A Special Offer for my Substack Readers

in a grateful spirit

I started the Reluctant Sleuth Substack to see if there might be an audience for my crime writing. I’d been sitting on the manuscript for my first mystery, The Book of Answers for a couple of years, and hadn’t done much with it after it was short-listed for a Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence.

I was still working full time, and didn’t feel I had the mental bandwidth, time, or emotional fortitude to try to find an agent, or to submit the manuscript to a traditional publishing house. Several friends had begun to publish their work independently.

There was strong, positive response when I began serially posting chapters of The Book of Answers. It was heartening to learn that people were interested in my story about a mild-mannered forty-something pastor who found himself in the midst of a murder investigation.

Fast forward to the present, and I’ve now published a sequel. My reluctant sleuth pastor has moved to a new church in a new town, and is faced with a whole new mystery in The Book of Christmas Joy.

(I’m so happy with the look of the new book! The art is by Max Vanderheide, and the cover design by Grace Enns.)

I’ve been selling the new book since September. It’s been lovely to chat with people who read The Book of Answers, and are excited about another Rev. Thomas Book mystery.

It’s also been interesting to see how having a new book in the series has sparked more sales of the first one.

I am grateful to all the folks who’ve encouraged my fiction writing, and have been with me in spirit, on this journey.

As a way to say thank you especially to the 130 plus subscribers to this Substack, I’m offering a special “deal” , from now until the end of the year.

For $17.50 each you can order copies of either The Book of Answers and The Book of Christmas Joy directly from me, and I will have them sent to your home.

(This is the cover for the new edition of The Book of Answers, with art and design by Grace Enns.)

This is much cheaper than what they sell for on Amazon, and in book stores.

I processed an order today (Dec 8) and the distributor tells me it will be delivered tomorrow, so it may be possible to get the books to you before Christmas.

If you’re interested, please email me directly at revdww@gmail.com