What do you think?
Rate this book
Marc Edwards Mystery #1
Turncoat
It’s 1836 and Ensign Marc Edwards, of His Majesty’s 24th Regiment of Foot, is eager for some adventure and intrigue. Unfortunately he’s been posted to the colonial backwater of Toronto, Upper Canada, and at first glance there doesn’t seem to be much chance for that sort of action. But Marc soon learns that the local population is openly chafing under British Rule, and the surrounding countryside turns out to be a seething hotbed of radicals, Reformers, Yankees and smugglers. Ensign Edwards is given his very first assignment, to investigate the mysterious death of Crown secret agent Joshua Smallman. Marc goes undercover in the small town of Crawford’s Corners, wading into rumours of sedition and secret societies. He quickly finds another kind of action, seduced by one farmer’s wife, and entranced by another who is just a little too close to the murder for comfort, Edwards’ investigative skills and his loyalty to the Crown are put to the test. Fast-paced and addictive, Turncoat is the first novel of the Marc Edwards mystery series.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2003
1 person is currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Don Gutteridge
118 books100 followersDon Gutteridge was born in Sarnia and raised in the nearby village of Point Edward. He taught High School English for seven years, later becoming a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Western University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. He is the author of twenty-two novels. including the twelve-volume Marc Edwards mystery series. Don is also an accomplished poet and has published twenty-three books of poetry, one of which, Coppermine, was a finalist for the 1973 Governor-General's Award. In 1970 he won the UWO President's medal for the best periodical poem of that year. To listen to interviews with the author, go to: http://thereandthen.podbean.com. Don currently lives in London, Ontario.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 3, 2025
I don't get some of the hate in some of the reviews. I found this to be an entertaining mystery with the added bonus of a setting in historical 1836 Canada.
January 25, 2020
I can't deal with the poor writing of this book anymore. The fact that this author is trying so hard to write a solid, well researched historical fiction novel, the fact that he tries so hard to write a mystery novel, and the way he tries so hard to write a character that is supposed to be interesting makes the book fall apart. In the end, his effort to create such an amazing piece of literature was for nothing because there is no substance in this book.
Turncoat is a book that claims on the back cover that it is set in 1835, but is in fact set in January of 1836. Perhaps a slight mistake on the part of the writer? I believe that the author himself didn't know what to do with this book because of how poorly researched the book's plot is, and how horribly developed the plot is and the characters are.
The 1830s was definitely a very interesting period in Canada's history. In 1835, we see Britain struggling to keep control of a colony that was fragmented and hostile towards British rule and their supporters. As a result, Britain kept an iron grip on Upper and Lower Canada, implementing policies that the British hoped would bend Canada to her rule and to dispel any idea of rebellion against the British. In 1836, tensions rose between the British in Lower Canada (largely French) and the French Canadian population who did not agree, nor tolerate British policies being implemented in the newly formed Lower Canada Parliament. See, the British had already divided the Canadas into Lower and Upper Canada many decades earlier, and many (including the English Canadians) felt that these divisions were unnecessary.
However, discontentment with British law was only part of the many reasons for why Lower Canada was so unhappy. The Lower and Upper Canada rebellions was decades in the making, and it was only when the French Canadians were being starved out of their homes (in the early 1830s) and the growth of English immigrants that fed into anti-Canadian sentiment that really led into the years of rebellion by the inhabitants of Lower Canada. This all reached a head when in November of 1837, Lower Canada was in open rebellion against those in the government.
The next month, in December of 1637, Upper Canada followed suit and rebelled against what the people believed was grievances brought upon them by the British/Pro British allies, and the new political reforms that saw the colony of Canada divided (you have to remember that Canada was not yet Confederated).
The rebellion in Upper Canada was suppressed by the government not long after it began, but was not officially ended until 1838. The Lower Canada rebellion lasted for a little more than a year before it was also suppressed by whatever government existed back then. However, new grievances started because during this period, tensions rose between an anti-British group in the United States and Upper Canada (the government). In the year of 1838, the Patriot War started between the British and Upper Canada, the young United States, and whatever was left of the extremist group known as the Republic of Canada (I believe made up of the anti-British forces from the US).
