The third book in the popular Lane Winslow mystery series by an author the Globe and Mail has called a “writer to watch.”

It’s early spring of 1947 in idyllic King’s Cove, and the Hughes ladies, mère et filles, are gardening and sorting through the jars of food that have been put up for the winter. But while cleaning up after the roof of their root cellar has caved in slightly, they are horrified to discover a small skeletal hand embedded in the mess. Panicked, they call Lane Winslow, the ex-British secret service agent, and, not without some misgivings about the state of their tense relationship, Lane calls Inspector Darling.

Before long the police crew discover the body of a young child buried almost 40 years before. Who is the child, and why has it not been buried in the local cemetery? Inspector Darling, already busy dealing with a teenage girl who has gone on a destructive rampage at a local mill, asks Lane for help in unearthing the long-forgotten secrets of the early life of the tiny town, and the identity of the long-forgotten child.

This delightful new historical mystery series will appeal to fans of Maisie Dobbs and Bess Crawford.

Iona Whishaw was born in British Columbia. After living her early years in the Kootenays, she spent her formative years living and learning in Mexico, Nicaragua, and the US. She travelled extensively for pleasure and education before settling in the Vancouver area. Throughout her roles as youth worker, social worker, teacher, and award-winning high school principal, her love of writing remained consistent, and compelled her to obtain her master’s in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. Iona has published short fiction, poetry, poetry translation, and one children’s book, Henry and the Cow Problem. A Killer in King’s Cove was her first adult novel. Her heroine, Lane Winslow, was inspired by Iona’s mother who, like her father before her, was a wartime spy. Visit ionawhishaw.com to find out more.

Iona Whishaw's profile page

Praise for An Old, Cold Grave

"Whishaw's delightful modern gloss on the venerable British cozy provides a perfect weekend getaway . . . a cleverly plotted story with a delightful setting and amusing characters. Once again, Whishaw keeps us guessing to the end." —Globe and Mail

"A fascinating picture of a life in which many people spent every waking hour working and a disturbing look at the fate of orphaned children raise this mystery above the ordinary." —Kirkus Reviews

“An Old, Cold Grave—Iona Whishaw’s compelling third novel—gives us a gentle rural setting, a body in a root cellar, and, of course, Lane Winslow, the best new amateur sleuth to come along in quite some time..” —Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews

"Lane Winslow is back. . ." —Vancouver Sun

"In short, sin, plot, dialogue and place: all the requisite elements for an award-winning novel. It’s easy to imagine a fourth in this increasingly fine series." —Bay Observer

Praise for the Lane Winslow Mysteries

Winner of the 2021 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award for A Match Made for Murder (#7)
Finalist for the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Awards (2019, 2024)
Finalist for the Canadian Crime Writers of Canada Awards (2023, 2024)
Finalist for the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award (2022)
Loan Stars Top 10 Pick (2017, 2020, 2022)

"Iona Whishaw’s Lane Winslow series is a real treat. With a quaint cast of characters and the feel of Louise Penny’s Three Pines, the independence and quick wit of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher and the intelligence of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, this mystery series has it all!" —Murder by the Book, Texas

"Highly entertaining . . . fans and newcomers alike will find lots to love." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"Relentlessly exciting from start to finish." —Kirkus Reviews

"Well plotted and laced with dry wit, Lane's adventures are entirely satisfying summer reading." —Shelf Awareness

"Whishaw goes all out on the historical bits and it’s all great fun." —Globe and Mail

"The setting is fresh and the cast endearing." —CrimeReads

"Brave, bold and brilliant, Lane Winslow is a force to be reckoned with." —Toronto Star

"As always, Whishaw’s characters are the heart of the whodunit—we adored spending time with Lane and her entourage, from the wisecracking Inspector Darling to his quirky but highly skilled crew of constables." —Apple Books

"Reliable bestsellers." —Quill & Quire

"It’s the perfect series for fans of Miss Fisher and Maisie Dobbs." —Zoomer Magazine

"Very charming and delightful. If you like Louise Penny's novels, this is right up your street." —CBC Ontario Morning

“It Begins in Betrayal has a wonderfully complex plot with threads that eventually resolve most satisfactorily.” —Maureen Jennings, author of the Murdoch Mysteries series

“Iona Whishaw’s writing is worthy of taking its place alongside the works of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. . . deftly crafted and briskly paced.” —Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker’s Gift

"Another fantastic entry in the unique and compelling Lane Winslow series!" —Anna Lee Huber, author of the Lady Darby Mysteries

“An engaging, superbly crafted page turner of a mystery.” —Alan Hlad, international and USA Today bestselling author of The Long Flight Home

“I absolutely love the modern sensibility of these novels, of their feminism, sense of justice, their anti-racism, their progressiveness, which somehow never seems out of place in a tiny BC hamlet in 1948.” —Kerry Clare, author of Mitzi Bytes, Waiting for a Star to Fall, and Asking for a Friend

"What a delight! . . . crafted with such charming finesse that readers will fall in love as I did." —Genevieve Graham, #1 USA Today bestselling author of Bluebird

"Stellar . . . " —Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of Starring Adele Astaire

"Whishaw is a master of the historical mystery." —Sam Wiebe, award-winning author of Sunset and Jericho and Hell and Gone

“Richly conjured and Whishaw’s trademark examination of the mores of the day add depth and enjoyment to another deftly plotted puzzler . . . this series just keeps getting better!” —Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series

“An intriguing mix of character, plot, time, and place. Highly recommended.” —Ian Hamilton, author of the bestselling Ava Lee novels

"Iona Whishaw has again raised the bar . . . This is seriously good storytelling." —Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews

"A compelling series that combines a cozy setting, spy intrigue storylines, and police procedural elements—not an easy task, but one that Whishaw pulls off." —Reviewing the Evidence

"An enthralling mystery." —Historical Novel Society

"A simply riveting read by a master of the genre." —Wisconsin Bookwatch

"A series that’s guaranteed to please." —Mercer Island Books, Washington

"Full of history, mystery, and a glorious BC setting . . . a wonderful series." —Sleuth of Baker Street, Ontario

"Each book in the series is an impressive combination of mystery, history, and a little bit of romance." —Lethbridge Herald