In the sixth installment of the Rockton series, Kelley Armstrong takes us back to the town’s beginnings, so much so that I felt regrettably this might be the end. Her website says otherwise. Since she is contracted for seven books, the series “will be at least that long,” Armstrong assures us. Still, there is a lingering sense of finality at the conclusion of this book that gives me a pang of sadness. I’ve loved this series since the beginning.
The discovery of an injured stranger, who only speaks some Germanic language, heralds an investigation into the genesis of Rockton, the outlying settlements, and the hostiles. For those new to Rockton, Armstrong spends the first few chapters reminding us where we are—a strange, somewhat violent town in the Yukon where people apply to live so they can disappear from insurmountable problems in the outside world. This means your neighbours might be killers or victims or just on the run from mistakes and wanting a new start. Rockton is off the radar and puppeted by a council who live outside it, with one rep or spy who usually lives in it.
Casey Duncan, the series protagonist, is a detective. Sheriff Dalton is her mountain man partner, and her sister, April is the town’s autistic physician. Casey’s young Newfoundland dog, Storm, provides comic relief and also is an amazing tracker, something this team needs because someone is always disappearing into the bush.
These books are written with an overarching sense of intelligence. The concept of the hidden Yukon town is clever, but as Armstrong reveals more information as to its genesis through the wily detective, we see a blossoming brilliance in this cold northern darkness. Casey Duncan narrates in the present tense, first-person point-of-view, and we are given ample entrance into her thoughts as she struggles to solve the mystery of the injured stranger and what it might mean to the town and its inhabitants. With that, we learn Casey’s theory of how the hostiles evolved from a splinter group from the second settlement—a settlement that had broken free of the town of Rockton. And so we see these factions which are not so much classes as cultures who strive to navigate “an endless balance of debt and obligation.”
Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the riveting action and adventure scenes where Casey and Dalton negotiate with grizzlies, wild boar, wolves, and all the Yukon wilderness has to offer. There is scarcely a moment to eat or sleep or put the book down. No one is who they appear to be, including the injured stranger.
A Stranger in Town is published by Minotaur Books.
One thing stands between fiction and non-fiction. Reality. As a novelist, I’ve written stories about killers and their victims but those characters live only in my imagination. The killers and victims in Warren’s books are real and that raises the stakes considerably. These are not simply characters, but traumatized people whose lives and futures were snuffed out and whose surviving families must live on with that knowledge.
These are people who Warren personally interviews and that impresses me. I know it takes sympathy and understanding to talk with victims affected by crime. Alan Warren jokes that his autism allows him to be poker-faced and unemotional in meetings with killers and the victims’ surviving family and friends, but his altruism and compassion shine through in what he chooses to reveal in his books, what he chooses to omit, and how he approaches each word.
Murder Times Six: the True Story of the Wells Gray Park Murders is a book about “justice.” The question Warren continues to return to is this: should David Shearing, confessed murderer of six, be allowed parole? Shearing has applied for parole before and can do so again in 2021. Warren asks: “Do we want people who commit such violent crimes, like murder and rape, out in free society? Would you want him living next door to you?” This book presents the case against Shearing. Why should he be allowed to live a “normal” life with the wife he married while incarcerated when his victims’ lives were snuffed out for one selfish reason? Shearing wanted two young girls he’d noticed in the bush and become obsessed with. This is a “story of a family trying to live and enjoy their lives.” It’s not a story intended to glamorize David Shearing. You will not find graphic details here. This is a book that honours the victims and survivors.
In August 1982, three generations of a Kelowna family went camping at Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia — Bob and Jackie Johnson and their daughters, thirteen-year-old Janet and eleven-year-old Karen, along with Jackie’s parents George and Edith Bentley. None of them ever returned. Many people know that their charred bodies were discovered later — the remains of four adults piled into the back seat and the two young girls (sisters) in the trunk.
Forty years later, Warren interviewed David Shearing at Bowden Institution, a medium-security prison in Alberta. He also interviewed Shearing’s wife, Heather. One thing I appreciate about Warren’s book is the detailed research he’s done into subjects such as hybristophilia: an intense love and sexual attraction for a man who’s committed heinous crimes. This “potentially lethal disorder” is more common than we think and there are several prison dating sites that enable it. Warren also explains the Canadian prison and parole system and discusses pedophilia and cutting-edge “treatments” as this topic relates to Shearing’s motives for murdering this family.
