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Counted Among the Dead: A Mystery (13)
Award-winning author Anne Emery is back with another Collins-Burke team-up
The students at Father Brennan Burke’s choir school have written a two-act play about the Halifax Explosion of 1917. The last thing Burke expects is a series of threats against his school and his students, designed to make sure they never perform act two. Then the body of a young woman, Trudi Ebbett, is found strangled in Halifax. A junior hockey player, a friend of one of the students, is the last person known to have seen her alive and is suspected of the murder. Lawyer Monty Collins, hired to represent him, cannot find anyone with a motive for killing Trudi. But Monty’s daughter Normie, who is a student at the school and one of the authors of the script, joins her dad and Father Burke as they look deeper into the case. And they begin to suspect that the death is somehow linked to the threats against the play and the events of 1917. But how could something that happened so long ago be a motive for murder in the 1990s?
The students at Father Brennan Burke’s choir school have written a two-act play about the Halifax Explosion of 1917. The last thing Burke expects is a series of threats against his school and his students, designed to make sure they never perform act two. Then the body of a young woman, Trudi Ebbett, is found strangled in Halifax. A junior hockey player, a friend of one of the students, is the last person known to have seen her alive and is suspected of the murder. Lawyer Monty Collins, hired to represent him, cannot find anyone with a motive for killing Trudi. But Monty’s daughter Normie, who is a student at the school and one of the authors of the script, joins her dad and Father Burke as they look deeper into the case. And they begin to suspect that the death is somehow linked to the threats against the play and the events of 1917. But how could something that happened so long ago be a motive for murder in the 1990s?
296 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2024
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About the author
Anne Emery
82 books34 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Anne Emery was born Anne Eleanor McGuigan, in Fargo, North Dakota, and moved to Evanston, Illinois, when she was nine years old. Miss McGuigan attended Evanston Township High School and Northwestern University. Following her graduation from college, her father, a university professor, took the family of five children abroad for a year, where they visited his birthplace in Northern Ireland, as well as the British Isles, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Miss McGuigan spent nine months studying at the University of Grenoble in France. She taught seventh and eighth grades for four years in the Evanston Schools, and fourth and fifth grades for six more years after her marriage to John Emery. She retired from teaching to care for her husband and five children, Mary, Kate, Joan, Robert, and Martha.
Anne Emery wrote books and short stories for teen girls throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her understanding of the lives of teenaged girls creates believable stories and characters that are readable and re-readable!
Anne Emery was born Anne Eleanor McGuigan, in Fargo, North Dakota, and moved to Evanston, Illinois, when she was nine years old. Miss McGuigan attended Evanston Township High School and Northwestern University. Following her graduation from college, her father, a university professor, took the family of five children abroad for a year, where they visited his birthplace in Northern Ireland, as well as the British Isles, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Miss McGuigan spent nine months studying at the University of Grenoble in France. She taught seventh and eighth grades for four years in the Evanston Schools, and fourth and fifth grades for six more years after her marriage to John Emery. She retired from teaching to care for her husband and five children, Mary, Kate, Joan, Robert, and Martha.
Anne Emery wrote books and short stories for teen girls throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her understanding of the lives of teenaged girls creates believable stories and characters that are readable and re-readable!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 19, 2024
I have now read three novels written by Anne Emery, each set in a different historical context or place. All three have been good reads and interesting novels. In this latest, Counted Among the Dead, Emery returns to her Collins and Burke series in a historical mystery set in Halifax, Nova Scotia of 1917 and 1993.
to be continued…
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC of this book,
to be continued…
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC of this book,
February 1, 2025
I did like the fact that I was educated a bit more on the Halifax explosion of 1917. Some great descriptions of the aftermath and the injuries that were sustained. Also was familiar with many of the locations in Halifax as well as surroundings areas in Nova Scotia .Having lived in Saint John until adulthood if was interesting to have a character from there. The mystery itself became entangled at times with a variety of characters turning to solve it.The children’s involvement seemed a tad unbelievable. The combination of the Nancy Drew mystery component and the sleuthing by the lawyer , priest and IRA member made for it a so so mystery read.
