A Sorrowful Sanctuary (Lane Winslow Mystery)
This fifth Lane Winslow mystery finds Lane back in King’s Cove, British Columbia, enjoying the lazy summer of 1947. An idyllic outing with her friend Angela and Angela’s two young sons abruptly shatters when they find a drifting rowboat. Inside is a severely wounded young man, his abdomen pierced by a gunshot wound. Meanwhile, a distraught mother in a nearby town reports that her son is missing. But the man in the rowboat is not her son. One of Angela’s boys finds a pin with Nazi insignia near the site, but the rowboat itself mysteriously disappears. A rash of robberies in the area target precious antiques, and in the nearby town of Kaslo, the fascist National Unity Party courts desperate and disaffected workers.
Iona Whishaw weaves these disparate threads together into an enthralling mystery. The plot intrigues and resonates, sadly, with current events, while the deepening relationships and evolving characters of all the main players add to the appeal of this book. The romance between Lane and the scrumptious Inspector Darling progresses, while Darling’s intrepid assistant, Constable Ames, also shoulders his share of romantic burdens. The little settlement of King’s Cove and its inhabitants grow more real with each volume I read. I’m seriously considering moving there and can’t wait for the next in this series! Recommended.
