Lunenburg

Ted Thring is a book reviewer for the Queen’s University radio
station.

The historic fishing port of Lunenburg, N.S., is well known to Canadians
and Americans along the Atlantic seaboard as the home of the famous
racing schooner Bluenose and her successors Bluenose II and Bluenose
III. However, it is an unlikely choice of locale for this
mystery-thriller, which emphasizes police procedure. Yet here is where
Keith Baker has set his fast-paced tale, and his use of local history,
landmarks, and street names gives it authenticity.

Annie Wells is a police detective; she is also a divorced mother of two
boys who live with their father. The force is busy working up the
security arrangements for a forthcoming royal visit when two murders
occur within a few hours of each other. This puts a strain on their
resources, and Annie finds herself dividing her time between the
investigation and the security problem. In the course of this she meets
John Taggert, a reporter with a British newspaper who has been assigned
to cover the visit. As they become more personally involved, he plays a
greater role in the murder investigation. Despite the discrimination
that Annie suffers at the hands of her macho colleagues, she works away
at the case and finally solves it.