The Tenderness of Wolves

by Stef Penney

Winter. Canada. 1860s. Cold. Bleak. What a great setting for a murder mystery! Well, it's more than a murder mystery--it's got history, too. Who knew that the Hudson Bay Company could be so nefarious?!

Anyway, when Laurent Jammett is found murdered in his cabin, many people are interested in finding the culprit. And not all for the same reason.

Part of the story is narrated by Mrs. Ross, who is Jammett's neighbor and the person who finds his body. Mrs. Ross has much invested in finding the killer because it may be her son, Francis. Francis was Jammett's friend, but he mysteriously disappears at the same time as the murder. This leads to his mother's journey to find the killer.

Along the way, we meet townspeople, company people, trackers, Native Americans, and people of legend.

It's cold, it's bleak, and it's a very compelling tale.

5/5/08