Vicki Delany (born Victoria Ann Cargo; 1951 in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

) is a Canadian

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...

ist. She is the author of nine mystery series, and a member of

Crime Writers of Canada {{primary sources, date=January 2015 Founded in 1982 by mystery reviewers Derrick Murdock and Doug Marshall, editor John Pierce and mystery and thriller authors Tony Aspler, Howard Engel, Tim Heald, and Larry Morse, Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) i ...

and Capital Crime Writers. Delany is a frequent panelist at mystery conferences such as

Bouchercon Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher, and pronounced the w ...

and Malice Domestic in the United States and Bloody Words National Mystery Conference in Canada.

Biography

Delany was employed by the

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...

as a computer programmer and systems analyst until retiring in 2007. She now lives in

Prince Edward County, Ontario Prince Edward County (PEC) is a single-tier municipality in southern Ontario, Canada. Its coastline on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore is known for Sandbanks Provincial Park, sand beaches, and limestone cliffs. The Regent Theatre, a restor ...

.Smith, Pohla.
Readers, writers celebrate mysteries
, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, published May 2, 2008. She is the mother of three daughters (Caroline, Julia and Alex). Delany is the author of the Constable Molly Smith mystery series, set in the fictional British Columbia town of Trafalgar (a thinly disguised

Nelson, BC Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The city is known for its collection of restored heritage buildings that date back to a regional silver ru ...

), and the Klondike Mystery series, set in

Dawson City, Yukon Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...

during the Gold Rush of 1898.Cockburn, Leslie.
Mystery writers to speak at library about what attracts readers to a book
, The Daily Gleaner (Brunswick News), published October 24, 2009, section D6. She is also the author of three novels of psychological suspense, set in Northern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Critical response

''Scare the Light Away'' was the subject of a mixed review by ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', which praised Delany's ability to create a tense atmosphere but felt that the mystery elements of the story were not as effective. ''In the Shadow of the Glacier'' was described as "an intriguing series opener" by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', which noted that Delany positioned the narrative well to continue into future works.Publishers Weekly, Volume 254, Issue 30, p. 59, published July 30, 2007. ''Valley of the Lost'' drew both praise and criticism from ''Kirkus Reviews'', which described the novel's protagonists as "interesting" and the first three-quarters of the novel as "ingratiating", but then cited "exceptionally silly plotting" that sabotaged the book's ending.Kirkus Reviews, published February 1, 2009. ''Gold Digger'' received positive reviews from several publications. Writing for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', Margaret Cannon noted a few anachronistic touches, but praised the novel's "great setting" and described it as "a lot of fun".Cannon, Margaret
New in crime fiction - This week: Philip Kerr, Joy Fielding and more
, The Globe and Mail, published April 17, 2009, updated May 15, 2009. In a review published in ''

The Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Ha ...

'', Don Graves lauded the novel as "a captivating tale with lots of colour, ably researched detail and crisp dialogue that moves the story along, spinning into a satisfying, yet surprising, conclusion."Graves, Don.
Five mysteries for the bedside - CANADIAN MYSTERIES: REVIEWED
, The Hamilton Spectator, published May 9, 2009. ''Winter of Secrets'' was criticized harshly by Kirkus Reviews, which described the novel as "a misstep" and blamed "lumpy prose and none-too-serviceable plot".Kirkus Reviews, published November 1, 2009.

Works

A Catskill Summer Resort Mystery

#''Deadly Summer Nights'' (2021)

Tea by the Sea Mysteries

#''Tea and Treachery'' (2020) #''Murder in a Teacup'' (2021)

Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates)

#''By Book or By Crook'' (2015) #''Booked for Trouble'' (2015) #''Reading Up a Storm'' (2016) #''The Spook in the Stacks'' (2018) #''Something Read, Something Dead'' (2019) #''Read and Buried'' (2019) #''A Death Long Overdue'' (2020) #''Deadly Ever After'' (2021)

Year-Round Christmas Mystery series

#''Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen'' (2015) #''We Wish You A Murderous Christmas'' (2016) #''Hark the Herald Angels Slay'' (2017) #''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' (2019) #''Dying in a Winter Wonderland'' (2020)

The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series

#''Elementary, She Read'' (2017) #''Body on Baker Street'' (2017) #''The Cat of the Baskervilles'' (2018) #''A Scandal in Scarlet'' (2018) #''There’s a Murder Afoot'' (2020) #''A Curious Incident'' (2021) #''A Three Book Problem'' (2022)

Ashley Grant Mystery series

#''White Sand Blues'' (2017) #''Blue Water Hues'' (2018) #''Coral Reef Views'' (2020)

Constable Molly Smith and Winters series

#''In the Shadow of the Glacier'' (2007) #''Valley of the Lost'' (2009) #''Winter of Secrets'' (2009) #''Negative Image'' (2010) #''Among the Departed'' (2011) #''A Cold White Sun'' (2013) #''Under Cold Stone'' (2014) #''Unreasonable Doubt'' (2016)

Ray Robertson series

#''Juba Good'' (2014) #''Haitian Graves'' (2015) #''Blood and Belonging'' (2017)

Klondike Mystery series

#''Gold Digger'' (2009) #''Gold Fever'' (2010) #''Gold Mountain'' (2012) #''Gold Web'' (2013)

Psychological suspense standalones

* ''White Out'' (2002) * ''Scare the Light Away'' (2005) * ''Burden of Memory'' (2006) * ''More Than Sorrow'' (2012)

References

External links

Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delany, Vicki Canadian mystery writers Canadian historical novelists Canadian women novelists Living people People from Oakville, Ontario 1951 births Canadian women mystery writers Writers from Winnipeg 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers Women historical novelists Novelists from Ontario Novelists from Manitoba