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WORK TITLE: Purple Palette for Murder
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1946
WEBSITE: http://www.rjharlick.ca/
CITY: Ottawa
STATE: QC
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | n 2005024859 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2005024859 |
| HEADING: | Harlick, R. J., 1946- |
| 000 | 00485cz a2200145n 450 |
| 001 | 6505585 |
| 005 | 20050518145812.0 |
| 008 | 050405n| acannaabn |n aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 2005024859 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |d DLC |
| 053 | _0 |a PR9199.4.H368 |
| 100 | 1_ |a Harlick, R. J., |d 1946- |
| 670 | __ |a Harlick, R. J. Death’s golden whisper, c2004: |b t.p. (R.J. Harlick) Can. CIP hdg. (Harlick, R. J., [date]) |
| 670 | __ |a NLC Amicus database, Apr. 5, 2005 |b (hdg.: Harlick, R. J., 1946-) |
| 953 | __ |a lk50 |
PERSONAL
Born 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; married; husband’s name Jim.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Formerly worked for twenty-five years in the computer industry, for IBM and DMR Group, and in her own management consultancy business.
MEMBER:Crime Writers of Canada (former President, National Vice President and Regional Vice President), Capital Crime Writers (former president and program chair), Writers Union of Canada, Quebec Writers Federation.
AWARDS:Bony Pete Award, 2002, for “Lady Luck.”
WRITINGS
Contributor of short stories to periodicals and anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
Canadian writer R.J. Harlick is the author of the “Meg Harris Mystery” series, set in the engulfing forests of West Quebec and other parts of Canada. On her Website, Harlick terms herself an “escapee from the high tech jungle,” having worked for more than twenty-five years in the computer industry for major firms and also operating her own consultancy business. Harlick further notes that she finally decided that “pursuing killers by pen would be more fun than chasing the elusive computer bug.” She and her husband now divide their time between Ottawa and a cabin in the woods of West Quebec.
Harlick remarks on her crime series on her website: “Like most readers of mysteries, I love nothing better than to become engrossed in a good fast-paced mystery, one that keeps me guessing until the very end. So I have endeavoured to create action-packed plots with enough twists and turns to keep the ending a complete surprise. In fact, these twists and turns often keep even me, the writer, in suspense.” A contributor on the online Revolvy commented on Harlick’s protagonist: “With the ‘Meg Harris Mystery’ series Harlick introduces protagonist Meg Harris who has fled the urban frenzy of Toronto and her failed marriage to a remote wilderness property in West Quebec. The only neighbour to her 1,500-acre … property is the 35-square-mile … reserve of the Fishhook Algonquins, or Migiskan Anishinabeg. Her sought after peace is interrupted by injustice and murder.”
Death's Golden Whisper
The first installment of the “Meg Harris Mystery” series, Death’s Golden Whisper, finds feisty Meg Harris leaving a failed marriage behind in Toronto for the estate in West Quebec she inherited from her grandmother. With a faithful dog in tow and a bit of a drinking problem, Meg is trying to get her life in order once again. Her peace is broached, however, when she becomes involved in a land dispute over the rights to a nearby island that may have gold deposits. The chief of the neighboring band of Algonquin Indians, Eric Odjik, has befriended Meg and he fears the environmental damage that could be wrought by large-scale mining even though greedy members of his tribe are won over by the possibility of new jobs. Meg’s ex-husband Gareth turns up, now an attorney for the mining company, hoping to help the company ruin Meg’s new life. Visiting the disputed island, Meg is a almost killed when a tree topples, and then Marie, her domestic helper, goes missing and Marie’s husband is subsequently found dead. Now Meg unwillingly goes into action to get to the bottom of things.
Writing in Reviewing the Evidence Website, Carroll Johnson termed Death’s Golden Whisper a “flawed but promising first effort by Harlick.” Johnson added: “When Harlick describes her locale she invokes the majestic natural beauty of the countryside in the rich strokes of someone who knows and loves this land deeply. Her glorious descriptions of golden autumn will leave you searching for your travel agent’s phone number. … It’s clear she’s got strong convictions and a wonderful eye for detail, and I will look forward to reading future books in the series.” Montreal Review of Books Website writer David J. Cox was also impressed by this series launch, noting, “This is a fine first novel by a talented and spiritually attuned author.” Harlick followed up this first effort with Red Ice for a Shroud, which deals with police prejudice when an Algonquin becomes the suspect in a murder.
The River Runs Orange and Arctic Blue Death
The third series installment, The River Runs Orange, sees Meg and her now lover, Eric Odjik, chief of a band of the Algonquin First Nation, on a canoe trip on the De Montigny River in West Quebec. At one stop, Meg discovers ancient an skull and bones that turn out to be the skeleton of an indigenous woman from thousands of years ago. The discovery leads to traffickers in tribal artifacts and the death of an anthropologist in this “exciting book,” as Patricia Reid termed it in the online Best Sellers World. Reid further noted that the “scenery described is beautiful … [and] the relationships between the Indians and the authorities in Canada make for interesting reading.” Writing in Reviewing the Evidence Website, Yvonne Klein similarly commented: “[The series] provides a lot of sound information about matters that are too frequently presented merely sentimentally and it is by no means short of narrative drive. And the chance to visit the Outaouais without blackflies is really too good to pass up.”
Arctic Blue Death sees Meg venturing to the Arctic Circle in search of her missing father in a “fine and intriguing mystery that is highly recommended,” according to an Internet Bookwatch reviewer. Further praise came from online Reviewing the Evidence contributor Nicole Leclerc who remarked that “if you enjoy well-done forays in strange physical and cultural settings, good story-telling and a well-rounded main character, you won’t be disappointed in this book.”
A Green Place for Dying and Silver Totem of Shame
In a A Green Place for Dying, Meg is involved in the search for several missing people, including her boyfriend, Eric Odjik. “Harlick underscores the serious problem of missing native women while providing valuable insight into native customs,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Reviewing the Evidence Website writer Merrill Young was also impressed, commenting: “I found a lot to like about this book; solid writing, strong characterization, a tight plot and a wonderful sense of place. I will be adjusting my radar settings and looking forward to Harlick’s next book.”
Silver Totem of Shame sees Meg and Eric now married and vacationing in Vancouver, British Columbia, where they become involved in the investigation of the murder of the murder of a distant relation of Eric’s. “Fans of the earlier books in the series will give this one an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and it will work fine as a jumping-off point for new readers,” noted Booklist critic David Pitt. Mystery Scene Magazine Website reviewer Betty Webb similarly noted that this “superb novel … lends itself to reread after reread.”
A Cold White Fear and Purple Palette for Murder
The seventh series installment, A Cold White Fear, finds Meg and an Algonquin boy, Jid, whom she has befriended, alone at her remote cabin during a Christmas blizzard. Her husband, Eric, is away from home and then three men arrive and force their way in. Meg and Jid must find a way to escape, for she fears these men will ultimately kill them. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the author “skillfully builds tension, as Meg and Jid attempt to escape, and dread about what will happen when the snowstorm abates and the last gang member arrives.” Likewise, online Reviewing the Evidence writer Jim Napier commented: “A Cold White Fear will make readers think twice about venturing out alone, or even answering a knock at the door. It is, in short, the perfect read for a stormy night.”