December 16, 2025
I'm never disappointed in Anne Emery's books. This one centres around a horrific event, the Halifax Explosion of 1917. Using the perspectives of children in this novel really worked for me. I learned more about the tragic event and felt such a connection to the two boys, Mike and Lauchie, whose notes are shared with Normie, the delightful daughter of Monty Collins. The boys' innocence remains in tact in spite of the horrors. This was a perfect way to explore the effects of this devastating disaster. there's a play, flashbacks and a murder surrounded by the usual aspects of the Collins-Burke mystery. This fast-paced mystery won't let you down. I always enjoy spending time with Brennan and Monty and having the children's points of view. And for me, the icing on the cake really was the icing on cake as two the characters stop in my childhood hometown and enjoy chocolate cake with boiled icing at a local landmark restaurant.
December 15, 2024
COUNTED AMONG THE DEAD
Another excellent mystery in the Collins/Burke series. Set in 1993 in Halifax Nova Scotia, students at the St. Bernadette School write and perform a play “Devastated Area”, featuring the 1917 great Halifax shipping explosion. It seems that information presented in the show dredges up potential uncomfortable events from the past. Threats to the students, a break in at the school, and the murder of a young woman, Trudi Ebbett, result in fear and confusion in the local area.
Father Brennen Burke, Music Director at the school, and lawyer Monty Collins team up again to share a few pints at their favorite Irish pub and use their skills to unravel the complex mysteries surrounding the children’s play. Normie Collins, Monty’s daughter, is one of the writers and an actor in the play. She was stalked by a man one night on her way home, increasing Monty’s determination to find the source of so much disturbance to their community.
Through the use of the children’s play, a good amount of information is presented regarding the Halifax explosion. It was the largest explosion ever before the atomic bomb was discovered. The story of the shipping explosion and the devastating destruction to the community in the aftermath was fascinating and heartbreaking. As with each of the Collins/Burke stories, interesting bits of Irish history are interwoven throughout the storyline. Although this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
I find the books in the Collins/Burke series always provide a complex and satisfying mystery with enjoyable and realistic characters. I would like thank NetGalley, Anne Emery, and ECW Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Another excellent mystery in the Collins/Burke series. Set in 1993 in Halifax Nova Scotia, students at the St. Bernadette School write and perform a play “Devastated Area”, featuring the 1917 great Halifax shipping explosion. It seems that information presented in the show dredges up potential uncomfortable events from the past. Threats to the students, a break in at the school, and the murder of a young woman, Trudi Ebbett, result in fear and confusion in the local area.
Father Brennen Burke, Music Director at the school, and lawyer Monty Collins team up again to share a few pints at their favorite Irish pub and use their skills to unravel the complex mysteries surrounding the children’s play. Normie Collins, Monty’s daughter, is one of the writers and an actor in the play. She was stalked by a man one night on her way home, increasing Monty’s determination to find the source of so much disturbance to their community.
Through the use of the children’s play, a good amount of information is presented regarding the Halifax explosion. It was the largest explosion ever before the atomic bomb was discovered. The story of the shipping explosion and the devastating destruction to the community in the aftermath was fascinating and heartbreaking. As with each of the Collins/Burke stories, interesting bits of Irish history are interwoven throughout the storyline. Although this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
I find the books in the Collins/Burke series always provide a complex and satisfying mystery with enjoyable and realistic characters. I would like thank NetGalley, Anne Emery, and ECW Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
September 11, 2025
In this installment of the series set in Halifax, Emery takes her readers back to 1917 when two ships, the Mont Blanc, a munitions ship carrying a huge cargo of explosives, and the Imo, carrying relief supplies and headed to Belgium, collided in the harbor. It set off a massive explosion that caused thousands of deaths, wounded many more and destroyed hundreds of homes, businesses, and churches. At the time, it was the largest man-made explosion the world had experienced, but also a time when citizens in the community rallied to help one another through the chaos, death and destruction. Nevertheless, it also provided an opportunity for criminals to search homes that had collapsed and pick through the debris for money, jewelry and clothing for themselves. Some were bold enough to ransack the dead that lay everywhere, ripping rings off of fingers as well as coats, shoes and boots. Others made fraudulent claims to the Halifax Relief Commission, set up to provide funds to assist people to repair or rebuild their damaged properties.
