Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany (born Victoria Ann Cargo; 1951 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian mystery novelist. She is the author of two mystery series, and a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Capital Crime Writers. Delany is a frequent panelist at mystery conferences such as Bouchercon and Malice Domestic in the United States and Bloody Words National Mystery Conference in Canada.

Biography

Delany was employed by the Royal Bank of Canada as a computer programmer and systems analyst until retiring in 2007. She now lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.[1] She is the mother of three daughters (Caroline, Julia and Alex).

Delany is the author of the Constable Molly Smith mystery series, set in the fictional British Columbia town of Trafalgar (a thinly disguised Nelson, BC), and the Klondike Mystery series, set in Dawson City, Yukon during the Gold Rush of 1898.[2] She is also the author of three novels of psychological suspense, set in Northern Ontario.

Critical response

Scare the Light Away was the subject of a mixed review by Kirkus Reviews, which praised Delany's ability to create a tense atmosphere but felt that the mystery elements of the story were not as effective.

In the Shadow of the Glacier was described as "an intriguing series opener" by Publishers Weekly, which noted that Delany positioned the narrative well to continue into future works.[3]

Valley of the Lost drew both praise and criticism from Kirkus Reviews, which described the novel's protagonists as "interesting" and the first three-quarters of the novel as "ingratiating", but then cited "exceptionally silly plotting" that sabotaged the book's ending.[4]

Gold Digger received positive reviews from several publications. Writing for The Globe and Mail, Margaret Cannon noted a few anachronistic touches, but praised the novel's "great setting" and described it as "a lot of fun".[5] In a review published in The Hamilton Spectator, Don Graves lauded the novel as "a captivating tale with lots of colour, ably researched detail and crisp dialogue that moves the story along, spinning into a satisfying, yet surprising, conclusion."[6]

Winter of Secrets was criticized harshly by Kirkus Reviews, which described the novel as "a misstep" and blamed "lumpy prose and [a] none-too-serviceable plot".[7]

List of works

  • Whiteout, LTD Books, 2001 (reissued 2008 by Worldwide Library)
  • Scare the Light Away, Poisoned Pen Press, 2005
  • Burden of Memory, Poisoned Pen Press, 2006
  • In the Shadow of the Glacier, Poisoned Pen Press, 2007
  • Valley of the Lost, Poisoned Pen Press, 2009
  • Gold Digger, Rendezvous Crime, 2009
  • Winter of Secrets, Poisoned Pen Press, November 2009
  • Gold Fever, Rendezvous Crime, 2010
  • Negative Image, Poisoned Pen Press, November 2010
  • Among the Departed, Poisoned Pen Press, May 2011
  • Gold Digger, Dundurn Press, April 2009
  • Gold Fever, Dundurn Press, April 2010
  • Gold Mountain, Dundurn Press, April 2012
  • Gold Web, Dundurn Press, December 2013

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Pohla. "Readers, writers celebrate mysteries", the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, published May 2, 2008.
  2. ↑ Cockburn, Leslie. "Mystery writers to speak at library about what attracts readers to a book", The Daily Gleaner (Brunswick News), published October 24, 2009, section D6.
  3. ↑ Publishers Weekly, Volume 254, Issue 30, p. 59, published July 30, 2007.
  4. ↑ Kirkus Reviews, published February 1, 2009.
  5. ↑ Cannon, Margaret. New in crime fiction - This week: Philip Kerr, Joy Fielding and more", The Globe and Mail, published April 17, 2009, updated May 15, 2009.
  6. ↑ Graves, Don. "Five mysteries for the bedside - CANADIAN MYSTERIES: REVIEWED", The Hamilton Spectator, published May 9, 2009.
  7. ↑ Kirkus Reviews, published November 1, 2009.
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