In Purple Palette for Murder, Meg investigates to save her own husband, Eric. He has been arrested for the murder of his daughter Teht’aa’s boyfriend, who appears to have beaten Teht’aa almost to death. Meg’s subsequent investigations lead her to a remote island and a mining company eager to open up mining on native lands. A Kirkus Reviews critic noted of this eighth installment: “Plenty of well-developed characters and a storyline that raises pointed questions about land use. But the stunning beauty of the Northwest Territory is the real star of the story.” Ottawa Review of Books contributor Wendy Hawkin similarly commented: “As is the nature of all good murder mysteries, R.J. Harlick keeps us guessing about what really happened. … I am charmed by Harlick’s ‘purple palette’ and her web-weaving.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2014, David Pitt, review of Silver Totem of Shame, p. 43.
Internet Bookwatch, December, 2009, review of Arctic Blue Death.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2017, review of Purple Palette for Murder.
Publishers Weekly, December 5, 2011, review of A Green Place for Dying, p. 61; November 2, 2015, review of A Cold White Fear, p. 64.
ONLINE
Best Sellers World, http://www.bestsellersworld.com/ (April 18, 2018), Patricia Reid, review of The River Runs Orange.
Big Thrill, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ (November 20, 2015), Terry DiDomenico, review of A Cold White Fear.
Book Trail, https://www.thebooktrail.com/ (February 11, 2016), review of A Cold White Fear.
Fantastic Fiction, https://www.fantasticfiction.com/ (April 17, 2018), “R.J. Harlick.”
Montreal Review of Books, http://www.aelaq.org/ (March 1, 2005), David J. Cox, review of Death’s Golden Whisper; (April 18, 2018), Elspeth Redmond, review of The River Runs Orange.
Mystery Scene Magazine, https://mysteryscenemag.com/ (April 18, 2018), Betty Webb, review of Silver Totem of Shame.
Ottawa Review of Books, https://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com/ (September 3, 2017), Wendy Hawkin, review of Purple Palette for Murder.
Reviewing the Evidence, http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/ (April 1, 2005), Carroll Johnson, review of Death’s Golden Whisper; (June 1, 2008), Yvonne Klein, review of The River Runs Orange; (November 1, 2009), Nicole Leclerc, review of Arctic Blue Death; (February 1, 2012), Merrill Young, review of A Green Place for Dying; (April 1, 2014), Sharon Mensing, review of Silver Totem of Shame; (April 1, 2016), Jim Napier, review of A Cold White Fear.
Revolvy, https://www.revolvy.com/ (April 17, 2018), “R.J. Harlick.”
R.J. Harlick Website, http://www.rjharlick.ca (April 17, 2018).
QUOTE:
escapee from the high tech jungle
pursuing killers by pen would be more fun than chasing the elusive computer bug.
Like most readers of mysteries, I love nothing better than to become engrossed in a good fast-paced mystery, one that keeps me guessing until the very end. So I have endeavoured to create action-packed plots with enough twists and turns to keep the ending a complete surprise. In fact, these twists and turns often keep even me, the writer, in suspense.
The Author
R.J. Harlick
RJ Harlick is an escapee from the high tech jungle. After working for over twenty-five years in the computer industry, first for major computer corporations such as IBM and DMR Group, then with her own management consultancy practice, she decided that pursuing killers by pen would be more fun than chasing the elusive computer bug.
Originally from Toronto, R.J., along with her husband, Jim, and their standard poodles, Sterling and Miss Molly, now bides her time between her home in Ottawa and log cabin in West Quebec. A lover of the outdoors, she spends much of her time roaming the forests of the Outaouais. Because of this love for the untamed wilds, she decided that she would bring its seductive allure alive in her writings. This she has done in her Meg Harris mystery series, where the wilderness setting plays almost as large a role as the main character, Meg Harris.
R.J. Harlick
She has also published short stories with the latest When the Red, Red Robin… appearing in the Ladies Killing Circle Anthology, Bone Dance. One of her stories, Lady Luck, was a winner of the 2002 Bony Pete award and appears in the Bloody Words Anthology.
R.J. is actively involved in various writing associations. For Canada's nationally based association, Crime Writers of Canada, she has served as President, National Vice President and Regional Vice President. She was also president and program chair for Capital Crime Writers, an Ottawa based organization. She is also a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Quebec Writers Federation.
QUOTE:
With the Meg Harris mystery series Harlick introduces protagonist Meg Harris who has fled the urban frenzy of Toronto and her failed marriage to a remote wilderness property in West Quebec. The only neighbour to her 1,500-acre (6.1 km2 ) property is the 35-square-mile (91 km2 ) reserve of the Fishhook Algonquins, or Migiskan Anishinabeg. Her sought after peace is interrupted by injustice and murder.
R.J. Harlick is a Canadian mystery writer. Her Meg Harris mystery series is set in the Canadian wilderness.
With the Meg Harris mystery series Harlick introduces protagonist Meg Harris who has fled the urban frenzy of Toronto and her failed marriage to a remote wilderness property in West Quebec. The only neighbour to her 1,500-acre (6.1 km2 ) property is the 35-square-mile (91 km2 ) reserve of the Fishhook Algonquins, or Migiskan Anishinabeg. Her sought after peace is interrupted by injustice and murder. Unable to ignore it, Meg invariably becomes enmeshed in a quagmire of murderous intrigue."[1] "
Harlick is a member of, and former president of Capital Crime Writers. She is also a member of, and former Regional Vice President of Crime Writers of Canada. She is a member of Sisters in Crime. She has participated as a panellist at various mystery conferences such as Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, Bloody Words and Malice Domestic.
Reviewing the Evidence called her "the queen of Canadian wilderness fiction."[2]
Biography
In her former career R.J. Harlick worked for major computer corporations such as IBM and DMR Group, then with her own management consultancy practice. She was a member of the Canadian Institute of Management Consultants and held the CMC designation.
She is an avid supporter of environmental causes and worked for several years on the board of the Ottawa Valley Chapter of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Originally from Toronto, and an alumna of the University of Toronto, she, her husband, Jim, and poodle Sterling divide their time between living in Ottawa and West Quebec.
List of Publications
Novels
Death's Golden Whisper, Dundurn Press, 2004
Red Ice for a Shroud, Dundurn Press, 2006
The River Runs Orange, Dundurn Press, 2008
Arctic Blue Death, Dundurn Press, 2009
A Green Place for Dying, Dundurn Press, 2012
Silver Totem of Shame, Dundurn Press, 2014
A Cold White Fear, Dundurn Press, 2015
Purple Palette for Murder, Dundurn Press, 2017
Short Stories
When the Red, Red Robin... in Bone Dance: a Crime and Mystery Collection by the Ladies Killing Circle, edited by Sue Pike and Joan Boswell RendezVous Press, 2003 ISBN 978-1-894917-05-6
Lady Luck in Bloody Words; The Anthology, edited by Cheryl Freeman & Carol Soles Baskerville Books, 2003 ISBN 0-9686776-6-5
Seigneur Poisson in Fit to Die: a Crime and Mystery Collection by The Ladies Killing Circle, edited by Joan Boswell and Sue Pike RendezVous Press, 2001 ISBN 0-929141-87-3
Awards
Lady Luck 3rd place Winner of the Bony Pete Award, 2002
References
[1]
"A Cold White Fear review in Reviewing the Evidence". Reviewing the Evidence. November 2015.
