Bate’s fourth book the darkest in series

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This article was published 14/01/2019 (2457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In one sense, Karen Bate is hoping for a frosty reception at her upcoming book launch.

That’s because the River Park South resident will hold a launch event for her latest book titled Frost, the fourth book in her Mayfair Murder Mysteries series. The event will be held on Thurs., Jan. 17 at McNally Robinson Booksellers (1120 Grant Ave.).

Bate said the novel continues in the same tradition and style of the previous three books in the series — Ice, Flood, and Steam.

“Mystery and drama are interspersed with moments of humour and bad puns. The characters remain true to themselves. This is perhaps the darkest of my books, with a conniving perpetrator who forces the lead characters to examine their lives,” Bate said.

“However, even though the same main characters appear in all four books, each story deals with a separate case and can stand alone. This is not a continuing drama.”

In terms of the plot, detectives Emma Watson and Iain Webster and the rest of the Mayfair Police Department discover the body of one of their own, displayed brutally for all to see, Bate said.

“The team is thrown into a case that begins as a murder mystery, but becomes a psychological drama of cat-and-mouse, challenging every team member, and their families. Emma, Iain, Rick, and Mal must reveal secrets from their pasts in hopes that they can save their futures — both professionally and personally,” she said.

Describing Frost as the longest book so far, Bate said the original intention was that it would be the last one in the series.

“Because of that, it does refer back to the previous cases, although it does not give anything away about those stories. I wanted to tie things together. I also went into more of the back stories of the main characters, so I could flesh it out and justify the interpersonal relationships. As a result, it is more complex than the others,” Bate said.

At the launch, which will be held in the travel alcove at McNally’s, Bate will talk a bit about the books and how they were created, which will be followed by a reading from the book.

“After that, I would be very happy to take questions — about any of my books, my writing process, or the future. That will be followed by a book signing, when all of the Mayfair books will be available. Refreshments will also be served,” she said.

Bate’s travelling teddy bear, Quigley, will also be at the launch, which falls on her’s son’s birthday, which will give the occasion added significance to her.