Canada's history is always spotty at best, particularly in the years before the Confederation. However, I will break down the ending so it isn't confusing. Remember when I said that the British divided Canada into Lower and Upper Canada? Well, as a result of the Upper and Lower Canada rebellions and the terrifying idea behind an American invasion (even the the United States helped with fighting the insurgents... confusing I know, but this is Canada we are talking about), caused the British to reunite Canada into what was then called 'The Province of Canada', do a whole show on doing political reforms to lessen restrictions on the Province, and then... well, most of the British government pulled out of Canada and returned to Britain.
So that is the history in a nutshell. You would expect with such an interesting history, that this book would be amazing. Surprise. It's not. The writing is lacklustre. The characters are underdeveloped, and dangerously so. The plot is horrendous and non-existent.
The main premise of this book is about Canada's years of rebellion. It's supposed to be about tension and danger and anti-British and anti-government sentiment. It's also supposed to be a murder mystery, where the victim is a government spy/agent who is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Most believe it is an accident... I mean, after all, it's in the dead of winter and the victim was found frozen to death. However, the Governor General is convinced that his agent was murdered. He calls Ensign Marc Edwards to investigate. Only thing is that there's really nothing special about Marc Edwards. He's not developed very well, doesn't seem to know what is going on, and the only thing going for him is the fact that the Governor General knows his uncle.
There's a lot of telling and not showing. We find out about the murder through the words of the John Colborne (whose name you should find in the world's biggest jerks list), and it is told in the most awkward and unnatural way possible. Marc Edwards receives his instructions and he leaves to solve this most fascinating murder. Only, it's not fascinating. Due to the author and his inability to write a good story, the book falls flat the moment we start reading. The reader finds that they are not interested in solving the murder of this spy. Instead, what the reader is interested in is making their misery end so they can close the book and move onto something more worthwhile.
This rant brings me to the dialogue. The author, in all his grand awfulness, decided that he wanted to differentiate between the Canadians and the British characters present in his book. The Canadians are represented as being uncultured, uneducated rednecks that speak in an accent that is reminiscent of the stereotypical lower classes of London, England mixed together with the wretched and annoying accent of the American rednecks. Canadians never spoke like this, and while I can admit that there was a lot of immigration (particularly from Britain at the time), Gutterridge makes it clear that these were Canadians that were born in this country, that didn't speak any different than how we speak now- with maybe slight variations.
However, Gutterridge, in his daft ignorance decided that he wanted to make the Canadian dialect as different as possible from the British- who weren't so different than Canadians with their accented and posh British accents.
This book is a huge disappointment. It doesn't do a very good job at exploring Canada's turbulent history. The author is a joke. The writing is horrendous. In a world where Canadian history is barely being taught in Canadian schools, I thought that this author was going to do a good job with bringing Canada's forgotten history to the forefront of our minds. There's a review on here that says the author did such an outstanding job in writing historical details.
I've read through most of the drivel that this author has written. What historical details are there in this book outside of name dropping a few historical figures, briefly mentioning the tensions and the groups involved, and then promptly forgetting the time unless it serves some kind of purpose with poorly developed characters and an equally poorly developed plot? Where is this historical detail?
The author probably did a google search to briefly look at a point in history he wanted to set his book in and didn't bother to do any kind of other historical research unless he felt he needed a push. I agree that this is historical fiction and that you need to take great liberties, but you need the history part to make the historical element of your fiction to work, and that means doing extensive research to make sure you understand the time. Otherwise, you get something as poorly done and insulting as this atrocity.
I will not be continuing on with the rest of this series.
Turncoat is a book that claims on the back cover that it is set in 1835, but is in fact set in January of 1836. Perhaps a slight mistake on the part of the writer? I believe that the author himself didn't know what to do with this book because of how poorly researched the book's plot is, and how horribly developed the plot is and the characters are.
The 1830s was definitely a very interesting period in Canada's history. In 1835, we see Britain struggling to keep control of a colony that was fragmented and hostile towards British rule and their supporters. As a result, Britain kept an iron grip on Upper and Lower Canada, implementing policies that the British hoped would bend Canada to her rule and to dispel any idea of rebellion against the British. In 1836, tensions rose between the British in Lower Canada (largely French) and the French Canadian population who did not agree, nor tolerate British policies being implemented in the newly formed Lower Canada Parliament. See, the British had already divided the Canadas into Lower and Upper Canada many decades earlier, and many (including the English Canadians) felt that these divisions were unnecessary.