[2] [The Hamilton Spectator] Review of Arctic Blue Death
[3] The Hamilton Spectator Review of The River Runs Orange
[4] R.J. Harlick on the UK based biography site, Fantastic Fiction
[5] Books 'n' Bytes Author listing for R.J. Harlick
[6] R.J. Harlick Bio on Rendezvous Press publisher's website
[7] Canadian Authors Website
[8] The Regina Leader Post article about R.J. Harlick by Mike Gillespie
[9] Ottawa Public Library Foundation Biography of R.J. Harlick
[10] University of Toronto Arts and Science Alumni RJ Harlick
[11] The Writers Union of Canada Author Profile of R.J. Harlick
External links
[12] R.J. Harlick Website
[13] Official Capital Crime Writers Profile on author R.J. Harlick
[14] Crime Writers of Canada Profile on R.J. Harlick
R J Harlick
Described by the Ottawa Citizen as "one of the brightest new voices in the mystery business", Canadian writer R.J. Harlick writes the compelling Meg Harris Mystery series set in the wilds of western Quebec, where, she likes to say, lakes out number people a thousand to one and trees, a million to one. In this series, R.J. interweaves the seductive allure of this wilderness with the tensions between the people that share it, English Canadians, Québécois and the Algonquin First Nation.
Called the Tony Hillerman of the North, her series, with its underlying native theme, explores the traditional ways of the Algonquin and other First Nations and the issues facing them today. While her heroine Meg Harris spends much of her time at Three Deer Point, an isolated wilderness property she inherited from her Great Aunt Agatha, she often travels to other Canadian wildernesses, where she finds herself embroiled in solving yet another murder and in so doing gets to know the people who inhabit the unique wilderness.
Arctic Blue Death was a finalist in the 2010 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. The Globe and Mail named Silver Totem of Shame one of the top ten 2014 summer reads.
QUOTE:
Plenty of well-developed characters and a storyline that raises pointed questions about land use. But the stunning beauty of the Northwest Territory is the real star of the story.
Harlick, R.J.: PURPLE PALETTE FOR MURDER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 1, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harlick, R.J. PURPLE PALETTE FOR MURDER Dundurn (Adult Fiction) $17.99 11, 7 ISBN: 978-1-4597-3865-2
A woman suffering from PTSD battles to clear her husband of a murder charge.Meg Harris' quiet life in northern Quebec is rudely interrupted by a phone call from a lawyer informing her that her husband, Eric Odjik, newly elected Grand Chief of the Grand Council of First Nations, has been arrested for the murder of his daughter Teht'aa's boyfriend, who may have beaten Teht'aa so badly that she's close to death in a Yellowknife hospital. Meg's relationship with Eric, who had gone to Yellowknife for a meeting and to see his daughter, has been difficult ever since she suffered injuries she can't talk about in a horrifying incident (A Cold White Fear, 2015). Though she's rarely able even to leave home, she puts her fears aside and flies to Yellowknife, where she finds Uncle Joe Bluegoose, an important influence in Eric's life, at Teht'aa's bedside. She also meets Hans Walther, a pushy mining consultant who claims to be another of Teht'aa's boyfriends. Meg can't see Eric, who's still incarcerated in the remote fly-in community of Digadeh. But when she learns that his lawyer wants him to plead out, she fires him and hires defense counsel Sally McLeod. While she's using Teht'aa's apartment, Meg meets Gloria, a cousin of Teht'aa's with a major drinking problem and many secrets. In fact, some of those secrets and a suede embroidery decorated with sparkly purple flowers may provide the answers to many of Meg's questions. Uncle Joe is staying with his son, who works for a diamond company and has very different ideas about the use of native lands for mining. While Teht'aa slowly recovers and Eric languishes in jail, Meg starts her own investigation, which will lead her and several family members to a remote island far north of civilization. Plenty of well-developed characters and a storyline that raises pointed questions about land use. But the stunning beauty of the Northwest Territory is the real star of the story.
1 of 6 4/16/18, 11:26 PM
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Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Harlick, R.J.: PURPLE PALETTE FOR MURDER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2017. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502192342/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=fbf3a49c. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502192342
2 of 6 4/16/18, 11:26 PM
QUOTE:
skillfully builds tension, as Meg and Jid attempt to escape, and dread about what will happen when the snowstorm abates and the last gang member arrives.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
A Cold White Fear
Publishers Weekly.
262.44 (Nov. 2, 2015): p64+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2015 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
A Cold White Fear
R.J. Harlick. Dundurn (IPS, U.S. dist.; UTP. Canadian dist.), $17.99 trade paper (344p) ISBN 978-1-4597-3199-8
In the seventh book in Harlick's Meg Harris series, Meg is alone with 12-yearold Adjidamo, aka Jid, an Algonquin boy she befriended in an earlier book who is currently staying with her, and puppy Shoni in her remote cottage in western Quebec while her Algonquin husband, Eric, is in Regina (Meg herself is white). In the midst of a blizzard, her Christmas preparations are interrupted by the arrival of two men. One is badly injured and says he knows her late great-aunt, so reluctantly, she lets them in. Her skepticism about their car accident turns to terror when she discovers that they are escaped convicts: the first, a white man known as the Professor, is covered with snake tattoos, and the second, Larry, is a diminutive Algonquin man. Meg's attempt to send Jid to get help is thwarted when he is stopped and brought back to the cottage by a psychopathic third member of the gang, Slobo, on his way to meet the others. Forced to feed and attend to the men, Meg is sure they will not leave her and Jid alive. Harlick (Arctic Blue Death) skillfully builds tension, as Meg and Jid attempt to escape, and dread about what will happen when the snowstorm abates and the last gang member arrives. The author respectfully crosses intercultural boundaries in the story and portrays fully formed Algonquin characters alongside their non- Algonquin counterparts. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"A Cold White Fear." Publishers Weekly, 2 Nov. 2015, p. 64+. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A434413555/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=f5841d7d. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A434413555
3 of 6 4/16/18, 11:26 PM
QUOTE:
Fans of the earlier books in the series will give this one an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and it will work fine as a jumping-off point for new readers.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Silver Totem of Shame
David Pitt
Booklist.
110.17 (May 1, 2014): p43. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2014 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Silver Totem of Shame. By R. J. Harlick. July 2014. 380p. Dundurn, paper, $17.99 (9781459721692); e-book, $8.99 (9781459721715).