Emery structures her story in two time periods, the time of the explosion in 1917 and later in 1993 when ten-year-old Normie Collins and her friends Richard and Kim, write a two act play about the disaster. The play, titled “Devastated Area” was to be presented in two acts, the first in October and the second later in December. The first act was well received, and an appreciative audience gave the cast and the writers a standing ovation. At the end of the play, hoping to attract a similar response to the second act in December, the writers announced hints about what the audience could expect. The teaser included the possibility that a real-life mystery would be solved.
Then several troubling events occur. Normie is followed by a creepy man as she returns home from school; Normie, Kim and Richard receive scary notes warning them not to present the second act of the play and an unknown intruder tries to break into Saint Bernadette’s Choir School. Normie's Dad Monty Collins, Father Brennan, head of the school and his father Declan visiting from New York, create a surveillance team to guard the school against another break-in. On one shift, Declan catches a hooded figure running from the building and chases him down. They exchange a few angry words, but the man frees himself and flees.
As the story moves between the two time periods, Emery signals the change by stating the character and the year at the beginning of each section. A number of characters are presented, in particular two from the 1917 period that set up the mystery. Mike Kavanaugh and Lauchie MacIntrye, were two twelve-year-old boys who excitedly watched the house next door from their hiding place in the attic of Mike’s home on Young Street. They discovered it was a brothel and the boys entertained themselves watching the hijinks and shenanigans, including the girls in skimpy clothing and the comings and goings of their regular customers.
Over sixty-five years later, Monty Collins and his wife Maura buy the house on the other side of the “brothel house” to use as a rental unit. The purchase sets up the first threads that tie the two time periods together. Normie meets her neighbor and receives permission to search the basement of Mike’s former home to look for remnants of the explosion they can use as set pieces in the play. She discovers a set of notes written by the two boys, detailing what they had seen from their vantage point at the window spying on the house next door. Those notes detailed a time they had seen a masked man with a fancy car remove a body from the brothel.
Back in the present-day period, the body of twenty-three-year Trudi Ebbett is found outside the former brothel. She had been strangled and the chief suspect is a young junior hockey player who was the last to see her alive. He claims he is innocent and hires Monty Collins to represent him in the case.
What follows is how the two time periods are tied together and what it means for those living in the present time. There are several characters in both time periods especially the present day, as the search for a suspect moves forward, but several names are mentioned only once, placing less stress on the reader. The novel also brings back Declan, Father Brennan's colorful father who is visiting his son. He is a mysterious man, an IRA warrior with strong ties to Ireland and a secretive life in New York where he now lives. Brennan wonders about his father’s visit, especially after he discovers his dad is traveling with tickets and a passport under another man’s name.
Emery does a wonderful job with the dialogue between Mike and Lachie filled with foolish teenage wisecracks and the banter between Brennan and Declan filled with Irish dialect. She also repeats what she has done in the other books in the series, reinforcing her setting by referring to the Halifax streets (Gottingen, Hollis and Morris), well-known locales (the Hydrostone, the Cohn Auditorium, the Chickenburger, the Atlantic News), all known to those familiar with the city. And as is her custom, she provides a satisfying conclusion for her readers, tying up all the various threads of the story.
Emery did extensive research to present events before and after the explosion, careful to advise readers which parts are fact and which are the fictional elements she used to support her story. There are many details that add authenticity to her novel, including the scenes of stunned children wandering the streets searching for their parents, mothers crying out for their lost children and entire families standing and staring aghast at the rubble that used to be their home.
This was not my favorite installment in the series, but was still well done.
Emery structures her story in two time periods, the time of the explosion in 1917 and later in 1993 when ten-year-old Normie Collins and her friends Richard and Kim, write a two act play about the disaster. The play, titled “Devastated Area” was to be presented in two acts, the first in October and the second later in December. The first act was well received, and an appreciative audience gave the cast and the writers a standing ovation. At the end of the play, hoping to attract a similar response to the second act in December, the writers announced hints about what the audience could expect. The teaser included the possibility that a real-life mystery would be solved.
