Explore my Fiction!
I write novels! They always have some humour, some messed up but lovable-ish women, some mystery and so far every single one has also involved someone urgently needing to go to the archives to ferret out a secret from the past that directly impacts their lives. What can I say, I love a microfilm room!
The Honeybee Emeralds
INDIE BOOK AWARD FINALIST: BEST DEBUT!
Alice Ahmadi has never been certain of where she belongs. When she discovers a famed emerald necklace while interning at a struggling Parisian magazine, she is plunged into a glittering world of diamonds and emeralds, courtesans and spies, and the long-buried secrets surrounding the necklace and its glamorous former owners.
When Alice realizes the mysterious Honeybee Emeralds could be her chance to save the magazine, she recruits her friends Lily and Daphne to form the “Fellowship of the Necklace.” Together, they set out to uncover the romantic history of the gems. Through diaries, letters, and investigations through the winding streets and iconic historic landmarks of Paris, the trio begins to unravel more than just the secrets of the necklace’s obsolete past. Along the way, Lily and Daphne’s relationships are challenged, tempered, and changed. Lily faces her long-standing attraction to a friend, who has achieved the writing success that eluded her. Daphne confronts her failing relationship with her husband, while also facing simmering problems in her friendship with Lily. And, at last, Alice finds her place in the world―although one mystery still remains: how did the Honeybee Emeralds go from the neck of American singer Josephine Baker during the Roaring Twenties to the basement of a Parisian magazine?
Debut novelist Tector captures European life and her characters beautifully as she interweaves the perspectives of four women seeking fulfillment and success in this satisfying adventure. Keep an eye on this author.”
— Booklist
The Foulest Things
Crime Writers of Canada Finalist: Best Novel Set in Canada!
Ottawa, January 2010. Canada’s historic Dominion Archives.
Junior archivist Jess Novak is struggling to find her footing in her new role. Her colleagues undermine her, her boss hates her, and her only romantic prospect hides a whiskey bottle in his desk. Desperate to make a good impression, Jess’s luck begins to change when she discovers a series of mysterious letters chronicling life in Paris at the start of the Great War. Thinking she has landed her ticket to career advancement, Jess dives into research in the art vault, where she stumbles upon the body of one of her colleagues.
As if finding a corpse isn’t frightening enough, Jess soon notices she is being stalked by a menacing figure. It’s only when Jess makes the connection between the letters, the murder, and a priceless Rembrandt that she realizes just how high the stakes are. Can Jess salvage her career, unravel a World War I–era mystery, shake off her ominous stalker, solve a murder, and—oh yeah—save her own life before it’s too late?
Amy Tector has created a fascinating, hugely likeable main character in Jessica Novak. The Foulest Things follows archivist Jess from discovering letters hidden in antique books, to the underbelly of the art world. With twists and turns, action and dashes of humour, we are sent on this literary joy ride. I can only hope this is the start of a wonderful series.
— Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels
Speak For The Dead
More than ten years after The Foulest Things, murder and mayhem return to Ottawa in the highly-anticipated next installment of Amy Tector’s acclaimed Dominion Archives Mystery series.
It’s a stormy summer day when Ottawa coroner Dr. Cate Spencer is called to the scene of an alleged suicide. Inside a narrow vault in the Dominion Archives’ nitrate film storage facility—kept separate from the rest of the collection due to its dangerous combustibility—officers pressure Cate to rule the death a suicide. When parts of the scene don’t add up and a deliberately set spark threatens her life, Cate suspects that this death might be a murder.
Cate’s tough façade masks a deep compassion for the victims she examines. Whether she’s looking for answers because of her dedication to justice or to distract herself from anguish over her brother’s recent death, her inquiries plunge her into a world of military secrets, contentious Indigenous protests, and a seventy-year-old mystery with deadly implications. Will Cate manage to pull herself away from her scotch and grief to expose an explosive historic secret and solve a murder the police doubt even exists?
“[A] strong sequel to 2022’s The Foulest Things . . . Tector smoothly balances her lead’s struggles with alcohol in the wake of her brother’s death with developments in this well-crafted mystery. Temperance Brennan fans will be pleased.”
— Publishers Weekly
Honor the Dead
Dr. Cate Spencer is back in this highly-anticipated third instalment of the Dominion Archives Mysteries.
It’s been a few months since the events of Speak for the Dead and Dr. Cate Spencer is seeking a temporary reprieve in the bucolic Eastern Townships of Quebec where she can come to terms with her brother’s death, find inner peace, build new relationships, and await a decision about her future. But when a man at a neighboring farm is shot through the eye with deadly accuracy, a metal detector lying next to him, Cate can’t help but investigate.
As she delves deeper into the mystery, Cate uncovers a world of drugs, lies, and violence hidden beneath the picturesque town, all of which threaten the tenuous peace she’s built for herself. As long-buried secrets and a centuries-old mystery become exposed, what will Cate lose to find the answers she seeks?
A gripping new mystery, Honor the Dead is a must-read for new and old Dominion Archives fans alike!
“Honor the Dead is classic Amy Tector—-an intriguing mystery peppered with fascinating historical tidbits and infused with a good dose of humor. Her cast of characters never disappoints and everyone is a suspect until the very last page. This book is too fun to put down. Don’t be surprised if you finish it in one sitting.”
— Kim Hooper, author of Ways the World Could End