Amateur sleuth Meg Harris and her new husband, Eric, are on a working vacation in Vancouver, B.C., where Eric is attending an assembly of the Grand Council of First Nations. A museum tour is cut short when the guide learns that her boyfriend has been murdered. In the kind of coincidence that a lot of writers might not get away with, it turns out that the victim's mother is Eric's long-estranged stepsister. Meg wants to reach out to the grieving woman, but Eric wants no part of it. Meg insists, and soon she and Eric have determined to find out what happened to the dead man. In this sixth in the series, Harlick again uses a contemporary mystery to launch an exploration of Canada's aboriginal peoples and their history and customs. Meg is a good series lead, a likable woman with some flaws--her alcoholism and her reticence when it comes to forming personal relationships--that give her emotional depth. Fans of the earlier books in the series will give this one an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and it will work fine as a jumping-off point for new readers. --David Pitt
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Pitt, David. "Silver Totem of Shame." Booklist, 1 May 2014, p. 43. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A368378904/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=03870605. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A368378904
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QUOTE:
Harlick underscores the serious problem of missing native women while providing valuable insight into native customs.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
A Green Place for Dying: A Meg Harris Mystery
Publishers Weekly.
258.49 (Dec. 5, 2011): p61. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2011 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
A Green Place for Dying: A Meg Harris Mystery
R.J. Harlick. Dundurn (Midpoint, dist.), $17.99 trade paper (424p) ISBN 978-1-926607-24-5
Meg Harris, "an escapee from Toronto" living in the West Quebec wilderness adjacent to the Migiskan Anishinabeg First Nations Reserve, gets an education in evil in Harlick's absorbing fifth mystery (after 2009's Arctic Blue Death). When Fleur Lightbody, the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of a friend of Meg's, goes to Ottawa to find a summer job, Fleur and another young native woman disappear without a trace. Dismayed by the indifference of both the Ottawa police and the Quebec provincial police, Meg attempts her own investigation, which leads her to a remote fishing camp, a biker gang, and a vicious prostitution ring. When Meg's estranged boyfriend, Eric Odjik, also goes missing, her investigation becomes even more persona!. Harlick underscores the serious problem of missing native women while providing valuable insight into native customs. Meg's continuing battle with alcoholism and her guilt over a childhood incident add emotional depth. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"A Green Place for Dying: A Meg Harris Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 5 Dec. 2011, p. 61. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A274790190/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=c46b67f4. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A274790190
5 of 6 4/16/18, 11:26 PM
QUOTE:
fine and intriguing mystery that is highly recommended.
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Arctic Blue Death
Internet Bookwatch.
(Dec. 2009): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2009 Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Full Text:
Arctic Blue Death
R. J. Harlick
Rendezvous Crime
c/o Napoleon & Company
235-1173 Dundas Street, East, Toronto, ON M4M 3P1 9781894917972, $16.95, www.napoleoncompany.com
Where there are people, there is crime. "Arctic Blue Death" is a story of murder in the arctic, as Meg Harris's father vanishes off the face of the planet. Suspecting the worst, she travels first in search of the truth, but finds that the truth may be more foul than she would have ever suspected. A story of mystery in the Arctic Circle and the people who call it home, "Arctic Blue Death" is a fine and intriguing mystery that is highly recommended. Also recommended from Napoleon & Company is "Betrayed: The Legend of Oak Island", (9781894917919, $10.95), an entertaining fantasy from Christopher Dinsdale.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Arctic Blue Death." Internet Bookwatch, Dec. 2009. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A214528922/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=9c185880. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A214528922
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fiction
The River Runs Orange
Reviewed by Elspeth Redmond
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R.J. Harlick's latest mystery opens with detective Meg Harris and her lover Eric Odjik, chief of a band of the Algonquin First Nation, canoeing down the wild waters of the De Montigny River in West Quebec. After some scary misadventures involving rocks, eddies, chutes, and standing waves, Meg catches her breath on a beach. She discovers a copper-coloured skull and bones, the remains of a human being who has apparently met a violent end. Once the pathologists and archaeologists get hold of the bones we learn that they are thousands of years old and belonged to a woman who suffered many fractures while alive. The remains, according to the experts, should not have turned up in that place at all. These puzzles are never explained.
At this point the storyline is taken over by the question of who should control the disposition of the De Montigny Lady, as the skeleton is called: the native peoples on whose land the bones were found, the federal or provincial governments, or some unscrupulous traffickers in ancient tribal artefacts. The story spins off into numerous subplots, all well researched, with some more interesting than others. The bones are repeatedly stolen and passed from one group to another. Bad things start to happen, including the stabbing death of one of the paleo-anthropologists. Deep divisions occur within Eric's band and quarrels spring up everywhere. In the end, after another vivid and terrifying canoe trip down the De Montigny, this time through a forest fire, the killer is arrested and conflicts are resolved, though not entirely to the reader's satisfaction.
Elspeth Redmond is currently working on a memoir of her sister.
QUOTE:
exciting book and the scenery described is beautiful. The relationships between the Indians and the authorities in Canada make for interesting reading.
BOOK REVIEW:
THE RIVER RUNS ORANGE
BY R.J. HARLICK
We hope you enjoy this book review by Patricia Reid.
The books shown at the left are the most popular R.J. Harlick books. Click on them to see details.
It is smooth sailing for Meg Harris and her lover Eric Odijk as they canoe down the DeMontigny River. Maybe not quite as smooth as Meg would like since they are hitting some rapids but all in all the trip is going well at least for awhile. Eric’s daughter Teht’aa and her boyfriend Larry are traveling with them. Meg and Teht’aa are not close and Meg and Eric don’t care much for Larry but all are coping well.
Eric and Meg run into some rough water and Meg is thrown over. She makes it safely to shore where she discovers the remains of what she thinks might be a murder victim. When she reconnects with Eric she makes the decision to bring the police into the matter.
Once the group gets back home Meg finds out that the skeleton that she found is the remains of a woman and the oldest human remains ever to be found in Quebec. This discovery brings much trouble and sorrow to both Meg and Eric as well as Eric’s tribe. Eric’s tribe believes that the bones of the ancient woman should be returned to the place where Meg made the discovery. The authorities believe otherwise.
When illness strikes the tribe the blame is placed on the fact that the remains have been moved. A man is murdered and members of the tribe are suspects. Things go from bad to worse until Meg and Teht’aa finally combine efforts to find the remains and return them to their resting place. The problem is getting there without being caught in the forest fires raging through the area.
The River Runs Orange is an exciting book and the scenery described is beautiful. The relationships between the Indians and the authorities in Canada make for interesting reading.
REVIEWED BY PATRICIA REID
DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REVIEWER, PATRICIA REID
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QUOTE:
provides a lot of sound information about matters that are too frequently presented merely sentimentally and it is by no means short of narrative drive. And the chance to visit the Outaouais without blackflies is really too good to pass up.
THE RIVER RUNS ORANGE
by R.J. Harlick
RendezVous Crime, April 2008
300 pages
$15.95 CAD
ISBN: 1894917626
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Meg Harris lives in the house her Great Aunt Agatha left her, tucked far up impossible roads in the Outaouais, otherwise known as West Quebec, well north of Ottawa, where she seeks to heal the damages wrought on her psyche by a failed marriage and the strains of Toronto, her former home. Her closest neighbours are the Migiskan Algonquin, whose reserve abuts her property..
