If you thought thrills and chills ended with Halloween, think again.
Local author Kim Bannerman reads from her new gothic murder mystery Bucket of Blood Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courtenay Library.
Lizzie's mother is dead. Now, left in the care of her prim older sister Violet, 15-year-old Lizzie fears her carefree ways are over.
But when tragedy strikes again, she discovers a sinister web of lies and deception, of murders past and present. Soon, Lizzie finds herself ensnared in a secret that stretches from the opium dens of Cumberland and the alleys of San Francisco to the jungles of Panama and beyond — and it's a secret that the murderer will do anything to protect.
Bucket of Blood blends the brooding spirit of B.C.'s wilderness with Chinese mythology and the blossoming discipline of Victorian science. Part B.C. history, part gothic mystery, Bucket of Blood is a grim journey through loss, self-discovery, redemption and vengeance.
Bannerman's tales have appeared in various journals and magazines, as well as the She's Shameless Anthology, Paraspheres Anthology and 100 Stories for Queensland.
In 2006, her short story The Mask & the Maze was nominated for a Hugo Award, Fountain Award and Aurora Award. She has worked as a screenwriter for television and film and has published three other novels: The Tattooed Wolf, The Wolf of Gilsbury Cross and The Fire Song.
For more information, drop by the library at 300 Sixth St., call 250-334-3369 or visit www.virl.bc.ca.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase courtesy of the Laughing Oyster Bookshop. This is a free program, and all are welcome.
— Courtenay Library