Wishful Seeing A Thaddeus Leis Mystery [Paperback]

2017 Arthur Ellis Award, Best Novel  Shortlisted
Saddlebag preacher Thaddeus Lewis uncovers murder and conspiracy in Northumberland County.

A body is discovered on an isolated island in Rice Lake. Saddlebag preacher Thaddeus Lewis is sent on a desperate hunt for the truth when a woman for whom he feels a guilty attraction stands accused of the murder. Meanwhile, railway mania grips the county: everyone expects to get rich off the CobourgPeterborough rail line  some at the expense of others.


Aided by his fifteen-year-old granddaughter and a charming but inexperienced lawyer, Thaddeus defends the woman while privately questioning his motives for doing so. With little hard evidence to go on, the courtroom battle to prove the womans innocence seems doomed  until a startling discovery gives the case a fighting chance. But the trios digging uncovers a conspiracy that could threaten the future of the entire district. With the fortunes of the county, and his own future, on the line, Thaddeus struggles against shady characters and his own conscience to solve the crime.Great evocation of the era, excellent historical research and Thaddeus and Martha are two to watch.A strong, page-turning partnership between history and mystery &Wishful Seeingis storytelling set apart from the usual mystery.

• Deals with sexism and the legal system of nineteenth-century Canada and delves into the duplicity surrounding the railway business of the time?
• A well-researched and accurate portrayal of life in rural Ontario during the Victorian age?
• Previous books in the series were well reviewed inQuill & Quire, National Post, Publishers Weekly,and theGlobe and Mail
• TheGlobe and Mailwrote (of The Burying Ground), Love the Murdoch Mysteries? Then you need to discover Janet Kelloughs terrific series set in 1851 and featuring preacher/detective Thaddeus Lewis.?
• TheNational PostwrotlãÂ