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After exploring all the different mystery series set in New England, I wanted to take some time to explore the mystery series that are set on the east coast of my own country: Canada.
Rather than go province by province, I decided to lump all the Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) into a single post.
In doing this research, I found that there is a general dearth of mystery series set in Canada. First of all, few Canadian authors are drawn to the mystery genre, and those that are seem to be more inclined to write stand-alone novels rather than series. Secondly, there appear to be fewer female mystery writers in comparison to male mystery writers. And thirdly, of the women writers who set their mystery series in Canada, several feature male protagonists as opposed to female protagonists. All these things conspire into a very short list.
With that said, here are just four mystery series (written by women and featuring female protagonists) which are set entirely in the Canadian Maritime Provinces.
Hilary MacLeod: Shores mysteries
There are two protagonists in this series and both of them are women. There’s amateur sleuth Hy McAlister and Mountie Jane Jamieson. The series takes place on Prince Edward Island in a fishing community called The Shores. There are currently 6 books in the series, first published in 2010.
- Revenge of the Lobster Lover
- Mind Over Mussels
- All is Clam
- Something Fishy
- Bodies and Sole
- Cod Only Knows
Charlotte MacLeod (writing as Alisa Craig): Madoc and Janet Rhys mysteries
The protagonists of this series are a husband and wife team: Madoc Rhys is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector, and Janet Rhys is his wife. The series takes place mainly in New Brunswick. There are 5 books in the series, which was first published in 1980.
Liz Graham: Carmel McAlistair/St. Jude Without mysteries
The protagonist of this series is Carmel McAlistair, a newly arrived single woman to a Newfoundland town called St. Jude Without. There are currently 3 books in the series, first published in 2016.
Laura Stapleton: Nova Scotia Murder mysteries
The protagonist of this romantic suspense series is Mandy Hays, a recently divorced beauty salon owner, who joins forces to solve mysteries with her neighbour Dr. Aaron Nicholson. There are currently 3 books in the series, first published in 2015.
Do you know of other series that you think belong on the list?
Let me know in the comments!
The Lady Detective 