Confession Can Be Murder

by Patricia O’Neil

ISBN: 978-1-926448-72-5

$22.95

Available: June, 2023

Father Ambrose Granchelli hasn’t been late for Mass at St. Jude’s in fifty years. The congregation, understandably concerned, is horrified when he finally appears, toppling out of the confessional with a bloody bandage around his head and a screwdriver sticking out of his neck!         

    The city’s Chief of Police has his own suspicions and at the top of the list is Shane Hawley, an ex-soldier with PTSD who doesn’t have an alibi for the time of the murder. Father Leo Quinn, St. Jude’s pastor, is Hawley’s uncle. With assistance from his niece Rosie and an ex-Scotland Yard detective, Father Leo embarks on a quest to both clear his nephew’s name and avenge Father Granchelli’s murder—uncovering a mountain of secrets, lies and skulduggery along the way.

            Confession can be Murder is a classic cat-and-mouse murder mystery set in the fictional metropolis of Old Port City, Cape Breton.

            Patricia O’Neil has worked for thirty-five years in the writing/publishing industry as a writer, editor, copywriter and publisher, and was Managing Editor and principal writer for The Cape Bretoner Magazine for six years. She has written travel guides and hiking books and other non-fiction works, the most recent of which are Aqua: Waterways of Cape Breton, and Beaches of Cape Breton, published by Boularderie Island Press. Confession Can Be Murder is her first work of fiction.

Man Included

by Christena Gillis

ISBN: 978-1-926448-73-2

$21.95

Available: October, 2023

Young Clementine Ellis has always hated the fact that she is named after a long list of dead aunts, despite her father’s reminders that her name means one who is merciful and that her challenge in life will be to live up to her namesake. The Ellis family has recently rented an old house in the community of Normaway, Cape Breton. Clementine is not pleased to discover that an odd man, Harry, comes with the house. Adjusting to sharing a house with Harry is yet another challenge in Clementine’s life, but as time passes a strong bond is established between the two of them. Clementine’s growing compassion for Harry is reinforced when she discovers the dark secrets – through no fault of his own – that have hung over Harry’s head since he was baby:  secrets laden with stories of murder and revenge.

Christena Gillis lives in West Bay Marshes, Cape Breton, with her husband, Brian Goyetche. They have three daughters and two grandchildren. Christena can often be found dipping a paddle in the pristine waters of the Bras D’Or Lake. A Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Master of Adult Education gave her a solid foundation, enabling her to apply her passion for social justice issues through her career in adult education and community development volunteerism.

For many years she was employed at the Strait Area Campus of Nova Scotia Community College in Port Hawkesbury as a teacher and administrator. Man Included is Christena’s debut novel.