Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are the settings for the historical fiction novels?
The historical settings are as accurate as I’ve been able to make them. The preludes and many other circumstances are inspired by true people and events, but the characters and stories themselves are fictional. The endnotes in each novel contain factual explanations and, occasionally, references to nonfiction publications that provide a starting point for those interested in the real events that provided inspiration for the novel.
Was there really a first woman Mountie?
Not exactly. In real life, a first full troop of 32 women began training in the RCMP in 1974. On March 3, 1975, 30 of them graduated to simultaneously become the first real women Mounties. In my fictional stories, it all began with a single-woman pilot test and only after that was a first full troop trained.
Where can I learn more about the RCMP’s real-life police dogs?
For factual background on the RCMP’s Police Dog Service, I recommend the following non-fiction source: Insp. Lawrence D. Aimoe, “An Examination of the Skills and Characteristics of Successful Royal Canadian Mounted Police Dog Handlers,” M.A.Ed. Thesis, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, 7 May 2009.
Where can I learn more about the RCMP’s role in the Klondike Gold Rush?
I recommend the autobiography of Superintendent S.B. (Sam) Steele, one of the most famous Mounted Police officers of all time. His autobiography spans much of his career, and includes a detailed account of his experiences associated with the Klondike Gold Rush (where he was posted in 1898). The book is S.B. Steele, “Forty Years in Canada,” McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart, Toronto, 1914. Copies are available free on the internet.
Were there really German Spies, U-boats, and secret installations in Canada during the Second World War?
Yes, for example, German U-boats attacked four freighters near Bell Island, Newfoundland in 1942. The SS Saganaga and SS Lord Strathcona were sunk by U-513 on September 5, and the SS Rosecastle and PLM 27 were sunk by U-518 on November 2. Several spies are known to have operated in Canada during this period. For example, on November 9, 1942, a German spy was dropped off near New Carlisle, Quebec, by submarine U-518. He was almost immediately caught. His suitcase, which housed a complete radio transmitter, is on display in the RCMP Museum in Regina. An actual Second-World-War era German Wetter-Funkgerät Land automatic weather station, denoted as WFL- 26, was discovered on the Labrador coast in 1977. It is on display in the Canadian War Museum.
Were there really secret Japanese installations off Canada’s west coast during the Second World War?
Yes, but not literally in Canadian waters. Two of the United States’ Aleutian Islands – Kiska and Attu - were occupied by the Japanese in June 1942, during the Second World War. Attu was retaken after a two-week battle in May 1943, involving ground forces of the US Army and air support from the RCAF. In July 1943, and just before a combined US-Canadian force attacked, the Japanese destroyed and/or booby-trapped most of their weapons, equipment, and supplies on Kiska, and evacuated it without a single loss of life.
Did a Soviet spy satellite really crash into Canada’s north during the Cold War?
Yes, but it was mostly just small pieces of debris that made it to earth. Kosmos 954 was a Soviet, nuclear-powered spy satellite that developed operating problems, re-entered the atmosphere on January 24, 1978, and mostly disintegrated. Radioactive debris crashed over a wide area, mostly in the Northwest Territories. This triggered a massive, real-life Canada-U.S. operation search and recovery exercise called Operation Morning Light.
The RCMP Security Service was absorbed by the new and independent Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 1984. For a brief history of the Security Service click HERE.
When did the RCMP Security Service become CSIS?
Are the electronic editions any different from the print editions?
The text is identical, other than a few editorial corrections. Some of the print editions, however, contain more illustrations.