As this third book in the series opens, Meg is on a canoe trip with her neighbour and lover, Eric Odjik, chief of the Migiskan band. The trip has a two-fold purpose - to teach Meg how to whitewater canoe and to ease relations between her and Eric's daughter, Teht'aa, a young woman who grew up on a Dene reserve in the far north and who has come along on the river with her Mohawk boyfriend, Larry. As an exercise in improved understanding, things are not going well. Both of the young people are suspicious of whites, though perhaps out of different experiences.
When the canoe Meg and Eric are in capsizes in the rapids, they fetch up on a beach where Meg, looking around, comes across skeletal remains. She assumes that they are what is left of some hapless canoeist, less fortunate than she, but they are not. They turn out to be very ancient indeed, dating back eleven thousand years. Further examination reveals that they may be Caucasian in origin, not Amerindian.
This makes them simultaneously an object of great interest both to anthropological science and to the Native peoples of the area, who demand that they be properly and promptly buried in accordance with traditional belief. The value of the bones, scientific, monetary, and spiritual, inevitably leads to murder.
RJ Harlick spends the greater part of her time in the country she describes and clearly has a profound love and respect for it and the people who live there. She has thought long and deeply about the issues involving First Nations people, and her sympathies clearly and properly lie with them. She is, however, aware that these issues are neither clearly defined nor easily resolved, and she takes great care to lay out the various strains and stresses between whites and Natives in a thoughtful way.
The problem is that I am not altogether convinced that Harlick has chosen quite the right genre to discuss these matters. She has a talent for lively description of both nature and action, a talent that must have led her in the direction of the thriller, but she seems too responsible to do what thriller writers must - cut to the chase and forget the nuances.
Nevertheless, this series is certainly worth a look. It provides a lot of sound information about matters that are too frequently presented merely sentimentally and it is by no means short of narrative drive. And the chance to visit the Outaouais without blackflies is really too good to pass up.
Reviewed by Yvonne Klein, June 2008
QUOTE:
When Harlick describes her locale she invokes the majestic natural beauty of the countryside in the rich strokes of someone who knows and loves this land deeply. Her glorious descriptions of golden autumn will leave you searching for your travel agent's phone number.
This is a flawed but promising first effort by Harlick. It's clear she's got strong convictions and a wonderful eye for detail, and I will look forward to reading future books in the series.
DEATH'S GOLDEN WHISPER
by R. J. Harlick
RendezVous Crime, June 2004
264 pages
$10.95
ISBN: 1894917111
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Meg Harris is a prickly character on whom to base a series. She's a girl with a dog, a drinking problem and an inherited estate in the wilds of West Quebec. Fleeing a painfully shattered marriage, she retreats to her great-grandfather's estate in the hope of healing her frayed emotions. She's just begun to make progress when she becomes embroiled in a land dispute over rights to an island, which may or may not be home to substantial deposits of gold.
Her ally in the fight for the sanctity of the island, and one of her few friends, is Eric Odjik, the chief of the neighboring band of Algonquin Indians. Eric sees the potential for environmental degradation that a large-scale gold mining operation brings with it, but many members of his band are dazzled by the lure of quick money and jobs. The resulting tension threatens to split the band, and might even jeopardize Eric's position of leadership.
By a very large coincidence, Meg's ex-husband Gareth shows up on her doorstep, ostensibly to give her a painting that she had wished for but had not been part of her share of the divorce settlement. It quickly becomes clear that Gareth is not there to see Meg at all, but rather is the attorney for the mining company. He's trying to betray Meg one more time by conspiring to ruin her idyllic hide-away.
Things turn ugly quickly. Meg visits the island, and she is nearly killed when an old growth pine suddenly topples over near where she is standing on a secluded beach. Then her friend and household helper Marie goes missing and Marie's husband is found dead.
The story progresses predictably enough to a satisfying conclusion. But in order to enjoy the book the reader must swallow a couple of pretty large assumptions. The first is that Meg's ex-husband, out of all the lawyers in Canada, would be the attorney hired by the mining corporation. The second is that in the world of this book there are apparently no restraining orders available to halt the mine's operations until the clear title to the land can be established.
This is also a world in which title documents can be easily stolen from government offices where escrow agents view original papers. Do they not have microfilm in Quebec? Don't government officials prosecute obstruction of justice and destruction of government property? These and a few other points were bewildering to me, but to a more forgiving reader these logic lapses may pose less a problem.
The strength of the book, and the strongest reason to read it, is the subplot that is beautifully woven into the fabric of the novel. As the mining dispute unfolds, Meg discovers secrets about her own family that provide a perfect echo and enrich the main story without overshadowing it.
When Harlick describes her locale she invokes the majestic natural beauty of the countryside in the rich strokes of someone who knows and loves this land deeply. Her glorious descriptions of golden autumn will leave you searching for your travel agent's phone number.
This is a flawed but promising first effort by Harlick. It's clear she's got strong convictions and a wonderful eye for detail, and I will look forward to reading future books in the series.
Reviewed by Carroll Johnson, April 2005
QUOTE:
This is a fine first novel by a talented and spiritually attuned author.
Trouble in Paradise
Review by David J. Cox • Published in the Spring 2005 issue • Leave a comment
Death’s Golden Whisper
R. J. Harlick
Rendez-vous Crime
$12.95
paper
338pp
1-894917-11-1
These two crime novels occur in what, one guesses, are the authors’ favourite places. What happens in them is something else again.
Death’s Golden Whisper is set in West Quebec cottage country – more precisely the environs of protagonist Meg Harris’s cottage within the Migiskan reserve. With this vividly described wilderness as background, Harlick dives into the many mysteries that first surround, and then start to threaten, Meg’s life. She discovers that the aunt who bequeathed the property to her was not the spinster all had presumed. In fact, the aunt had a marriage that came to a torrid end.
The island on Meg’s property, rumoured to have gold deposits below its ancient and sacred pine trees, becomes the next focal point of the story. Wishing to keep the island untouched, Meg has to content with corrupt politicians, bought-off natives, and a mining company employing her ex-husband.
As all become entangled in a fight for the disputed property rights to the island, a local man and his wife are found dead. The woman was Meg’s housekeeper and friend, and her death sends Meg into an ever-more dangerous game with the various suspects.
Death’s Golden Whisper blends greed, native spirituality, and a critique of how modern culture continues to encroach on paradise within a gripping murder mystery. The first-person narration, crisp dialogue, and stark atmosphere bring the reader effortlessly into the world of Meg Harris.
This is a fine first novel by a talented and spiritually attuned author. mRb
David J. Cox was recently featured at the Verdun Poets Society.
Location: Quebec
Submitted: 11th February 2016
A Cold White Fear (Meg Harris 7)
Author/Guide: R.J. Harlick
Why a Booktrail?
2000s: A woman, practically home alone in her remote house in the Canadian wilderness, a blizzard outside, hears a knock at the door…
ISBN: 978-1459731998
Genre: Psychological, Thriller
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What you need to know before your trail
Cosy, snowbound and preparing for Christmas miles from anywhere. Might sound idyllic but when someone knocks at the door, when a voice shouts ‘ Open the door’ fear and suspicion come calling. Then there’s another voice.
