The Gift of Crime Fiction by Brenda Chapman

Father’s Day is June 16^th – so there’s time for you to recommend some crime-themed reading that could be a useful gift idea for dads of different ages, and with different interests…and allow those reading the blog to order it, and get it in time to wrap it!

I am going to be very interested in the recommendations of my fellow bloggers over the next two weeks because I'm always open to finding new authors to read. I'd also like to recommend the books of all the authors on this blog as a place to begin your shopping!

I'll limit my choices to five and hope I hit on a few authors who've not crossed your reading list yet but whose work can be found at all the major bookseller sites.

For dads who like humour, grit and tumultuous historical times, I highly recommend Adrian McKinty and his Detective Sean Duffy series, starting with The Cold Cold Ground. The setting is Ireland during the troubles and Duffy is 'irreverent, charming and mordantly laugh-out-loud funny' to quote Kirkus Reviews. I was hooked immediately by Sean Duffy's voice and find each book in the series to be a solid, entertaining read.

If your dad/husband likes atmosphere, Giles Blunt's Cardinal series is another gritty set of books set in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay which is based on the Canadian town North Bay. Officers John Cardinal and Lise Delorme take on some difficult cases and deal with troubled family lives with each book building on the book before. The first few books are now a television series but I recommend the books since the writing is so strong. Start with Forty Words for Sorrow.

For the environmentalist dad, Dave Butler writes about the British Columbia wilderness and interestingly, his main character is a female national park warden named Jenny Wilson. The two books in the series are Full Curl and No Place for Wolverines. Dave is a forester and biologist and brings a wealth of knowledge to these mysteries, set against the stunning backdrop of the Canadian Rockies.

Going again to the Canadian well, for dads who like history in with their mystery and perhaps are of the more literary bent, pick up a copy of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Based on a true story, Grace Marks is convicted of being involved in the the murders of her employer and his mistress. The mystery revolves around whether Grace is innocent or evil and conniving. After you read the book, look for the short television series, which is brilliantly acted.

As a final recommendation for dads liking grit with their mystery, I recently read Stuart MacBride's  The Blood Road, set in Aberdeen Scotland and featuring DI Logan McRae. The book didn't shy away from horrific crimes but was also filled to the brim with humour, and makes me think I'd like to go back and start with the first in the series called Cold Granite.

I'm also excited this week to let you know that Turning Secrets book 6 in the Stonechild and Rouleau police procedural series has just been released with the last in the series due out next May.

Happy Fathers Day and happy reading to all the dads out there!

website:  brendachapman.ca
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