What secret does coroner Bern Fortin uncover in a quiet mountain town, and what does beer have to do with it? Find out by buying a ticket to a special event and book launch for Deryn Collier’s new mystery novel, Confined Space, a Nelson Public Library event to be held at the Nelson Brewing Company Friday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Confined Space, published by Simon & Schuster this June, was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for unpublished first crime novel.
The novel is set in a small town with a West Kootenay feel, where ex-Canadian Forces commander-turned coroner Bern Fortin investigates a death in the brewery.
What starts as a routine investigation— a worker accident in a bottle-washing tank—becomes quickly murderous in more ways than one.
The character of Fortin, suffering from the effects of his own combat past, is as complex as the small-town relationships he encounters.
Murder in the Brewery is not the title of the book, but it is the title of the event, which is both a celebration if an exceptional new talent and a fundraiser for Nelson Public Library collections, particularly the mystery collection.
The author will read from the book in a special presentation and sign copies for sale at the scene by Otter Books.
A menu of sinfully delicious appetizers prepared by Max & Irma’s will be paired with some of Nelson Brewing Company’s finest beers in combinations so good, they should be illegal.
A sampling includes Thai stuffed chicken wings paired with Old Brewery Ale, complemented by Harvarti and Asiago cheeses, among other partners in crime.
The plot thickens with brewery tours, Oso Negro coffee and music by Daniele Corbin. The event is a steal at $25 per person, with advance tickets available at the Nelson Library and Otter Books. Space is limited at 50 tickets.
Deryn Collier grew up in Ottawa and Montreal and is a graduate of McGill University. After a very short career as a federal bureaucrat she ran away to the mountains of BC where she did, at one point, work in a brewery—the inspiration for Confined Space.