The book is divided into three parts. First, the story of the family, their excitement about going camping together, their disappearance and gruesome discovery, and finally Shearing. Next, police interviews with Shearing, his changing stories and confession, subsequent trial, and incarceration. And finally, tributes to the family and victim impact statements that will break your heart.
Warren documents a long list of references — everything from parole hearing reports to the genetic predisposition of humans to kill each other — but what makes this book are the personal words and touches along with Warren’s own insights into Shearing and the people he destroyed. The city of Kelowna continues to mourn the loss of this family — three generations gone because one man wanted two young girls who’d not even set foot in high school. He wanted them and he took them.
Alan R. Warren is a host and producer of NBC news talk radio show House of Mystery which reviews True Crime, History, Science, Religion, and Paranormal Mysteries. He is also the best-selling author of several True Crime books and can be found at www.alanrwarren.com
In an age where murder is sensationalized through television drama, the reality of a real cold-blooded “murder times six” by a ruthless and selfish killer, begs to be heard and acknowledged. Warren does important work and I applaud his dedication to sensitively bring justice to the victims of violent crimes.
Interviewers ask so many interesting questions, some that really make you think. Sometimes it takes me days to think about the question and craft a decent, honest answer. I particularly hate anything about “favourites” — what is your favourite . . . ? Who can have just one?
Jean the Book Nerd opened doors into my mind where I had to ramble and reminisce. These were all valid and pertinent questions. Not all interviewers ask such questions.
In “Writing Behind the Scenes” I talk about my creative process and venture into mystical territory that I haven’t revealed before. I hope you enjoy the interview. Please leave a comment or question that doesn’t ask about favourites!
I recently guested as an Indie author/publisher on a Publishing Panel for Toronto East End Writers 20th Anniversary Celebration, along with True Crime Writer Nate Hendley, Blue Denim Press Publisher Shane Joseph, and historical fiction author Tom Taylor as moderator. This is quite informative and speaks to different publishing and marketing experiences. See my two latest journal posts (So, You Want to Indie Publish, parts 1 & 2) for details.
Writing is like most other jobs except the work is so tied to your sense of self, it can turn into an emotional roller coaster. One minute you’re euphoric; the next you’re a trainwreck. You spend hours, weeks, and years writing a book, and then move onto the publishing and promotion phase. The ups and downs during writing are a mere microcosm of the unpredictability experienced after.
I thought about this last night while fighting another round of insomnia. Yesterday, I received my first two agent rejections and the results came out for an international awards contest I really hoped to win. Nope, my name appeared nowhere. I didn’t feel terribly affected at the time; after all, agents get hundreds of queries per week and an international contest involves zillions of entries worldwide. It’s akin to entering the lottery, knowing your chances are slim but hoping just the same, and feeling that crash when your numbers don’t come up.
Meanwhile, a week ago, I did one of my best interviews yet with two terrific hosts on Sci Fi Saturday Night and was euphoric for days. This month alone, I’ve been featured in several online magazines (UrbanLit, Uncaged, Jean the Book Nerd); I’ve been interviewed on two video podcasts (Pen for Hire, She Blurbs), and two audio shows (Sci Fi Saturday Night and Douglas Coleman in Las Vegas). I received some wonderful reviews, met fantastic authors and media folks in our monthly publicity meeting, and participated in a lively publishing panel with Toronto’s East End Writers. Fantastic! All of it.
And I’m writing. I submitted three reviews this month and am three-quarters of the way through writing the first draft of a new romantic suspense novel. I’m marketing four Hollystone Mysteries and pitching a small town romantic suspense novel. With all that juggling, it’s no wonder I’m battling tendonitis: the result of too much repetitive motion AKA typing and clicking.
My shoulder and bicep is screaming “Take a break and find some balance!”
“But this is what I do!” I scream back. “Can’t stop now.”
Dictation is not an option. I’m a visual writer. I need to see those words on the page and mess with them. Last night I thought about other jobs I could do that don’t involve a computer. Psychic tarot card reader? Workshop host? I remember Milton screaming at God when he lost his sight after too many candle lit nights. God’s reply involved the word “patience.” Perhaps, that’s what I’m missing—the patience to get up and walk away and stretch and REST. When my dog pushes my fingers off the keyboard with her nose, I need to listen.
Still, all I need is one “send me more of your manuscript” and I’ll be ecstatic again.
Do you ride an emotional roller coaster? Tell me about it.
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