Then several troubling events occur. Normie is followed by a creepy man as she returns home from school; Normie, Kim and Richard receive scary notes warning them not to present the second act of the play and an unknown intruder tries to break into Saint Bernadette’s Choir School. Normie's Dad Monty Collins, Father Brennan, head of the school and his father Declan visiting from New York, create a surveillance team to guard the school against another break-in. On one shift, Declan catches a hooded figure running from the building and chases him down. They exchange a few angry words, but the man frees himself and flees.
As the story moves between the two time periods, Emery signals the change by stating the character and the year at the beginning of each section. A number of characters are presented, in particular two from the 1917 period that set up the mystery. Mike Kavanaugh and Lauchie MacIntrye, were two twelve-year-old boys who excitedly watched the house next door from their hiding place in the attic of Mike’s home on Young Street. They discovered it was a brothel and the boys entertained themselves watching the hijinks and shenanigans, including the girls in skimpy clothing and the comings and goings of their regular customers.
Over sixty-five years later, Monty Collins and his wife Maura buy the house on the other side of the “brothel house” to use as a rental unit. The purchase sets up the first threads that tie the two time periods together. Normie meets her neighbor and receives permission to search the basement of Mike’s former home to look for remnants of the explosion they can use as set pieces in the play. She discovers a set of notes written by the two boys, detailing what they had seen from their vantage point at the window spying on the house next door. Those notes detailed a time they had seen a masked man with a fancy car remove a body from the brothel.
Back in the present-day period, the body of twenty-three-year Trudi Ebbett is found outside the former brothel. She had been strangled and the chief suspect is a young junior hockey player who was the last to see her alive. He claims he is innocent and hires Monty Collins to represent him in the case.
What follows is how the two time periods are tied together and what it means for those living in the present time. There are several characters in both time periods especially the present day, as the search for a suspect moves forward, but several names are mentioned only once, placing less stress on the reader. The novel also brings back Declan, Father Brennan's colorful father who is visiting his son. He is a mysterious man, an IRA warrior with strong ties to Ireland and a secretive life in New York where he now lives. Brennan wonders about his father’s visit, especially after he discovers his dad is traveling with tickets and a passport under another man’s name.
Emery does a wonderful job with the dialogue between Mike and Lachie filled with foolish teenage wisecracks and the banter between Brennan and Declan filled with Irish dialect. She also repeats what she has done in the other books in the series, reinforcing her setting by referring to the Halifax streets (Gottingen, Hollis and Morris), well-known locales (the Hydrostone, the Cohn Auditorium, the Chickenburger, the Atlantic News), all known to those familiar with the city. And as is her custom, she provides a satisfying conclusion for her readers, tying up all the various threads of the story.
Emery did extensive research to present events before and after the explosion, careful to advise readers which parts are fact and which are the fictional elements she used to support her story. There are many details that add authenticity to her novel, including the scenes of stunned children wandering the streets searching for their parents, mothers crying out for their lost children and entire families standing and staring aghast at the rubble that used to be their home.
This was not my favorite installment in the series, but was still well done.
August 23, 2024
Counted Among the Dead by Anne Emery was a look back at the largest explosion in history before the atom bomb. Thousands died, even more were wounded, and many were left sightless. Tons of homes were destroyed, either by the explosion itself or by the fires that ensued. The streets were littered with dismembered bodies. Then, it started snowing. As in the midst of all tragedies, there are some who must take advantage. This is the story of how that damage can last generations. Three students at a Catholic school in Halifax, where this tragedy took place, were writing a play for the students to perform. The father of one of the students had just purchased a house in the middle of what would have been the destroyed area. The young playwrights happened to meet the elderly lady who lived next door and she gave them a box full of pages of writing and notes left by her brother and his friend from that terrible time. She had never looked at the pages as she was one of the ones blinded. It was a treasure trove and was the foundation of the two part play. They had been keen observers and saw things that otherwise had gone unreported.
