A young archivist struggling to nail her new job discovers a corpse in the vault and is plunged into a world of murder, art theft, and century-old secrets.
Amy Tector Books
"Iranian refugee Alice Ahmadi grew up in Northern England, never certain of where she belonged. Interning at a struggling expat magazine, Bonjour Paris, she discovers a priceless diamond and emerald necklace with a golden honeybee pendant. Alice shares the discovery with the magazine's American editor, Lily Wilkins, who sees it as a lifeline to save the magazine: they will put the necklace, and its history, on next month's cover. Lily's best friend and fellow American, Daphne Smythe-Baird, joins them in their quest. Forming the 'Fellowship of the Necklace' with a trio of unlikely men, the women dive into research. From the stunning and historic Richelieu Library, to a creepy disused theatre in a bad part of town; from high-end jewellers near Place Vendome to the idyllic home of a Loire Valley winemaker; the Fellowship encounters fascinating characters in their search for the truth. At the edges of all this excitement, Élise Boucher, Bonjour Paris's cranky long-time office manager, worries about her future. Through diaries, letters and reminiscences, the romantic story of the necklace is unravelled. Commissioned by the lusty Napoléon III for his favourite mistress, the 'Honeybee Emeralds' was next owned by ill-fated First World War spy, Mata Hari. During the Roaring Twenties the necklace found its way onto the elegant neck of Josephine Baker, the American singer, dancer and sex symbol who took Paris by a storm. As the Fellowship unravels the twists and turns of the necklace's life, one secret remains: how did it end up in a Parisian basement?"--
It's a steamy summer Ottawa day when Cate is called out to the nitrate facility to investigate an apparent suicide. The eerie building is filled with deteriorating nitrate film that could literally spontaneously combust. When Cate's life is threatened by a stray spark, she suspects that the suicide might be murder. Despite pressure from the police to pronounce on cause quickly, Cate is bloody-minded enough to keep investigating. Whether she's looking for answers because of her dedication to justice, or as a distraction from the grief she feels over her brother's recent death, her inquiries plunge her into a world of military secrets, contentious Indigenous protests and a seventy-year-old mystery with deadly implications.
"Honor the Dead picks up a few months after Speak for the Dead (book 2 of the Dominion Archives Mystery series). Dr. Cate Spencer has come to terms with her brother's death and is seeking a fresh start in the bucolic Eastern Townships of Quebec while awaiting a decision on her future. Cate is using the time to build new relationships and find peace. When a man is shot through the eye at her neighbor's farm, Cate investigates. Her inquiries uncover the lies, drugs, and violence hidden beneath the picturesque town, exposing long buried secrets and rocking the tenuous peace Cate has built for herself"--