In the Shadow of the Glacier

Trouble is brewing in the small, bucolic mountain town of Trafalgar, British Columbia. An American who came to Trafalgar as a Vietnam War draft dodger has left land and money to the town but there’s a catch: the money must be used to build a garden to honor draft dodgers. This bequest has torn the close-knit, peaceful town apart. Then the body of a leading opponent is found in an alley, dead from a single blow to the head.

Constable Molly Smith is assigned to assist veteran Detective Sergeant John Winters in the investigation. But Winters doesn’t want the help of the enthusiastic rookie, and suspects that he’s been assigned Smith for political reasons – her mother, a life-long activist, is the leader of the group arguing for the park.
Egged on by a muck-raking TV personality, outside agitators from both sides are soon streaming into Trafalgar, while Smith and Winters search through small-town secrets for a killer.

Winters is haunted by a recent failure of judgment, and Smith just wants to be a good cop, and a good daughter, in a town where “a substantial number of the residents had seen her performing as Number Two Wise Man in the Grade Three Christmas pageant.”
In the Shadow of the Glacier is the first in first in a traditional mystery series featuring Constable Smith, Sergeant Winters, and the town in the shadow of the glacier, Trafalgar British Columbia.

I chose to read this book for several reasons: the author, Vicky Delany is Canadian; it's set in beautiful British Columbia; and the heroine is a rookie police constable. The first two reasons will help me out with a challenge and last reason, well Molly seemed very interesting.

I found the story fast paced, and it had several twists that kept me at the edge of my seat and kept me guessing on who the culprit truly was. The characters were well written and there were several of them that had me in stitches and at times had me in tears. I love Molly, she is one of those characters that have many layers, she's a daughter, a friend, a police officer, and she's trying to deal with her job, her parents feelings towards the police force and a friend that is in a abusive relationship. The veteran, Winters also has his own problems, although he has experience he is still battling his own self doubts about the job. I think Molly and Winters are a great team, they just don't know it yet.

I'm looking forward on reading the next book.

In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicky Delany (4/5) Mystery; Published: Poisoned Pen Press (10/07); Series: # 1, Smith & Winters; New Author; Canadian Author; Thriller Suspense Reading Challenge (3); Canadian Book Challenge (10); Books 2010 (46);