They tell her about the accident they’ve had and the fact one of the men seems to know Meg’s family makes her open the door. It’s then that the light goes out, communication is cut and Meg walks into her worst nightmare
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Locations
Canada
A: ON - Magiskan Reserve
B: QC - Ottawa River
C: QC - James Bay
Travel Guide
Three Deer Point, a Victorian Cottage set deep in the heart of the Canadian Wilderness. Not the place you’d want to be when two ex convicts come calling. The tension and the fear of the isolation, knowing the fear that Meg and the young boy must be feeling is heightened and made more stark by the cold, white snow outside. The white blanket of fear which smothers screams, jams doors, blocks roads and suffocates everything in its path.
Immediately the cottage appears on the page, immediately the knock at the door grabs your attention. No build up, no preparation. You’re in Meg’s mindset from the outset.
Set over 24 hours, this is to venture into the wilderness of snowy remote landscapes, the lonely environment of human fear and the will to survive whilst working out the best way to even attempt it. A locked room mystery, more chilling visitors and a mystery where seemingly there is no way out.
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer
Love mysteries like this as they always freak me out. A woman alone apart from a young boy in a house, remote and snowed in, then a knock at the door. I was screaming for her not to let them in and she did! I mean I know they gave the talk etc and people in remote areas might be less suspicious but with Meg’s past, I really didn’t think she should have opened that door.
Still, there would have been no story without it and I’m glad what followed was as scary as it was uncomfortable. The sense of time and place and discomfort is ramped up and a locked house mystery with a woman who will do anything to escape really got to me.
There were a few moments I felt dragged on a bit and was unsure as if it would be very different to other similar ‘ Stranded’ books I’ve read but I did like the twist at the end.
And there’s just something about snowy Canada…
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SILVER TOTEM OF SHAME
by R.J. Harlick
Dundurn, April 2014
376 pages
$17.99 CAD
ISBN: 1459721691
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Before discussing the merits of the book, SILVER TOTEM OF SHAME, the fact of the title must be addressed. Although the totem pole in question is indeed being carved to depict the shame that a long-ago chief brought to his tribe, the title made this a book that I would have been more comfortable carrying around with a plain paper cover, or perhaps on an e-book reader. The title seemed to herald some sort of potboiler, a style of book I am not used to reading. Fortunately, however, the book itself was not melodramatic, but rather a well plotted mystery built on Haida native underpinnings.
As the book opens, a young apprentice is beginning work on a new totem pole in the studio of famed carver Ernest Paul. His work is interrupted by a killer and, as he lies dying on the floor of the studio, the totem pole is stolen and removed to Haida Gwaii, his ancestral home. Meg Harris and her new husband, Eric, are in a local museum when their guide, the young man’s girlfriend, hears of his death. It soon becomes clear that this same young man was the adopted son of Eric’s sister. Meg, Eric, and his sister, Chloe, all make a pilgrimage to Haida Gwaii to take part in a pole-raising ceremony honoring the new Chief, while allowing Chloe to scatter the ashes of her son on his homeland. When it turns out that the murderer is also on the island, their trip takes on a new purpose as the three search for the killer.
Throughout the book, Harlick weaves Haida culture with modern greed to make plausible multiple suspects. The details of the culture form a rich backdrop for events taking place as a new Chief takes power, moving the matriarchal influence from one clan to another on the island. Not only is Harlick’s writing about the native culture detailed and fascinating, but she brings similar life to the northern rain forest that forms the setting for much of the book. The reader can almost feel and hear the quiet dampness of moss-covered forest floors.
The richness of writing that brings the culture and the landscape to life overshadow the problems that Harlick encounters with dialogue. When interactions between the characters are filtered through Meg’s internal thoughts and feelings, those interactions form a seamless part of the storyline. However, in scenes that involve a good deal of conversation, the reader is jerked out of the book as stilted dialogue overlays the action. Fortunately, these scenes are infrequent, and the book as a whole is well written and rewarding.
In the end, the resolution makes sense and feels right given its cultural implications. It is helpful that the many different names for different characters are all sorted out as the book’s climax arrives, so that some of the confusion that obscured earlier plot developments falls away. This is the sixth of the Meg Harris books, which are set in the Canadian wilderness. It’s the second that I’ve read and enjoyed, the other being the fourth, ARCTIC BLUE DEATH. The books are worth reading for the sense of being transported to the wilderness alone.
§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, April 2014
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QUOTE:
superb novel that lends itself to reread after reread.
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Silver Totem of Shame
by R. J. Harlick
Dundurn, July 2014, $17.99
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When Allistair, a gifted young totem pole carver, is murdered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Meg Harris and her new husband Eric, an Algonquin Indian, find themselves thrust into a crime that has its roots in a centuries-old dispute between the encroaching Europeans and the local Haida tribe.
Told in alternating points of view by Meg, a recovering alcoholic, and a mysterious Haida carver seemingly bent on revenge, Silver Totem of Shame gains great depth as it plumbs the history of the Haida. This sad history becomes personal when Eric learns that the murder victim is related to him by adoption. As a child Eric had been adopted by a white family, and in turn, his wealthy adoptive sister had likewise adopted Allistair. This practice—intended to “stamp out the Indian” in native children—was not without its repercussions. Chief among them was the severing of family and tribal ties. Meg and Eric, their new marriage directly impacted by this clash of cultures, find themselves swept up in the woes of the local Haida bands. Author Harlick delivers a series of three-dimensional characters, each and every one filled with love and rage as they attempt to work their way through the bad hand history dealt them. The expertise with which Harlick paints the tribes and their adversaries would be reason enough to pronounce this a superior mystery, but she doesn’t stop there. She also treats their long-abandoned villages as characters in and of themselves, to such an extent that we can almost hear Haida ghosts murmuring down through the ages. By showing both sides of the Indian-versus-European cultural dispute, she wisely avoids the trap of painting one side’s history as pure evil, the other’s as sinless. This even-handedness brings complexity and depth to what could have been a mere diatribe. Instead, we get a superb novel that lends itself to reread after reread.
Betty Webb
QUOTE:
if you enjoy well-done forays in strange physical and cultural settings, good story-telling and a well-rounded main character, you won't be disappointed in this book.
ARCTIC BLUE DEATH
by R J Harlick
RendezVous Crime, September 2009
328 pages
$16.95 CAD
ISBN: 1894917871
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Meg Harris comes from a very wealthy family in Toronto. Her father disappeared in the Arctic region years ago when his plane went missing and he is presumed dead. Her relationship with her mother and sister is rather strained, all the more since she inherited her beloved aunt's Victorian cottage in the wilderness of Western Quebec. After her divorce, Meg left the city and moved there making a new life and new friends for herself.
However, her newfound peace is shattered when her sister drops by with staggering news. Someone from Iqaluit, capital of the Nunavut territory, has sent her mother a note saying her father is alive. Along with this news came a a newspaper clipping about a plane recently found and Inuit drawings. Meg is coerced by her family to go to Iqaluit and find out if her father is indeed still alive and who the artist behind the drawings might be.
Her investigation takes her into the world of Inuit art, particularly Inuit art forgery. The author manages to introduce us to those riches without being didactic and opens a whole new world to the reader. Her journey up North is also very enlightening about the every day life and culture of both the Inuit and the white men (qallunaat) in that frozen region. We really get a feel for the people, from the way they dress to their value system. The story is sprinkled with native expressions but nothing to overwhelm or detract from the basic story.