However, discontentment with British law was only part of the many reasons for why Lower Canada was so unhappy. The Lower and Upper Canada rebellions was decades in the making, and it was only when the French Canadians were being starved out of their homes (in the early 1830s) and the growth of English immigrants that fed into anti-Canadian sentiment that really led into the years of rebellion by the inhabitants of Lower Canada. This all reached a head when in November of 1837, Lower Canada was in open rebellion against those in the government.
The next month, in December of 1637, Upper Canada followed suit and rebelled against what the people believed was grievances brought upon them by the British/Pro British allies, and the new political reforms that saw the colony of Canada divided (you have to remember that Canada was not yet Confederated).
The rebellion in Upper Canada was suppressed by the government not long after it began, but was not officially ended until 1838. The Lower Canada rebellion lasted for a little more than a year before it was also suppressed by whatever government existed back then. However, new grievances started because during this period, tensions rose between an anti-British group in the United States and Upper Canada (the government). In the year of 1838, the Patriot War started between the British and Upper Canada, the young United States, and whatever was left of the extremist group known as the Republic of Canada (I believe made up of the anti-British forces from the US).
Canada's history is always spotty at best, particularly in the years before the Confederation. However, I will break down the ending so it isn't confusing. Remember when I said that the British divided Canada into Lower and Upper Canada? Well, as a result of the Upper and Lower Canada rebellions and the terrifying idea behind an American invasion (even the the United States helped with fighting the insurgents... confusing I know, but this is Canada we are talking about), caused the British to reunite Canada into what was then called 'The Province of Canada', do a whole show on doing political reforms to lessen restrictions on the Province, and then... well, most of the British government pulled out of Canada and returned to Britain.
So that is the history in a nutshell. You would expect with such an interesting history, that this book would be amazing. Surprise. It's not. The writing is lacklustre. The characters are underdeveloped, and dangerously so. The plot is horrendous and non-existent.
The main premise of this book is about Canada's years of rebellion. It's supposed to be about tension and danger and anti-British and anti-government sentiment. It's also supposed to be a murder mystery, where the victim is a government spy/agent who is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Most believe it is an accident... I mean, after all, it's in the dead of winter and the victim was found frozen to death. However, the Governor General is convinced that his agent was murdered. He calls Ensign Marc Edwards to investigate. Only thing is that there's really nothing special about Marc Edwards. He's not developed very well, doesn't seem to know what is going on, and the only thing going for him is the fact that the Governor General knows his uncle.
There's a lot of telling and not showing. We find out about the murder through the words of the John Colborne (whose name you should find in the world's biggest jerks list), and it is told in the most awkward and unnatural way possible. Marc Edwards receives his instructions and he leaves to solve this most fascinating murder. Only, it's not fascinating. Due to the author and his inability to write a good story, the book falls flat the moment we start reading. The reader finds that they are not interested in solving the murder of this spy. Instead, what the reader is interested in is making their misery end so they can close the book and move onto something more worthwhile.
This rant brings me to the dialogue. The author, in all his grand awfulness, decided that he wanted to differentiate between the Canadians and the British characters present in his book. The Canadians are represented as being uncultured, uneducated rednecks that speak in an accent that is reminiscent of the stereotypical lower classes of London, England mixed together with the wretched and annoying accent of the American rednecks. Canadians never spoke like this, and while I can admit that there was a lot of immigration (particularly from Britain at the time), Gutterridge makes it clear that these were Canadians that were born in this country, that didn't speak any different than how we speak now- with maybe slight variations.
However, Gutterridge, in his daft ignorance decided that he wanted to make the Canadian dialect as different as possible from the British- who weren't so different than Canadians with their accented and posh British accents.
This book is a huge disappointment. It doesn't do a very good job at exploring Canada's turbulent history. The author is a joke. The writing is horrendous. In a world where Canadian history is barely being taught in Canadian schools, I thought that this author was going to do a good job with bringing Canada's forgotten history to the forefront of our minds. There's a review on here that says the author did such an outstanding job in writing historical details.
