A Sorrowful Sanctuary

By: Iona Whishaw

Narrated by: Marilla Wex

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fifth book of the series that the Globe and Mail calls “terrific", Lane Winslow investigates the murder of an unidentified man she found adrift in a boat near King’s Cove.

Lane Winslow is enjoying a perfect sunny day at the lake when she spots a gravely injured young man drifting in a sinking rowboat. Hypothermic, bleeding, and soaked in icy, bloody water, he is unable to speak, leaving Lane at a loss. What series of events brought him to this grisly fate?

Darling and Ames are quick to pick up the case, but leads are few until Angela’s young son finds an unsettling clue on the beach - a bright red swastika lapel pin - that points to the National Unity Party of Canada. When the anonymous man succumbs to his injuries, Darling and Lane are thrown headlong into a murder investigation with ties to the old country.

Fans of Maisie Dobbs, Bess Crawford, and the ever-popular Kopp Sisters will be enchanted by Lane Winslow, a clever, no-nonsense sleuth based on the author’s own mother, who was a wartime spy.

©2018 Iona Whishaw (P)2021 TouchWood Editions

Critic reviews

“Whishaw’s intricately plotted fifth Lane Winslow mystery opens with a bang.... Whishaw brings all the narrative threads together for a satisfying finale. Progress in the often fraught personal relationship between Lane and Darling will please series fans.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Whishaw’s series follows ex-intelligence officer Lane Winslow as she searches for a new start in British Columbia, Canada in 1946, but the war and its repercussions are never far from the characters’ minds. The setting is fresh and the cast endearing, and Lane’s spy skills turn out to be quite handy in solving murders. The author based Lane on her mother, who was a real spy during the Second World War, and her devotion to the facts show.” (CrimeReads)

“While there’s no question you should read it - it’s excellent - a dilemma remains: Should you read it now, or wait until you’ve read the previous titles in the series first?... While you could wait forever to read the series from the start (many books, little time, etc.), the taste offered by A Sorrowful Sanctuary of Lane Winslow and her companions pretty much guarantees you won’t be waiting much longer to go back to the beginning and read everything about them.” (Toronto Star)

Another Great Historical Mystery

Fantastic Historical series set in post WWII Canada, with vibrant characters and mysteries based on real issues of that time.
Beautifully voiced by Marilla Wex.

Modern heroine

I have read/listened to all the books up to this point, but I really do not like the heroine, She is a modern woman transported back to the 1940s. The dynamic between her and Darling is forced. The last scene between them seemed contrived with no sense of why he would show up at her home. I have decided not to continue with the series. Too bad because I like the premise. Also the narrator does not do a good job with Darling’s dialogue.