This was a modern murder investigation that stemmed from something they boys had seen and heard. It was conducted by two of the girls, the lawyer father of one of them, and the de facto head of the school, a priest. It was a compelling mystery and really so sad. It was born of greed more than anything as was what the boys had originally witnessed. The characters were good and the book was plotted amazingly well. It was both intriguing and complex and solving it took both imagination and good skills. The whole thing, from then to now, destroyed lives, a sad outcome. Well done, interesting, and so full of a history that I had never heard about, although residents of Halifax are probably totally aware. I love it when I learn history when I am reading fiction. Thanks Anne Emery for this terrific book.
I was invited to read Counted Among the Dead, apparently book 13 of a series, by ECW Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ECWPress #AnneEmery #CountedAmongTheDead
This was a modern murder investigation that stemmed from something they boys had seen and heard. It was conducted by two of the girls, the lawyer father of one of them, and the de facto head of the school, a priest. It was a compelling mystery and really so sad. It was born of greed more than anything as was what the boys had originally witnessed. The characters were good and the book was plotted amazingly well. It was both intriguing and complex and solving it took both imagination and good skills. The whole thing, from then to now, destroyed lives, a sad outcome. Well done, interesting, and so full of a history that I had never heard about, although residents of Halifax are probably totally aware. I love it when I learn history when I am reading fiction. Thanks Anne Emery for this terrific book.
I was invited to read Counted Among the Dead, apparently book 13 of a series, by ECW Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ECWPress #AnneEmery #CountedAmongTheDead
September 24, 2024
A really interesting and well written book featuring Father Brennan Burke, and set in Nova Scotia, this is told in dual time lines, and is based on a real incident. On 6th December 1917, two ships collided in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, causing an explosion that devastated the area
and killed 2000 people, injuring a further 9,000. Fast forward to the 1990s, and three of Father Brennans pupils set about writing and producing a 2 act play about the event, and are given. the journals of 2 young boys who had witnessed the whole event. When the first act has been performed, there are threats made to Normie, one of the authors, that they must cancel the next act, due to be performed 2 months later, or suffer the consequences. When the body of a young woman is found shortly after, it adds another dimension to the story as it appears there may be links to the past.
A fascinating story, I’d never heard about the incident in 1917 or how it devastated the area, leaving so many dead and injured, including so many people blinded by flying glass, whole families lost and survivors left homeless and bereft. It was a powerful read particularly with the descriptions of the area, especially from the view of the two young boys. Add in the mystery from the era and the murder after the play was performed and it makes for an excellent read. I loved Normies character, and we also meet Father Brennans father, a man with a past that threatens to catch up with him. Norma’s lawyer father , Monty, along with Brennan start to investigate after an incident at the school, as well as the threats.
I love any book where a real historical event is written about alongside a gripping murder mystery, it’s well paced, with enough historical detail to keep you interested and not overloaded with information, some nice side story’s, such as part of Burkes fathers story, and a nice relationship between the main characters. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
and killed 2000 people, injuring a further 9,000. Fast forward to the 1990s, and three of Father Brennans pupils set about writing and producing a 2 act play about the event, and are given. the journals of 2 young boys who had witnessed the whole event. When the first act has been performed, there are threats made to Normie, one of the authors, that they must cancel the next act, due to be performed 2 months later, or suffer the consequences. When the body of a young woman is found shortly after, it adds another dimension to the story as it appears there may be links to the past.
A fascinating story, I’d never heard about the incident in 1917 or how it devastated the area, leaving so many dead and injured, including so many people blinded by flying glass, whole families lost and survivors left homeless and bereft. It was a powerful read particularly with the descriptions of the area, especially from the view of the two young boys. Add in the mystery from the era and the murder after the play was performed and it makes for an excellent read. I loved Normies character, and we also meet Father Brennans father, a man with a past that threatens to catch up with him. Norma’s lawyer father , Monty, along with Brennan start to investigate after an incident at the school, as well as the threats.
I love any book where a real historical event is written about alongside a gripping murder mystery, it’s well paced, with enough historical detail to keep you interested and not overloaded with information, some nice side story’s, such as part of Burkes fathers story, and a nice relationship between the main characters. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 28, 2024
I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about this part of Halifax's history, and I wish I had learned of it much sooner. As a child, I spent a lot of summers in Nova Scotia, and I'm surprised I wasn't exposed to this history.
