A friend of mine bought this book for me since I enjoy mystery novels. Even though I hadn't heard of the author, I'd rank this as the best mystery I've read in the past year. The characters and plot was layered without being overly confusing. There were unexpected but not unrealistic twists. In short, the novel kept me turning the pages and made me want to find out what happened next. I'd certainly recommend this to any mystery fans out there!

Flora is so right when she describes this novel as a page-turner. One had better set aside a few hours to read Deadly Fall straight through because it's going to be very difficult to set the book down.

I just read this and loved it. This is a classic murder mystery set in Calgary with lots of local flavour, and the main character is someone very real, just like your aunt, cousin or neighbour. Paula gets caught up when her former best friend is murdered just as she was trying to contact Paula. Paula works with the police and investigates eventually solving the crime. You will love this series if you like Gail Bowen or Sue Grafton. I have read about a thousand mysteries and this ranks in the top 10%. Enjoy it.

Insurance adjuster Paula Savard knows something is wrong the moment she approaches the Elbow River near her house in Calgary. Yellow crime-scene tape rarely decorates the jogging trail in this safe Canadian city. Her intrusive male neighbour says that a woman has been shot. Then Paula finds that her absent friend Callie Moss has left a message on her answering machine. No doubt nattering on about her perfect life, Paula imagines, declining to listen to the note. Her own life is a boring shambles. She’s divorced from Gary, who still wants to look after her, despite his new girlfriend. She’s found an occasional date in Hayden, though the sparks aren’t flying except for arguments. But Callie’s life is far from perfect. In fact, it’s over. Dumbstruck by disbelief after she hears the news, Paula visits the scene. “The murder site looked benign. No marks married the pavement or the earth. Shrubs lined the ridge that dropped to the Elbow River. Their jade leaves listened in the afternoon sun; limbs swayed in the warm breeze. Across the river gorge, the Saddledome’s curved roof embraced the sky.” When she finds out that not only was Callie’s last message to her, but that she redialled moments before she was killed, Paula is overcome with guilt. Their relationship went back to the freewheeling Seventies when they were in university together in some bumpy times. They lost touch until two years ago when Paula moved to Calgary. But why wasn’t she invited to Callie’s second wedding? Was it really strictly family? As few clues emerge, Paula regards everyone in Callie’s former life with suspicion. Ex-husband Kenneth had reason to resent his wife’s running off to marry his friend Sam. An architect and man of mystery who meets Paula for the first time, the handsome Sam seems less than devastated by his bereavement. At the moment he’s overrun by Callie’s family preparing for the funeral, notably her sister and nieces. Before Paula knows what’s happening, one annoying teenage niece named Isabelle, out of school and in search of a McJob, has moved in with her. Paula has grown-up children of her own to handle. The repartee between the two generations is honed to a fine point and gives welcome comic relief, whether sparring over clothes, money, or food. Soft-hearted Paula curses herself for caving to Isabelle’s pleas, but as a mother, she worries about the girl’s safety and casual attitude about danger. No one seems to have an alibi for the dead-of-night murder. Then it’s discovered that Sam’s father kept a pistol, possibly the one which killed Callie. But too many people knew about it, and besides, it’s missing. Detective Vincelli enters the scene and wonders why Callie chose Paula to call. The more she learns, the more Paula feels that she owes Callie the answer to a senseless death. First-time novelist Calder hits the target with this fast-moving amateur sleuth outing. Her familiarity with Alberta’s crown city and its gorgeous surroundings in the Rocky Mountain foothills makes the scenery shine. Twists and turns in the human relationships leave nothing impossible. In the middle of this maelstrom, Paula keeps her head and her life while pursuing a baffling mystery whose roots delve deeply into the hidden lives of ordinary Canadians. The touch of romance keeps her off balance just long enough to give the killer another opportunity to close someone’s mouth forever.

Just spent the weekend devouring this book. Definitely a page-turner and an easy read. If you love intelligent mysteries, you won't want to pass up this one. Calder manages to keep you guessing until the very end (although the clues are probably all there, if you pay attention), and you find you really do want to know what happens to Paula, the title character, not just "who done it". The story is set in Calgary, which, as a Canadian and fellow Calgarian, I appreciate. It's nice to be able to wander familiar streets with the writer, and feel at home there. If this is the first in a new series I can hardly wait until Winter.