I've read through most of the drivel that this author has written. What historical details are there in this book outside of name dropping a few historical figures, briefly mentioning the tensions and the groups involved, and then promptly forgetting the time unless it serves some kind of purpose with poorly developed characters and an equally poorly developed plot? Where is this historical detail?
The author probably did a google search to briefly look at a point in history he wanted to set his book in and didn't bother to do any kind of other historical research unless he felt he needed a push. I agree that this is historical fiction and that you need to take great liberties, but you need the history part to make the historical element of your fiction to work, and that means doing extensive research to make sure you understand the time. Otherwise, you get something as poorly done and insulting as this atrocity.
I will not be continuing on with the rest of this series.
June 23, 2016
How this could possibly be rated as high as it is, is the real mystery here.
I like to support Canadian writers if at all possible, but this is not one that deserves it at all. I sure hope he taught better than he writes - in this series anyway. I haven't read anything else of his.
The mystery plot itself is OK, and might rate a 3 if anything else was any good, but nothing else was.
The writing is boring and pedestrian, the "voice" is all wrong for Victorian times, and the characters and setting are unbelievably derivative. Low-class Victorian cop- done several times. Working to solve crimes committed to and by society - done many times. Married to a midwife - done, and much, much better in the Gaslight series. And so on.
I can only believe that previous reviews were done entirely by his students, relatives and neighbours.
I like to support Canadian writers if at all possible, but this is not one that deserves it at all. I sure hope he taught better than he writes - in this series anyway. I haven't read anything else of his.
The mystery plot itself is OK, and might rate a 3 if anything else was any good, but nothing else was.
The writing is boring and pedestrian, the "voice" is all wrong for Victorian times, and the characters and setting are unbelievably derivative. Low-class Victorian cop- done several times. Working to solve crimes committed to and by society - done many times. Married to a midwife - done, and much, much better in the Gaslight series. And so on.
I can only believe that previous reviews were done entirely by his students, relatives and neighbours.
June 24, 2020
*Spoilers*
I always enjoy historical fiction that takes place in Canada. I would have liked a bit more background into the history than what was written as I had to jointly read a few Wikipedia pages.
My only major criticism would be, why did Edwards confront Child the way he did? Wouldn't it have been better to wait until he had his evidence more fully in place? However, it is a first book and often it takes time to work out the kinks so I will read more and see how the life of Edwards' progresses.
I always enjoy historical fiction that takes place in Canada. I would have liked a bit more background into the history than what was written as I had to jointly read a few Wikipedia pages.
My only major criticism would be, why did Edwards confront Child the way he did? Wouldn't it have been better to wait until he had his evidence more fully in place? However, it is a first book and often it takes time to work out the kinks so I will read more and see how the life of Edwards' progresses.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2017
Finished reading this book yesterday (July 9, 2017). It was an interesting book to read providing some historical perspective of Upper Canada and the Cobourg area in the mid-1800's. This is the author's first book in a series that highlights Ensign Marc Edwards of His Majesty's 24th Regiment of Foot and the solving of fictional mysteries that touch on real-life individuals and their roles in Canadian history - - this book introduced the reader to the rebel, William Lyon Mackenzie.
Read
January 22, 2020I liked the setting, and characters. I used to live in Ontario and was surprised how little I knew about this part of its history. For a historical novel the exposition is well done, and never overbearing. The resolution was a little weak, but not so much that it ruined my enjoyment. I will read the next book in the series.
August 11, 2018
Set in January 1836, this mystery gives a good idea of what life was like for settlers in Toronto and environs, as well as for the British army, as exemplified by the protagonist Ensign Marc Edwards. There is much unrest and Edwards is asked by the Governor to look into the death of a local Tory.
June 17, 2019
I enjoyed this one! At first I felt lacking in my knowledge of the colonies in Canada. But truly this book is kind of a formulaic murder mystery. Well written and interesting characters!
September 6, 2020
Actually rate this a 4.5. Throughly enjoyed this story of Upper Canada in 1800s. A time of unrest and intrique. A good read.
