A Place of Secrets

In a quiet Ontario town, days after Christmas, Evelyn Massey, over 90 years old, is found dead in her home with a note guiding Alice, a local policewoman, to a dead body buried in the basement for more than 60 years. More bodies are found, all from the same time period, with evidence suggesting Evelyn’s long dead husband as the guilty party. He is considered saintly by his daughters and granddaughter and the family friends still living, most of whom are also in their 90s, making this no easy case to investigate. Assisting Alice’s able and interesting team is Hugh Mercer, late of the NYPD, in the area doing a sort of personal penance for his career. The local chief goes so far as to suggest letting the mystery of the dead bodies slide since it all happened long ago and everyone is so old, but the serial killer emerges in a dramatic fashion, bringing all the motives to the open, including Alice’s private demons. The weather and landscape play an integral part in this somewhat bleak story that’s best read on a sunny day.