A False and Fatal Claim
A Lane Winslow Mystery
Published on 11. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-1-77151-466-8 (ISBN)
Description
"Iona Whishaw is an absolute treasure! Her books are instantly charming, instantly immersive, and readers will instantly fall under the spell of her captivating storytelling. No matter where you start in this entertaining series, Whishaw's considerable skill at creating a satisfying traditional mystery with well-drawn characters we adore-not to mention a gorgeous and authentic setting- provides a delightful experience. And for effortless and engaging dialogue, there is no one better. For anyone who loves Jacqueline Winspear and Louise Penny, Iona Whishaw will be your new favorite author." -Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA TODAY best-selling author of All This Could Be Yours
Lane Winslow struggles to tell friend from foe in a captivating new mystery from the series Publishers Weekly calls "highly entertaining."
Lane Winslow is known in her idyllic British Columbia laketown of King's Cove for a bad habit of finding dead bodies. This time, all she's found is a suspiciously well-made hat abandoned in the brush, but she's certain there's a mystery afoot.
While Lane is overtaken by the urge to snoop around for clues, her husband, Inspector Darling, and his team at the Nelson Police Station find their straightforward case of a stolen boat suddenly complicated when a fourteen-year-old boy is reported missing from the local school. When the search for the boy, the hat's mysterious owner, and the boat lead them to the sudden disappearances of the local cafe cook, a visiting wealthy investor, and seventy thousand dollars in cash, the case quickly turns into a snarled tangle of missing people and scant, circumstantial evidence.
Desperate to keep a vulnerable and possibly violent young boy safe, Lane recruits the neighbours as Darling, Ames, Terrell, and April scour the local towns and wildernesses for answers-all while Ames struggles to focus through wedding jitters, and April and Terrell chafe under the questionable advice of meddlesome old "friends." At first, the daily dramas of King's Cove unfold uninterrupted around the simmering questions at the heart of this far-reaching mystery, but as the case reveals its roots in both the glitzy high society and criminal underground of 1920s Toronto, it soon becomes clear all hands will be needed on deck to get everyone to the coming wedding alive in one piece.
Lane Winslow struggles to tell friend from foe in a captivating new mystery from the series Publishers Weekly calls "highly entertaining."
Lane Winslow is known in her idyllic British Columbia laketown of King's Cove for a bad habit of finding dead bodies. This time, all she's found is a suspiciously well-made hat abandoned in the brush, but she's certain there's a mystery afoot.
While Lane is overtaken by the urge to snoop around for clues, her husband, Inspector Darling, and his team at the Nelson Police Station find their straightforward case of a stolen boat suddenly complicated when a fourteen-year-old boy is reported missing from the local school. When the search for the boy, the hat's mysterious owner, and the boat lead them to the sudden disappearances of the local cafe cook, a visiting wealthy investor, and seventy thousand dollars in cash, the case quickly turns into a snarled tangle of missing people and scant, circumstantial evidence.
Desperate to keep a vulnerable and possibly violent young boy safe, Lane recruits the neighbours as Darling, Ames, Terrell, and April scour the local towns and wildernesses for answers-all while Ames struggles to focus through wedding jitters, and April and Terrell chafe under the questionable advice of meddlesome old "friends." At first, the daily dramas of King's Cove unfold uninterrupted around the simmering questions at the heart of this far-reaching mystery, but as the case reveals its roots in both the glitzy high society and criminal underground of 1920s Toronto, it soon becomes clear all hands will be needed on deck to get everyone to the coming wedding alive in one piece.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for A False and Fatal ClaimA pure delight! Deftly drawn characters, a peaceful post-war village upended by a twisty plot of greed, betrayal, and murder, social inequities laid bare. And binding it all together is the charm, wit, and humanity of the indomitable Lane Winslow. No better friend to have in your corner." -Barbara Fradkin, author of the award-winning Inspector Green and Amanda Doucette mysteries
"Iona Whishaw does for the West Kootenay what Louise Penny did for Quebec. The Lane Winslow series offers the same literary tourism that readers associate with Penny-evocative setting, charming local characters, and a gripping mystery propelling readers through the journey. A False and Fatal Claim will live up to the high expectations of Whishaw's growing legions of fans, while being sure to win her more readers. Whishaw has done it again! A False and Fatal Claim is the treasure of a writer at the top of her game." -Angie Abdou, award-winning author of This One Wild Life and In Case I Go
"Missing people, a drowned body, confused identities, and past indiscretions - all lead to delightful mayhem in the idyllic village of King's Cove. The dialogue is witty and pitch-perfect, the setting bucolic, and the suspense mounting. Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling are ideal crime-solving foils and the couple you wish lived next door. Whishaw is at the peak of her writing prowess, and A False and Fatal Claim is proof positive. Grab a cup of tea, put on a fire, and settle in; cozy mystery lovers are in for an entertaining read from one of Canada's best." -Brenda Chapman, best-selling author of the Stonechild and Rouleau, and Hunter and Tate mysteries
"Iona Whishaw is an absolute treasure! Her books are instantly charming, instantly immersive, and readers will instantly fall under the spell of her captivating storytelling. No matter where you start in this entertaining series, Whishaw's considerable skill at creating a satisfying traditional mystery with well-drawn characters we adore-not to mention a gorgeous and authentic setting- provides a delightful experience. And for effortless and engaging dialogue, there is no one better. For anyone who loves Jacqueline Winspear and Louise Penny, Iona Whishaw will be your new favorite author." -Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA TODAY best-selling author of All This Could Be Yours
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
"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
"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
"Each book in the series is an impressive combination of mystery, history, and a little bit of romance." -Lethbridge Herald
"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
"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
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Victoria
Canada
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 186 mm
Width: 125 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
442 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77151-466-8 (9781771514668)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Iona Whishaw is a former educator and social worker whose mother and grandfather were both spies during their respective wars. She is the award-winning author of the Globe and Mail bestselling Lane Winslow Mystery series. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband. Learn more at ionawhishaw.com.