, is justified: she is murdered in her
apartment. As she tries to solve Goldie’s murder, Rebecca finds
herself identifying with the victim. There are no irritating red
herrings to interfere with the unwinding of the swiftly moving plot. The
strong and competent Rebecca heads a small cast of equally engaging
supporting characters. Historical references relating to such topics as
war criminals and the Holocaust are explained in an author’s note at
the end of the book.