I loved how this story was told. It was told from many perspectives, some current, and some back at the time of the explosion in 1917. As the story unfolds, we get to hear everyone's side of the story. Children at Father Brennan Burke's school have written a play, about the explosion. They have discovered the notes of two young boys who were friends during that time. The kids, Normie, Richard and Kim weave the boys' notes into their play. Normie is the daughter of Monty Collins, a good friend of Father Burke. The play is designed to be presented at two different times, and after the first play, Normie, closes by offering a teaser on what's to come.
The play is a huge success, but the kids don't have long to bask in their "fame". First someone follows Normie, closely, frightening her. Then both Richard and Normie, get a threatening notes, demanding they not produce Act 2.
Morty and Father Burke team up to solve the mystery, and the kids, Morty's mother, and Father Burke's father all get drawn in.
The action was fast paced, and I loved how the history came alive though the two 1917 boys.
Great book.
I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about this part of Halifax's history, and I wish I had learned of it much sooner. As a child, I spent a lot of summers in Nova Scotia, and I'm surprised I wasn't exposed to this history.
I loved how this story was told. It was told from many perspectives, some current, and some back at the time of the explosion in 1917. As the story unfolds, we get to hear everyone's side of the story. Children at Father Brennan Burke's school have written a play, about the explosion. They have discovered the notes of two young boys who were friends during that time. The kids, Normie, Richard and Kim weave the boys' notes into their play. Normie is the daughter of Monty Collins, a good friend of Father Burke. The play is designed to be presented at two different times, and after the first play, Normie, closes by offering a teaser on what's to come.
The play is a huge success, but the kids don't have long to bask in their "fame". First someone follows Normie, closely, frightening her. Then both Richard and Normie, get a threatening notes, demanding they not produce Act 2.
Morty and Father Burke team up to solve the mystery, and the kids, Morty's mother, and Father Burke's father all get drawn in.
The action was fast paced, and I loved how the history came alive though the two 1917 boys.
Great book.
July 15, 2024
First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story. Ann e Emery has written a wonderful story about the Halifax explosion of 1917. Using real facts and her own personal characters, she weaves an unforgettable tale that I won't soon forget. I have previously read another of the Collin/Burke series. This one felt more personal. It is something when an author takes an important time in our Canadian history and comes up with a wonderful plot in a historical fiction novel.
I don't want to give anything away, as you will understand as you read it. What happened in Halifax was horrific. The aftermath and two different time-lines tells a story that I think readers will learn from and enjoy. Well done, Anne Emery.
I give this book 4 out of 5.
I don't want to give anything away, as you will understand as you read it. What happened in Halifax was horrific. The aftermath and two different time-lines tells a story that I think readers will learn from and enjoy. Well done, Anne Emery.
I give this book 4 out of 5.
July 9, 2024
This was my first time reading a book in the Collins-Burke series, but I was able to enjoy it as if it were a standalone.
I found the story to be very interesting, and I especially enjoyed learning about the Halifax Explosion. It was great to read a book set in Atlantic Canada with places I'm familiar with.
I think I enjoyed the local and historical aspects of the book a little more than the mystery aspect. I found some of the character interactions a bit unbelievable and too convenient to the plot, but overall, it was an entertaining read.
Thanks to ECW Press for the ARC!
I found the story to be very interesting, and I especially enjoyed learning about the Halifax Explosion. It was great to read a book set in Atlantic Canada with places I'm familiar with.
I think I enjoyed the local and historical aspects of the book a little more than the mystery aspect. I found some of the character interactions a bit unbelievable and too convenient to the plot, but overall, it was an entertaining read.
Thanks to ECW Press for the ARC!
November 4, 2024
A fine mystery with a lot of local references. Strong characterization and well plotted. Framing the Halifax explosion in terms of a more recent time (1990s) is an interesting device. I have read a lot about the explosion but Emery's novel revealed little nuggets I wasn't really aware of: such as the fact that many people thought the devastation was the Germans invading.
May 6, 2025
This ids the second year one of Anne Emery's books has been submitted for the Governor General Award for Fiction. While it may not make the shortlist, I still find her books entertaining and well researched from a historical perspective. I especially enjoyed this one with the Nova Scotia favour and use of the Halifax explosioon of 1917.
