From one grenade exploding in 1920s Toronto to the seeds of a new war in Europe …

As Torontonians move to the beat of the Jazz Age, war is the furthest thing from their minds. Then a fatal grenade explosion outside a west end hotel room breaks the rhythm. The room’s registered occupant, a mysterious European woman calling herself Lucy, disappears before she can shed any light on the incident.

Police detective Paul Shenstone believes someone is trying to assassinate Lucy. Once he has found her, he will learn the reason: she has uncovered dangerous secrets that threaten world peace. Shenstone must protect Lucy and pursue her attackers. At the same time, his own experience as an infantry officer in Flanders compels him to go beyond his police function. He feels he must help Lucy get her message to the corridors of power, so that a new war may be prevented.

Mel Bradshaw was born in Toronto and grew up there on the brow of the escarpment overlooking the former Lake Iroquois. He took his B.A. in English and philosophy at the gargoyle-laden (some say haunted) University College in the University of Toronto. He continued studying philosophy - mostly ethics and aesthetics - at the quaintly named New College, Oxford (founded 1379). Between degrees, he spent two years forgetting the Canadian winter in Southeast Asia, teaching English in northern Thailand and performing odd jobs in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has also travelled to Zambia, Iceland, Poland, and points between. A four-year sojourn in Saskatoon reminded him about winter and showed him how to dress for it. He has since returned to his native-city where he shares with Carol Jackson a 1920s house and shady garden in the former borough of East York. Author of the critically acclaimed Toronto-based historical mystery, Death in the Age of Steam, Bradhsaw has again chosen to revisit Toronto’s past, the 1920s to be exact, for his second novel Quarrel with the Foe. The historical content of his novels has stirred interest in several literary circles at which he has spoken. He has also been invited to partake in many prestigious literary events across the country, including the Globe and Mail’s Books and Brunch, Bloody Words, the U of T reading Series and the Word On the Street. Queen’s Quarterly, Impulse, Descant, and The Dalhousie Review are among the journals that have published Mel’s short stories, many of which are inspired by his wanderings. He has also written for The Canadian Forum about the Canadian army’s victory at Ortona during the Italian campaign of World War II. Mel's latest novel, Victim Impact, this time set in the present day, was published by RendezVous Crime in the fall of 2008.

Mel Bradshaw's profile page

Bradshaw’s skill for depicting details is what brings post-war Toronto to life.

Merchant of Menace: Sleuths of Bake Street Newsletter

Whoopee! Mel Bradshaw takes us to the Jazz Age in Toronto just in time for the Great Gatsby party. Historical reconstruction is Bradshaw’s forte (his early Victorian mystery, Death in the Age of Steam, was short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award) and he’s at the top of his game here with mysterious maidens and hot jazz.

Globe and Mail

Bradshaw does a good job of combining personal lives, specific crime investigations, and large, grave international trends and events in compelling, reasonably logical fashion.

London Free Press

Fire on the Runway is Bradshaw at the top of his game. He writes a story in which murder, espionage and good old-fashioned detective work are challenging and satisfying despite the absence of forensic toys.

Hamilton Spectator

This excellent police thriller set in 1926 Canada is the second case (after Quarrel with the Foe) for Bradshaw’s World War I vet. It’s reminiscent of John Buchan’s classic The Thirty-Nine Steps, with abundant espionage and historical detailing.

Library Journal