“A dazzling meditation on history and nature.”  —Alberto Manguel

“Beautifully written, deeply felt without succumbing to cheap sentiment . . . a celebration of finding one’s place in the world.”  —Times-Colonist

“Genuinely heartbreaking. . . . Vividly described. . . . Szanto is acutely, almost painfully, sensitive to the world outside his front door.”  —National Post

“Lushly rendered. . . . An earthy, homespun and voyeuristically satisfying book.”
—Kirkus Reviews

BOOK LAUNCHES

March 10, 2013 – 3:00 pm – Gabriola Commons – 675 North Road, Gabriola BC

March 12, 2013 – 7:00 pm – Chronicles of Crime – 1048 Fort St., Victoria, BC

“A moving and very thoughtful memoir of George Szanto’s lifelong dance between literature and adventure, wanderlust and home.”   —Ronald Wright

“Watching his bogland on Gabriola Island as its life revolves around the circuit of seasons has put George Szanto at the perfect vantage point for reflection and story-telling.”   —Myrna Kostash

 “Szanto writes with wonderful lucidity, never leaving the reader, always circling back to the essence of things.”   —Susan Crean

READ MORE…

NEW from Touchwood Mystery

Never Hug a Mugger (on Quadra Island)

“A winning combination: novels that can be read as standalone mysteries but which offer probing insight into the developing main characters.” —Times Colonist

As Kyra Rachel and Noel Franklin get to know the small community of Quadra Island, they’re surprised to discover that things are not as simple as they seem. A savage beating of the son of one of Noel’s high-school friends leads the Islands Investigations International partners into the dark underworld of professional sports and the powerful motivations of Olympic hopefuls.

Listen to George and Sandy on CBC Radio’s “All Points West”, interviewed by Jo-Ann Roberts on November 15, 2011 at Chronicles of Crime in Victoria, BC.

Read the full reviews in the Times Colonist, The Gumboot Press, and Mysterious Reviews, and check out what Don Graves has to say in the Hamilton Spectator (click to enlarge):

The Tartarus House on Crab

Jack Tartarus is going to tear down his parents’ house, one board at a time. He has come to Crab Island to do so, and then move on to construct his own future. But the assemblage of people around him—as well as the house itself—seems determined to resist.

New reviews now online!

MostlyFiction.com
Times Colonist

“Szanto has a deft hand with characterization…. The Tartarus House on Crab is well worth reading, peopled with characters you’ll likely recognize, or recognize part of yourself within.” —The Times Colonist

Recently from Touchwood Mystery

Always Kiss the Corpse (on Whidbey Island)

The second novel in the Islands Investigations International Mystery Series, written with Sandy Frances Duncan, Always Kiss the Corpse navigates the tempestuous northwest waters of sexuality and identity.

New reviews now online!

ReviewingTheEvidence.com
MysteriousReviews.com

“Duncan and Szanto bring their A-game to this daring and complex novel.” —Lou Allin, Crime Writers of Canada

“For readers who have not thought about [gender identity] issues, this novel is an excellent introduction as well as being a gripping mystery.” —The Times Colonist