Recent Reviews

Fantastic news! Two TouchWood titles have been awarded Independent Publisher Awards: Soldier of the Horse by Robert W. Mackay won Gold in the Military/Wartime Fiction category and Secret Combinations by Gordon Cope won Silver in the Suspense/Thriller category. Congrats to Robert and Gordon! For a full list of winners, click here.

Great review of Stephen Legault's latest mystery, The Vanishing Track, in the Hamilton Spectator: "The soul of The Vanishing Track is in the dialogue: it shapes the raw tension, exposes the layers of greed and cover-up . . . The portrayal is clear; the action sharp and brutal . . . The Cole Blackwater stories are among the most riveting today, and The Vanishing Track is the best yet in this intensely dramatic series." To read the full review, click here.

Lovely review of Cathy Ace's The Corpse with the Silver Tongue in the Library Journal: "In the finest tradition of Agatha Christie, debut author Ace brings us the closed-room drama, with a dollop of romantic suspense and historical intrigue."

There was a great profile of author and food advocate dee Hobsbawn-Smith and her new book, Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet, in the Edmonton Journal. Check it out here.

Great news: Island Wineries of British Columbia has been nominated for a Taste Canada Food Writing Award! Congrats to editor Gary Hynes and all the contributors! To see the full list of nominees, click here.

"In [Foodshed], along with the main dish of stories aligned with each letter of the alphabet, [Hobsbawn-Smith] has seasoned the offering with 26 original recipes. She also serves up well-researched explanations of current food issues and trends, and still manages to keep the whole meal appetizing enough that we’ll want to go out and reap the bounty of her creative A-Z harvest." Great interview with dee Hobsbawn-Smith, author of Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet, in the Calgary Herald. To read more, click here.

Lovely review of Somebody's Child: Stories About Adoption in the Toronto Star: "Each [story]—like life itself—is full of unexpected twists and surprises. But all of the narrators are honest, compassionate and have something important to say about the ways their lives have been forever changed by adoption." To read the full review, click here.

Two TouchWood books made it onto the Calgary Herald's most recent Calgary Bestsellers list: The Vanishing Track by Stephen Legault tops the fiction list at #1, and All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming by Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch, and Robin Tunnicliffe is #6 on the non-fiction list! Check out the full lists here.

A great review of dee Hobsbawn-Smith's new book, Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet, in the Globe and Mail: "Foodshed is a rich encyclopedia of facts, farm-gate lore and original recipes. It's also a politically engaging narrative in which Hobsbawn-Smith articulates the challenges and joys faced by small-scale producers in Alberta." For the full review, click here. 

Nice review of Stephen Legault's latest mystery, The Vanishing Track, in the National Post's "Crimewave" column: "Even though the source material lends itself to preaching and moralizing, Legault wisely sticks to telling a good story. The Vanishing Track made me want to track down the first two Cole Blackwater books and, even better, has me curious about what’s next for him and his friends." To read more, click here.

Another lovely review of All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming, this one in the Winnipeg Free Press: "This timely publication will give assistance to novices, more experienced growers and environmentalists . . . [an] amazing hands-on book." Read the full review here.

There's a great review of Debra Purdy Kong's Deadly Accusations in the April issue of Quill & Quire! "The novel's short, punchy chapters whisk the story along to a thrilling climax, while the characters' relationships and rivalries provide a strong emotional anchor."

"All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming is the would-be organic farmer’s answer book . . . A how-to book with heart and soul." Read the rest of this great review of All the Dirt by January Magazine here.

The Globe and Mail's New Crime Fiction feature includes two of TouchWood's Spring mysteries! Margaret Cannon calls The Corpse with the Silver Tongue author Cathy Ace "a writer to watch" and praises Stephen Legault's The Vanishing Track as the "best in the Cole Blackwater series." To read more, click here.

"Both an inspirational account of modern agricultural life and a cautionary tale of long hours and low pay . . . All The Dirt provides answers rooted in real-world experience, both successes and failures." Check out this great review of All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming in the Vancouver Sun!

Fast Forward Weekly said: "More than simply a how-to book on organic micro-farming . . . All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming is a manual for change." Read the full article here.

More excellent news! Island Wineries of British Columbia has been selected as a finalist for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award at the BC Book Prizes. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this celebrated book! For a full list of prizes and finalists, click here.

Great news! Island Wineries of British Columbia was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Gourmand World Wine Book Awards in the New World category. Congrats to Gary Hynes and all of the contributors!

