In the Shadow of the Glacier

July 30, 2007
Delany's intriguing series opener introduces young constable Molly Smith, who almost literally stumbles across a rare murder victim in peaceful Trafalgar, British Columbia. The deceased, Reg Montgomery, was a widely distrusted newcomer planning to develop a luxury resort outside the town, making for a long list of suspects. The community is further divided by Smith's mother's plans for a public memorial to American draft resisters who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War. Struggling to recover from the death of her husband, build a career on the force and win the approval of her hippie parents and hard-edged Sgt. John Winters, newly arrived from Vancouver with his own set of personal problems, Smith throws herself into solving the case. Delany (Burden of Memory
) carefully sets up the conflicts, resolving most but not all in anticipation of the next assignment, and begins what looks to be some extensive character development for the otherwise archetypal Winters and Smith.

September 1, 2007
Molly Smith, the daughter of two American peaceniks who fled to Canada in the 1970s, is a rookie police officer in the small town of Trafalgar, B.C. When she finds a dead man in an alley, her investigation leads to a group committed to dedicating a memorial to U.S. draft dodgers; Molly's mother happens to be the group's leader. Writing in the quiet voice of a 26-year-old woman striving to succeed in a job of which her parents disapprove, Delany ("Burden of Memory") launches a new traditional series about Canadian small-town life that may appeal to fans of Louise Penny's Quebec cozies. [See Mystery Prepub, "LJ" 6/1/07.]

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