The mystery is captivating and full of adventures, danger and even death. Meg is naïve enough openly to question the numerous characters she meets on her trek and that sometimes leads to threats to her life. As a bonus, we learn more about her private life and that of her family. The ending is both exciting and satisfying. Despite a tendency to product placement which I find irritating (Tim Horton, Zeller's….), if you enjoy well-done forays in strange physical and cultural settings, good story-telling and a well-rounded main character, you won't be disappointed in this book.
Reviewed by Nicole Leclerc, November 2009
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QUOTE:
I found a lot to like about this book; solid writing, strong characterization, a tight plot and a wonderful sense of place. I will be adjusting my radar settings and looking forward to Harlick's next book.
A GREEN PLACE FOR DYING
by R J Harlick
Rendezvous , February 2012
304 pages
$17.99 CAD
ISBN: 1926607244
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Have you ever arrived late to an event and regretted it? I sure have! Somehow, author RJ Harlick's Meg Harris mystery series flew under my reading radar until now, and I found myself playing catch up with the fifth book in the series, A GREEN PLACE FOR DYING.
Those who are already familiar with Meg's adventures and know more about the supporting cast of characters than I are probably at an advantage going into this book, but the author did a good job of balancing back story with current plot. I was quickly engrossed in the opening scene: an Algonquin Aboriginal smudging ceremony, held to seek knowledge of, and safety for two missing teen age girls. The ceremony ends in tragedy when the arrival of the local police brings the news that the body of one of the girls has been found, brutally murdered.
With the help of Teht'aa( the grown daughter of Meg's former lover, band chief Eric Odjik), Meg soon finds herself hot on the trail and travelling to Ottawa, the last known whereabouts of Fleur, the remaining missing girl. As Meg and Teht'aa try to recreate Fleur's activities, they gradually are made aware that Eric had been doing the same thing and is also AWOL.
The author says in the acknowledgments that she chose the theme for the book because she has long been troubled by the indifference of both the police and the society as a whole to marginalized people, especially to the number of aboriginal women that disappear yearly in Canada never to be seen again. Kudos to Harlick for not allowing Meg to travel alone to the remote location she suspects the missing girl has been taken. Feminists may sneer, but it is the very fact that missing women often travel alone that makes them so very vulnerable. She also brings to the fore a very valid question. When you are dealing with an adult, or almost adult, how much time must pass before you wonder why you haven't heard from them?
There's a thought that should have us all reaching for the phone.
I found a lot to like about this book; solid writing, strong characterization, a tight plot and a wonderful sense of place. I will be adjusting my radar settings and looking forward to Harlick's next book.
§Merrill Young lives on an acre in rural Langley, BC where she has given up trying to win the war on clutter, cat hair and blackberry vines, and has settled for losing as slowly as possible.
Reviewed by Merrill Young, February 2012
Contemporary Thrillers, Latest Books
A Cold White Fear by R. J. Harlick
November 30, 2015 by Terry DiDomenico
Cold White Fear final coverBy Terry DiDomenico
Weather played a vital part in the genesis of A COLD WHITE FEAR, according to R. J. Harlick. “Most people think winter and Canada are synonymous and yet only one of my previous books, Red Ice for a Shroud, takes place in winter. So I decided the seventh would capture its full fury. I also wanted to try my hand at a thriller. While the other books in the Meg Harris series are suspenseful as any thriller, they all have crime-solving plots. In A COLD WHITE FEAR, I wanted to place Meg in jeopardy from the get-go and watch how she musters all her resources to get out of it alive.”
About the writing of this latest entry, Harlick said, “I know Meg very well so the continuing development of her character easily flows from one book to the next. She is joined by Adjidamo, a young Algonquin boy who has appeared in earlier books. So the writing of both characters was relatively easy, along with the setting, Meg’s home, Three Deer Point, which I also know intimately.
“For me the hard part was the unfolding of the story within its narrow parameters. The action takes in less than a day and in a single location. Since a change in time or location were not tools I could use to move the story forward, I found myself delving deeper into the souls of all the main characters, including the bad guys, and used this to drive the story to its tumultuous ending.
“Because A COLD WHITE FEAR takes place in western Quebec—a setting I know intimately—and during the kind of blizzard I wish I didn’t know intimately, I didn’t have to do much research.” But some research was required. Aside from the standard Internet research, Harlick had her main character handling a gun for the first time, so off she went to a local gun club to hold, fire, and see “what it felt like.” Her books are, after all, set in Canada.
Although Harlick doesn’t outline she does know certain things before starting. She establishes the setting, the community, the social issues, and most of the main characters. She knows where the story will start and has a general idea of the arc. “But I’m a pantser,” she said. “I let the story flow from chapter to chapter. Rarely do I know whodunit until the very end. In A COLD WHITE FEAR, there is one scene in particular that appears close to the end that came as a complete surprise to me. Though I had done some foreshadowing, I hadn’t fully thought out the implications until I reached the point in the story where it needed to happen. For me it was a very difficult scene to write.”
All the titles in the Meg Harris series feature a color, and this is by design. “John D. MacDonald, one of my favorite authors, was the first [to use colors in his series titles],” Harlick said. “On cold winter nights I loved nothing better than to visit with Travis in the hot sun of Florida. I also love color, so it seemed fitting to use color in my Meg Harris mysteries, in part as homage to John D.
“The story idea always comes first. Once I decide on the location, I look for a color that helps define the location and will play a role in the plot. For A COLD WHITE FEAR, the action takes place during a raging blizzard that has turned Meg’s world into a swirl of pummeling white. I wanted to emphasize this and the blizzard’s inherent danger in the title. The book I’m currently working on, the eighth Meg Harris mystery, will take place in the Northwest Territories and purple will be the color.”
Harlick admits she loves reading mystery series. She likes to get involved with the main characters and enjoy watching their life unfold from book to book. She says this about Meg: “I don’t even think I made an actual decision, I just knew I was writing a series. When I first introduced her in Death’s Golden Whisper, I had a basic character outline. During the course of that book, she morphed into a fully formed person. I enjoy watching her evolve from book to book and will plant seeds about her life in one book that only comes to fruition a book or two later.
“What I like most about Meg is her tenacity to get something done despite all the obstacles I throw at her. I also like her compassion and her sense of fairness in wanting to ensure that justice is achieved.”
For all her novels, Harlick wants to entertain her readers for a few hours. But she also wants to introduce her readers to some of Canada’s magnificent wildernesses and to the indigenous people who have called these territories home for thousands of years.
According to Harlick, A COLD WHITE FEAR is “a fast-paced psychological thriller with many surprise twists that will keep you awake until the wee hours of the morning.”
*****
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R. J. Harlick writes the popular wilderness-based Meg Harris mystery series set in the wilds of Quebec. Like her heroine Meg Harris, RJ loves nothing better than to roam the forests surrounding her wilderness cabin or paddle the endless lakes and rivers. The 4th book, Arctic Blue Death was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. Silver Totem of Shame, the 6th in the series, was named one of the top ten summer crime reads by the Globe & Mail. A Cold White Fear is the 7th book in the series. R.J. is a past president of Crime Writers of Canada..