September 23, 2024
A good historical fiction about a dramatic event that took place in Canada in 1917. Well plotted, tense.
It made go and search more about this even
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It made go and search more about this even
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
October 14, 2024
I enjoyed learning more about the Halifax ship explosion in 1917. The plot was well done but I had trouble with the writing style. It wasn't clear if this book was for middle school children or adults. The content leaned towards adult but the writing in part seemed more juvenile.
March 9, 2025
Having read all of Emery’s Burke Collin’s series, this is not her best. A little to populated and congested with characters past and present. Nice to see all the main characters. I hope she keeps writing this series, but I could be written out.
August 12, 2025
Well researched book that vividly brings Halifax -- and its famous explosion -- to life.
Read
August 14, 2025I'm reading the series of Colin Burke rather out of order. This book was interesting as the mystery included close ups at the time of the Halifax explosion in 1917
May 29, 2024
4.5 stars. I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the latest book featuring Father Brennan Burke and Lawyer Monty Collins. The ARC was much appreciated, and the book is due to be published on September 24th. The Collins-Burke mysteries were set mainly in and around Nova Scotia, and I counted the team among my favourites and loved the entertaining series. I had previously read about a dozen of the books. My enjoyment faded when the settings shifted to Ireland, and I felt I lacked the knowledge of its history to be fully engaged. The books with the Irish setting were well-written but not as compelling for me.
Father Burke's choir class has written a historic, well-researched play about the great Halifax Explosion of 1917. One of the writers is Normie, the daughter of lawyer Collins. Part One of the play has already been presented, with Part Two to be enacted in a couple of months. Threats exist toward the school and students to prevent the rest of the play from ever being performed. Also, in the present, a young woman has been found murdered, and Collins is representing her boyfriend, who is suspected of murder.
The major characters are Collins and Burke, and the story brings in a close relative of Father Burke, who was an IRA member until moving to Canada. ( In the past, members of Father Burke's family in Ireland had ties to the IRA). This way, we get snippets of Irish turmoil and history, which I felt could be omitted.
How could the present-day murder of the young woman have any connection with revelations in Part Two of the play that happened so long ago? Young Normie and the Collins-Burke team investigate the threats to the school to prevent the rest of the play from being performed along with the new murder. From past stories, I have learned that Normie, the young daughter of
Collins can provide valuable insights.
Author Anne Emery has written enthralling books in the Collins-Burke series. I hope for another book in the future with a setting mainly in and around Halifax. I enjoyed Counted Among the Dead and would recommend it.
Father Burke's choir class has written a historic, well-researched play about the great Halifax Explosion of 1917. One of the writers is Normie, the daughter of lawyer Collins. Part One of the play has already been presented, with Part Two to be enacted in a couple of months. Threats exist toward the school and students to prevent the rest of the play from ever being performed. Also, in the present, a young woman has been found murdered, and Collins is representing her boyfriend, who is suspected of murder.
The major characters are Collins and Burke, and the story brings in a close relative of Father Burke, who was an IRA member until moving to Canada. ( In the past, members of Father Burke's family in Ireland had ties to the IRA). This way, we get snippets of Irish turmoil and history, which I felt could be omitted.
How could the present-day murder of the young woman have any connection with revelations in Part Two of the play that happened so long ago? Young Normie and the Collins-Burke team investigate the threats to the school to prevent the rest of the play from being performed along with the new murder. From past stories, I have learned that Normie, the young daughter of
Collins can provide valuable insights.
Author Anne Emery has written enthralling books in the Collins-Burke series. I hope for another book in the future with a setting mainly in and around Halifax. I enjoyed Counted Among the Dead and would recommend it.
August 16, 2024
Thank you ECW Press for the ARC of this book that is a combination mystery, historical fiction. I really enjoyed learning all about the Halifax Explosion of 1917 - what a horrible disaster that many Canadians should learn more about. I liked the different perspectives, through the children's eyes, and the vast array of characters. I also liked all the Halifax references, and how all the loose ends were tied together at the end. I didn't realize this was part of a series - I will need to look into more books by Anne Emery!
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