Tag: canadian police

A little winter levity: Why Aren’t Your Novels set in the Winter? They’re Supposed to be NORTH Noir

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The first North Noir novel (Bay of Blood) is set in the summer; the second (The Color Red), in the spring. The next novel will be set in the fall. “Why no winter settings?” you ask. “No blizzards? No frozen bodies? It’s supposed to be NORTH noir.” Valid point. However, I have a reason – based on research. Well, on observation.

The short answer: Not as many murders take place in the winter. “Why?” Because it’s winter. In the north, outside the cities, life slows down. Think hibernation.

“Are you telling me that murderers are huddled next to their fireplaces? That it’s too cold to go out and kill someone?” Maybe. Hell, sometimes it’s too cold to go outside. Besides, murderers can’t risk harming their weapons. Take an axe. If you overuse it chopping wood, it’ll be too dull to whack someone. Consider a shovel. If you break the handle trying to clear ice, it won’t be available to crack someone on the head – a dozen times, of course (we’re talking noir, people). As for a shotgun, if you try to fire it at Minus-30, the barrel will explode or it’ll backfire. Forget about rendering it useless for murder. You’ll be dead yourself.

Fall Reads – Win 1 of 10 Ebooks

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“Bay of Blood is a vivid page-turner of a procedural – and one that promises more from both its writer, A.M. Potter, and its feisty protagonist, Sergeant Eva Naslund.” Steve Heighton, Governor General’s Award Winner | Author of The Nightingale Won’t Let You Sleep, The Dead Are More Visible and more

Bay of Blood is also available from your favourite book vendor. Ebook $3.95 USD; print book $14.95 USD. The print book is sold at select Chapters/Indigo and Coles locations, as well as at indie bookstores. If you prefer online vendors, Bay of Blood print books and eBooks are available from:

Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble | Smashwords | KOBO | Black Opal Books | iTunes | Scribd | ChaptersIndigo

Author Talk & Signing, Wasaga Beach Library, Wasaga Beach, ON. Monday August 12, 6:00 PM

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Author Talk & Signing at Wasaga Beach Public Library, WASAGA BEACH, ON. 120 Glenwood Drive. Directions | Website

North Noir Defined

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“What is North Noir?” In short, it’s detective fiction set in Northeastern USA and Canada.

The North element refers to the location of two detective series, one set in New England and the other in Ontario. The police work is close to the ground. There are no extended car chases, helicopter missions, or gun battles – no over-the-top Hollywood clichés.

The Noir element refers to a tradition of crime writing linked to film noir, to movies such as The Maltese Falcon, which was first a novel. Noir fiction doesn’t dwell on characters’ feelings. Similarly, the female protagonists in North Noir are not sentimental, although they are empathetic and intuitive.

The crime/mystery genre turns on whodunit puzzles. Readers expect to be both challenged and entertained. My North Noir novels (A.M. Potter’s) deliver more than puzzles and blood and guts. I always embed – very deeply (no preaching) – an existential conundrum in my novels. The majority of murders hinge on money. In a word, greed. In The Color Red, the main murderee is killed because of his renunciation of money, his anti-greed. Readers will get a baffling puzzle; they’ll also find a deeply buried ethical message. For me, all novels – even whodunits – should have an existential core.

PS: The first two North Noir novels (Bay of Blood and The Color Red) are available in stores and online; click here for full details.

Bay of Blood Press Release

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‘OrilliaMatters’ Press Release: Novel based on bizarre death of Canadian icon set in Georgian Bay.

Bay of Blood, a new novel set in Georgian Bay, is based on the mysterious death of renowned Canadian painter Tom Thomson.

The book’s idea came to author Andy Potter when he was watching a documentary about Thomson’s life and mysterious death called West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson. This would make a great novel, Potter thought. Then he thought, No, it wouldn’t. You can’t fly too close to the Tom Thomson myth. It’s sacred. He’s a Canadian icon.

So, Potter wrote a mystery novel based on Thomson’s death. Thomson died on July 8, 1917. The famous painter murdered in Bay of Blood died on July 8, 2017. There are other similarities, but the painter in the novel is not Thomson, and he’s not the main character. The novel’s main character is OPP Detective Sergeant Eva Naslund.

Click here to see the full story.