We're thrilled to be giving away three copies of The Treasure Hunters Club until the end of October.
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In Nova Scotia, we wait all year for summer—we are Canada’s Ocean Playground, after all—but in the fall our beautiful province really steps things up a notch. From the dramatic windswept vistas of the Cabot Trail, to roadside farm-stands and apple picking in the Annapolis Valley, to countless back roads featuring "it must be haunted" houses, there’s no shortage of autumnal atmosphere to soak up when the days shorten and the air gets chilly.
My new novel The Treasure Hunters Club takes place in the fictional south shore town of Maple Bay, just as the leaves are beginning to change colours. Featuring an age-old local mystery of missing pirate treasure, an imposing seaside mansion, long lost secrets and no shortage of dead bodies, it’s well-suited to reading by the fire with a mug of hot tea as the wind howls outside.
Here are some other Nova Scotia reads that scratch the autumnal itch.
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Bluenose Ghosts, by Helen Creighton
As the title suggests, folklorist Helen Creighton’s classic collection features ghost stories, local legends and folklore that showcase Nova Scotia’s rich cultural heritage and its connection to the afterlife. With chapter titles like "Phantom Ships and Sea Mysteries," "Haunted Houses and Poltergeists," and my favourite (for obvious reasons) "Ghosts Guard Buried Treasure," Bluenose Ghosts is the perfect read to get primed for Halloween.
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A Forest for Calum, by Frank Macdonald
In Frank Macdonald’s moving coming-of-age story, young Roddie and his grandfather Calum grapple with the cultural and environmental changes brought about by modernization in Shean, their rural Cape Breton community. With help from some friends, they set out to plant a forest that spells out a poem of remembrance, by using the traditional Gaelic alphabet in which each of the 18 letters is named for a tree. Poignantly exploring themes of heritage, memory, and the inevitable passing of time, A Forest For Calum packs a real emotional wallop.
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Heartbreak Homes, by Jo Treggiari
Jo Treggiari’s taut and deftly constructed Crime Writers of Canada Award-winner is a young adult locked-room thriller about a group of teens who find themselves entangled in the mystery of a classmate’s death during a wild back-to-school party. The multi-POV narrative skilfully explores themes of privilege, betrayal, and survival as secrets are revealed leading to a shocking and truly satisfying ending.
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The Hobtown Mystery Series, by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes
Beginning with The Case of the Missing Men and continuing with The Cursed Hermit, this series of graphic novels by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes follows a group of quirky teen detectives in the small, fictional Nova Scotia village of Hobtown, where mysterious events and eccentric characters abound. Eerie, surreal, and weirdly charming, the Hobtown Mysteries leave you wanting more, so it’s good news for readers that a third instalment, The Secret of the Saucer is forthcoming, with more on the horizon.
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Fall on Your Knees, by Ann-Marie MacDonald
If you’re searching for an epic, multi-generational tale to get lost in this fall, look no further. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Cape Breton, playwright and novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald’s sprawling masterpiece tells the story of the Piper family. The narrative follows the complex relationships among the family members, particularly four sisters—Kathleen, Mercedes, Frances, and Lily—as they navigate love, loss, and the far-reaching impacts of a haunting family legacy.
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The Third Wife of Faraday House, by B.R. Myers
From Edgar Award-winning author B.R. Myers, this gothic thriller follows Emeline Fitzpatrick, a young woman who is shuttled off to an isolated island mansion following a scandal with the expectation that she will marry the house’s enigmatic owner. Emeline soon learns that her grand but ominous new home conceals sinister secrets and has to rely on her wits and some unexpected allies to learn the truth about Faraday House before things take an even darker turn.
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Learn more about The Treasure Hunters:
A rollicking mystery about a secret society, nautical charts, cryptic clues, and a fabulous treasure to die for—perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Benjamin Stevenson.
For nearly a century, tourists have ventured to the idyllic seaside town of Maple Bay in search of a legendary lost pirate treasure, though locals know there’s more than just gold buried in the sand. As the paths of three strangers converge in Maple Bay, the truth is about to be blown wide open.
Peter Barnett is rapidly approaching forty with little to show for his life when a mysterious letter invites him to Maple Bay and the mansion his estranged family has called home for generations.
Seventeen-year-old Dandy Feltzen is isolated and adrift following the death of her beloved grandfather until a tantalizing clue sets her on a mission to solve the mystery he spent his entire life chasing.
Cass Jones has given up on her dream of being a successful author when an unexpected opportunity lands in her lap: a housesitting gig in remote Maple Bay, where she stumbles on the perfect subject matter for her breakout book—and the handsome sailor who might be just the person to help her research it.
Peter, Dandy, and Cass have never met, but they’re on a collision course with each other and the mystery that has defined Maple Bay for centuries. None of them are prepared for the shocking truths that may still be buried there, or the fresh bodies piling up.