 All the Dirt: Reflections of Organic Farming was recently featured in the Gulf Islands Driftwood: "The book offers readers an insightful and inspiring look into the lives of three organic farmers with plenty of local flavour." Read the full article here.

"Informative, timely and well written, All The Dirt is a must-read insider’s account of farming today on Vancouver Island." Great review of All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming in EAT Magazine, along with a wonderful interview with co-author Heather Stretch! Read it here.

"Weaving emotions generated by wind, rain and memories of scars (physical and emotional) left with his father and those who survived, Mackay ably translates his impressions into a period tale which returns the reader to a by-gone era." Nice review of Robert W. Mackay's historical novel set during the First World War, Soldier of the Horse, on the Examiner.com. Read more here.

BC Studies calls Measure of the Year by Roderick Haig-Brown ". . . startlingly contemporary. Its reflections on conservation, community, compassionate justice, and the mistreatment of Aboriginal populations are, sadly, every bit as relevant today as they were six decades ago. . . . a book of all time." To read the full review, click here.

The National Post says Debra Purdy Kong's Deadly Accusations is "a mystery that fits the bill." Read the full review here.

Publishers Weekly calls Cathy Ace's The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, starring the eccentric Professor Cait Morgan, a "smooth debut" and says "Cait's enjoyable first outing should earn her a well-deserved encore." Read the full review here.

"Both interesting and fun . . . This slice of BC history will be of particular interest to readers who have been to the places that feature in Zachary's story—even if they've travelled there by car or train, rather than on foot or bystern wheeler." Check out this review in Geist of historical novel Zachary's Gold by Stan Krumm.

Charla Huber of the Goldstream News Gazette chats with author Kay Stewart about mystery writing and setting Sitting Lady Sutra in Metchosin. Check it out here.

Check out an in-depth profile of Valerie Green, author of Above Stairs: Social Life in Upper-Class Victoria 1843-1918, in the February issue of Senior Living Magazine.

Really nice review from Story Circle Book Reviews: "Valerie Green's love of history and journalism shine forth in Above Stairs: Social Life in Upper-Class Victoria 1843-1918." Find the full review here.

The End of the Line by Stephen Legault was named one of the Top 10 mysteries of 2011 by the Hamilton Spectator: Legault is one of the writers who helps "sustain Canada as a leader in mystery/thriller story-tellers." See the full list here.

CBC's The Next Chapter featured Somebody's Child: Stories about Adoption on a recent show, interviewing contributors Judy Hope and Christina Brobby. Check it out here.

All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming was featured in Quill & Quire's Spring Preview 2012 of Canadian Non-Fiction! Find the full preview here.

Deadly Accusations, the second in the Casey Holland mystery series by Debra Purdy Kong, was featured in Quill & Quire's Spring 2012 Preview of Canadian Fiction. Check it out here!

Somebody's Child: Stories about Adoption was featured in Monday Magazine's round up of the best books to come out of Victoria in 2011! Read the whole story here.

Check out this great interview with Debra Purdy Kong, author of The Opposite of Dark, on Pat Bertram Introduces...!

Western Mariner's December issue had a great review of Bruce Burrows' The River Killers! "Lovers of succinct dialogue a la Elmore Leonard and witty writing like Raymond Chandler's will be impressed by Burrows' style."

"A story that's bound to intrigue anyone who has made a living from fishing . . . The dialogue, filled with banter and smart-assed commentary, captures the rough-edged style of 1950s mystery novels." There was a nice review of The River Killers by Bruce Burrows in the December issue of The Fisherman.

ENTER TO WIN! Like us on Facebook and you will automatically be entered into a draw for a stunning 2012 calendar: Poppies from the Roof of the World. The Grand Prize winner will also win a copy of Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy by Bill Terry. Start 2012 off right and enjoy these gorgeous flowers all year long!

Contest closes December 31, 2011. 

Wonderful interview with Stephen Legault, author of The End of the Line, on the Poe's Deadly Daughters blog. Read it here.

"The story was intriguing, insightful and chock full of great humour." There is a great review of The River Killers by Bruce Burrows in the North Island Gazette. Read it here.

 "The mystery . . . is first-rate, unfolding in a manner that keeps readers wondering whodunit until the very end. The End of the Line is a fine start for this historical series." Great review of Stephen Legault's The End of the Line on the Mysterious Reviews website. Check it out here.

Great interview with Bruce Burrows, author of The River Killers, in the Sointula Ripple. Read it here. 

Island Wineries of British Columbia has won the Gourmand International Wine Books Award 2011 for Canada. Congrats to editor Gary Hynes and all of the contributors!