For more information about A Cold White Fear and R. J. Harlick and her work, please visit her website.
Terry DiDomenico
Terry DiDomenico has spent most of her professional career editing and writing for university publications with a little freelancing on the side. She lives with her husband and two cats on four acres in south central Pennsylvania. She is working on her first novel - a thriller of course.
QUOTE:
As is the nature of all good murder mysteries, RJ Harlick keeps us guessing about what really happened.
I am charmed by Harlick’s “purple palette” and her web-weaving.
Purple Palette for Murder by R.J. Harlick
September 3, 2017
Reviewed by Wendy Hawkin
“It was a vast empty land we paddled through. With only low hills to obstruct the view, the horizon seemed limitless, apart from a few days of rain, when clouds cloaked us in misty drizzle. After paddling through still smouldering lands of the forest fire, we travelled northward. The smattering of short, scrubby trees grew sparse until disappearing altogether. We had travelled beyond the treeline…We were utterly alone.”
The wild romantic landscape of the Canadian north plays a major character in this, R.J. Harlick’s latest Meg Harris mystery. The ninth book in the series, it explores the culture of the Tlicho or Dogrib people, part of the Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories. This is the land of continuous daylight, of stubbly trees, barren lands, pristine lakes, and resources just waiting to be gobbled up by the greedy; juxtaposed alongside Yellowknife, a makeshift amalgam of big box stores, parking lots, strip malls, and all the seedier sides of life a city offers.
This is my first introduction to Harlick and her tenacious and complex heroine, Meg. In prior books, Meg has explored the Migiskan Algonquin, an Anishinabe culture of West Quebec—her neighbours at Three Pines and her husband Erik Odjik’s people. She’s flown to Iqaluit in the Canadian Arctic looking for answers to her father’s disappearance and encountered the dangerous world of Inuit art forgery. And in Vancouver, she’s been caught up in the death of a young Haida carver and explored the beauty of Haida Gwaii.
A reluctant hero, Meg, must venture once again from the safety of her home at Three Pines in Quebec. She’s recently experienced a vicious attack by two men during a terrifying blizzard—an attack she has yet to deal with or heal from. But leave her safe haven she must. Her husband, Eric Odjik, Grand Chief of the Grand Council of First Nations, has been imprisoned for murdering his step-daughter’s abusive ex-boyfriend, Frank. To up the stakes, Teht’aa, Eric’s step-daughter lies in a coma after being raped, beaten, and left in a alley to die. Believing Frank is her attacker, Eric exacted his revenge—so the police believe—and Eric thinks it might be true. He doesn’t remember a thing.
This is plenty for Meg to deal with. She’s an alcoholic who’s only been sober two years, and is a recent assault victim herself. But Meg is strong and feisty and when she decides to do something, she does it. In this story, she must watch over her step-daughter who lies in a coma, and free her husband from prison. She must unravel the truth of what happened; a truth that involves her husband’s Dene family.
My favourite character is Joe Bluegoose. The “uncle” who helped Eric reclaim his Algonkian heritage, Uncle Joe acts as sidekick to Meg. He reminds me so much of his namesake Joe Gomba from North of 60, that I see him and hear his voice with every word this Joe utters. They are both old, grey, wiry, wizened indigenous men who know the land and love their people with every bone in their skinny bodies. A man of grunts and few words, Joe Bluegoose misses verbs, but understands everything. He is a man of the land, cooking up caribou stew, bannock, and smoked grilled whitefish, which he manages to pull out of the lake with surprising dexterity.
As is the nature of all good murder mysteries, RJ Harlick keeps us guessing about what really happened. Is the death of Frank Chocolate, and the rape and beating of Teht’aa somehow connected to the creepy Father Harris, former teacher at St. Anne’s Residential School? Or is Reggie, an ambitious Tlicho man, who has declared himself acting Grand Chief due to Eric’s incarceration, involved? Then, there is the bad-tempered Hans, a German prospector who scans the land for diamonds, and Teht’aa’s complicated cousin Gloria, who’s into drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. The one thing Meg does know, is that her husband cannot possibly be guilty, though he doesn’t remember a thing and woke up beside Frank’s body clutching the bloody knife. What really happened? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
I will say this. I am charmed by Harlick’s “purple palette” and her web-weaving. One of the major symbols in this book is an artifact, a piece of ancient embroidered caribou skin, died purple with blueberries, tufted with Dene flowers sewn with purple caribou hair and shimmering beads. The way she uses the fabric is brilliant and will keep you reading to the last page.
Purple Palette for Murder will be published by Dundurn on October 14, 2017 in Canada.
Wendy Hawkin writes an urban fantasy/murder mystery series. She reviews and blogs at bluehavenpress.com
QUOTE:
will make readers think twice about venturing out alone, or even answering a knock at the door. It is, in short, the perfect read for a stormy night.
A COLD WHITE FEAR
by R.J. Harlick
Dundurn, November 2015
344 pages
$17.99 CAD
ISBN: 1459731999
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R. J. Harlick has earned her place as the queen of Canadian wilderness fiction, having penned six previous novels in the Meg Harris series, the fourth of which was a finalist for the 2010 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. Now she offers readers a glimpse of just how quickly an ordinary life can be turned upside down, in a harrowing tale that is all-too-frighteningly possible.
It's the run-up to Christmas, and Meg Harris is looking forward to celebrating her second season with her Algonquin husband Eric Odjik and his extended family. But Eric is nearly three hours away in Ottawa, not due home for a day or so, and the only company Meg has is an adolescent boy named Jid from a nearby Algonquin reserve and her puppy Shomi.
Their home is located deep in the woods of Western Quebec, at a place known as Three Deer Point. Engulfed in a blizzard of epic proportions, the power goes out and the house is suddenly plunged into darkness. At that instant an unfamiliar voice on the front porch asks for help. Meg reluctantly pushes the curtain aside to see a stranger, his head covered in menacing tattoos. She lets the curtain fall, resolved not to open the door, when she hears the voice of another man calling her by name, and identifying himself as Larry Whiteduck, from the nearby native reserve. Reluctantly Meg opens the door, and sees that the man is badly injured – the result, his friend says, of an accident with their car. Aware that they cannot survive in the snowstorm, she puts her fears aside and lets the men in. It isn't long before she realizes that Larry's wound is not due to an accident; he's been shot. Thus begins a chilling journey into terror that will threaten the lives of everyone before their ordeal has ended.
It's been said that setting is character, and Harlick's ability to place the reader firmly in the wilderness that she knows so well lends her work an authenticity that makes for a compelling read. We smell the woods, feel the cold, and experience the frisson that comes from hearing an unexpected sound while thinking you are utterly alone. A COLD WHITE FEAR will make readers think twice about venturing out alone, or even answering a knock at the door. It is, in short, the perfect read for a stormy night.
§ Since 2005 Jim Napier's reviews and interviews have appeared in several Canadian newspapers and on various crime fiction and literary websites, including his own award-winning site, Deadly Diversions. He can be reached at jnapier@deadlydiversions.com
Reviewed by Jim Napier, April 2016