The Restoration of Emily
Dundurn Press
239 pages
ISBN 1-55002-606-2
$21.99
CLICK TO JUMP TO The Restoration of Emily MICROSITE
The Glenwood Treasure
Dundurn Press
268 pages
ISBN 1-55002-457-4
$21.99
Order online from Amazon.ca
Historic homes, ravines, and family secrets all figure in The Glenwood Treasure, a curl-up and enjoy work of literary fiction that updates and honours the traditions of such suspense classics as Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar and Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca.
The plot concerns shy schoolteacher Blithe Morrison, who takes refuge for the summer with her affluent parents after the breakdown of her marriage. Blithe's return home evokes memories of a lifelong sibling rivalry with her golden boy older brother, now a diplomat posted in England. But when she befriends a lonely eleven-year-old girl, and takes on a local history research project, Blithe uncovers truths about a rumoured buried treasure that forever alter her perceptions of her family, her friends, and herself.
A finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel!
“Kim Moritsugu writes about the sad and lovely ‘truths of the human heart.’ The Glenwood Treasure is a feast, created by a writer with a calling and a gift.”
- Joe Kertes, author of Winter Tulips and Boardwalk
“The Glenwood Treasure sparkles with all of the wit of Noel Coward, and gives sharp insight into an upper class enclave where the treasure is not always what it seems.”
- Antanas Sileika, author of Buying on Time and Lost Wax
“It’s a self-assured author who invites comparison with legendary wit Noel Coward and places her novel in the company of classic English mysteries. But with The Glenwood Treasure, Kim Moritsugu has a right to be confident.
One of the great pleasures of this novel is the way Moritsugu layers question upon question, then metes out answers, drawing the reader along with satisfying details …
Chief among her her strong points is [the] ability to entwine different storylines, past and present, gliding effortlessly from one to another. A teacher at the Humber School for Writers, Moritsugu has written an accomplished mystery and, in so doing, laid to rest the tired cliché that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.
The Glenwood Treasure has suggestions of the late Timothy Findleywho also wrote about Rosedale and its inhabitantsand more than a hint of the old Nancy Drew mysteries. But, given the strength of this book, it seems more fitting to drop the comparisons and allow Moritsugu her own place on the literary landscape.”
- The Globe and Mail
“[Moritsugu] is a witty social observer and the book deftly blends a comedy of manners into the mystery…. Reading groups searching for books that are entertaining without being vacuous might consider a paired reading of [Josephine Tey’s novel Brat Farrar] and Moritsugu’s mystery.”
- Toronto Star
“The strength of this novel is its narrator’s voice. Blithe Morrison, a self-effacing schoolteacher, has a charm that recalls that of the timid narrator in Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca.”
- Montreal Gazette
“A cozy read … [Moritsugu] is a good writer with an appealing central character that will awaken the inner girl in all of us.”
- National Post
“An intriguing mystery.”
- Toronto Sun
Old Flames
The Porcupine’s Quill
205 pages
ISBN 0-88984-203-5
$17.95
Order online from Amazon.ca
Old Flames is a comic and touching tale about the choices women make, about finding your dreams in the everyday, and about the unexpected friendship that grows between two women: a stay-at-home mom and an ambitious advertising executive. It’s also a homage to Broadway musicals!
“Delightful … it sings … the first person narrative creates an intimacy between the reader and the characters, who lift off the page and become old friends.”
- The Globe and Mail
“Like her protagonists, Moritsugu’s writing style is neighbourly and clever … a breezy enjoyable read … a poignant reflection about the choices we make.”
- Montreal Gazette
“Kim Moritsugu is the Tom Wolfe of midtown Toronto. With spot-on accuracy, she captures the mores and motions of life in a middle class neighbourhood, creating a sharply comic yet affectionate picture.”
- Toronto Star
Looks Perfect
Goose Lane Editions
217 pages
ISBN 0-86492-196-9
$16.95
Order online from Amazon.ca
Looks Perfect is a fast-paced romantic comedy about the deceptive nature of appearances, set at a women’s magazine and narrated by fashion editor Rosemary McKinnon. The single and irreverent Rosemary is half-French and half-Vietnamese, was adopted and raised by WASP parents, and longs for the day when no one asks her where she’s from, exactly.
Shortlisted for the City of Toronto Book Award!
“One of the most appealing heroines in current Canadian fiction.”
- Toronto Star
“Highly entertaininga romantic comedy with an edge.”
- Books in Canada
“Comedic and clever, Looks Perfect is an impressive debut.”
- Calgary’s FFWD