"Calgary writer Gordon Cope's debut novel, Secret Combinations, is focused on the 'ripped-from-the-headlines' threat of cyber warfare." The Calgary Herald published a great profile of Gordon Cope and his mystery novel, Secret Combinations. Read it here.

Somebody's Child: Stories about Adoption was number four on the Calgary Herald's list of non-fiction bestsellers last week!

"Island Wineries of British Columbia is an accessible and elegant must-have book for anyone interested in Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands wine." Check out this fantastic write up of Island Wineries of British Columbia! Read it here.

"With stories flooding in from all angles of adoption, the final 25 range from the classic young woman forced to give up her baby to the child who is always looking for an unknown face in the crowd . . . While a lot has changed over the decades, [co-editor Lynne Van Luven] says, teasing still exists, and children still have to fight stigmas, sometimes on their own." Monday Magazine did a wonderful profile of Somebody's Child: Stories about Adoption. Be sure to check it out here.

"While Green’s interest in the past is not limited by any means, the history of the O’Reilly family and their home, Point Ellice House, is of particular interest to her." Saanich News did a lovely profile of Valerie Green, her vast knowledge of Victoria's history, and her book Above Stairs. Read it here.

"This book has clearly been well-researched and is well-written. . . . the characters feel realistic and the plot accurate." A lovely review of Robert W. Mackay's Soldier of the Horse was posted on the Western Front Association website. Read it here.

"Now an old-hand at the continuing mystery series, Legault knows there’s a fine balance between developing rich characters and leaving enough mystery to maintain interest until the next adventure." Check out this great article about Stephen Legault and his work, including The End of the Line, in the Calgary Herald.

"For those looking for a glint of Canadian history set in a more riveting narrative, Canmore writer Stephen Legault’s Western The End of the Line combines the guilty pleasure of a page turning murder mystery with the brain food found in Pierre Berton’s history books." Avenue Magazine published a great interview with Stephen Legault! Read it here.

The Rocky Mountain Outlook published a great review for The End of the Line: "Stephen Legault sets the stage for a historical mystery that stands proud among the best of the genre...Legault’s intimate knowledge of these mountains and their history brings Durrant and Holt City alive. For both mystery and history buffs, End of the Line is time well spent." Read the full review here.

The Hamilton Spectator calls Stephen Legault's The End of the Line "a whopping good tale of adventure and murder in the frozen tundra of western Canada in the winter of 1883…a riveting and winning history mystery."

"Authors Duncan and Szanto succeed in presenting a seamless and well-written story . . . Never Hug a Mugger is a satisfying read with insight into the fabric that binds and threatens a family." Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island got a great review in The Hamilton Spectator! 

 The Globe and Mail calls The River Killers "a very good first book. Danny [Swanson] seems destined to return, which makes Burrows a writer to watch." Read the full review here.

"Legault knows his history, and that’s what makes this novel shine. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we see of Durrant Wallace." New review of Stephen Legault's The End of the Line by The Globe and Mail. Read it here.

"The River Killers is engaging and informative...it's impossible not to be fascinated by the mess of fishing and fish stewardship." Times Colonist review of The River Killers by Bruce Burrows. Read it here.

"Exciting and wildly divergent. Bruce Burrows’s debut, The River Killers, oozes with laboratory conspiracy and features genetically altered fish." A fantastic featured review from The Library Journal. Read it here.

"Robert W. Mackay's first novel, Soldier of the Horse, is a lovingly crafted account of such a time -a tour de histoire, if you will -above all, a heartfelt requiem for an entire rank of the world's youth, called upon to suffer a clash of titans in the First World War." Reviewed by the Vancouver Sun. Read it here.

"Real bottom line: If you’re a wine and food lover and are heading to British Columbia’s beautiful islands, take along Island Wineries of British Columbia." A fabulous review from RealFoodTraveler.com. Read it here!

The Globe and Mail says that "[Stewart] keeps the action moving and the characters peppy" in her new novel, Sitting Lady Sutra. Read it here!

Island Wineries of British Columbia has received its first review! January Magazine says it's "an interesting, well-produced and intelligent book." Read the whole review here.

Sitting Lady Sutra by Kay Stewart received a glowing review from Victoria's Times Colonist: "Stewart loads the novel with many issues and manages to keep everything on track, while maintaining susupense inthe mystery and fascination with he character development." Read it here!

"Weaving emotions generated by wind, rain and memories of scars (physical and emotional) left with his father and those who survived, Mackay ably translates his impressions into a period tale which returns the reader to a by-gone era," says the Cloverdale Reporter of Robert W. Mackay's Solder of the Horse.

Read the whole review here.