March 16, 2017
March
A book with a real person, place or event but set in a work of fiction
A book with a real person, place or event but set in a work of fiction
October 7, 2016
Turncoat by Don Gutteridge was a book I picked up because of my love for Canadian historical fiction. Some historical inaccuracies are to be expected in favour of drama and story. However, the book did not fail in making me feel like I was in the right time period.
I very much liked the main character Ensign Marc Edwards. Readers who want a strong hero with lots of character won't really find that with Edwards. He can actually be rather dull. He certainly doesn't leave the reader wanting to know more about him. He is very gentlemanly though - the old school idea of a "perfect husband" type.
Some issues I had with the book was Marcs ability to conveniently figure out the answer despite the evidence not entirely adding up in a way that is detectible by the reader. This mostly comes towards the end.
Overall, I do expect that I will be continuing the series. It's an easy read and something to enjoy on a rainy day. It's not a series I plan on rushing through though. I will probably read it casually between other books.
I very much liked the main character Ensign Marc Edwards. Readers who want a strong hero with lots of character won't really find that with Edwards. He can actually be rather dull. He certainly doesn't leave the reader wanting to know more about him. He is very gentlemanly though - the old school idea of a "perfect husband" type.
Some issues I had with the book was Marcs ability to conveniently figure out the answer despite the evidence not entirely adding up in a way that is detectible by the reader. This mostly comes towards the end.
Overall, I do expect that I will be continuing the series. It's an easy read and something to enjoy on a rainy day. It's not a series I plan on rushing through though. I will probably read it casually between other books.
May 26, 2015
Goodreads Win
We meet Ensign Marc Edwards of the His Majesty’s 24th Regiment of Foot in 1836 who is assigned to newly named Toronto formerly called York in Upper Canada.
It appears to be quiet and of little adventure. But he is assigned to investigate a possible murder in a small town of a Crown agent.
He soon realizes that the people are in arms over British Rule as their unrest among the people from radicals, Reformers, Yankees and smugglers. Everyone seems to have a hidden agenda and no one can be trusted.
Ensign Edwards goes undercover in a small town trying to get details about the murder where everyone knows each other business. He ends up being seduced by one farmer’s wife while memorized by another who is too close to the murder. He finds himself being tested by his duty as a member of the Crown along the way.
It is a quick paced story that moved along with a little history mixed in at the time
We meet Ensign Marc Edwards of the His Majesty’s 24th Regiment of Foot in 1836 who is assigned to newly named Toronto formerly called York in Upper Canada.
It appears to be quiet and of little adventure. But he is assigned to investigate a possible murder in a small town of a Crown agent.
He soon realizes that the people are in arms over British Rule as their unrest among the people from radicals, Reformers, Yankees and smugglers. Everyone seems to have a hidden agenda and no one can be trusted.
Ensign Edwards goes undercover in a small town trying to get details about the murder where everyone knows each other business. He ends up being seduced by one farmer’s wife while memorized by another who is too close to the murder. He finds himself being tested by his duty as a member of the Crown along the way.
It is a quick paced story that moved along with a little history mixed in at the time
October 5, 2014
An interesting tale of life in Upper Canada around the time of the rebellion of 1837. Trouble is brewing in both Upper and Lower Canada over governments that are ignoring the will of the elected representatives to line their own pockets. A Tory informant is dead and his contact in Toronto suspects murder. He sends a young military officer to investigate. Marc, soon finds evidence which supports the case for murder, but not the motive. As his investigations continue he can see why the farmers have sent reformers to the legislature and the true nature of the governing 'Family Compact'. In the process he finds not one but two murders and motives for both. Can he make the case stick? Much of the evidence is circumstantial at best, can he find the hard evidence or the witnesses to prove his case i court?
August 4, 2011
Interesting setting of a mystery in Upper Canada, Ontario before Canada got it's independence. A newly commissioned ensign is sent to investigate a mysterious death in a small town near Toronto. The town is full of different factions supporting the crown, individual rights, independence, or annexation by the United States. Time frame 1836 . Overall interesting since I know little about Canada's history. On the other hand the mystery is a bit tepid and the characters are clumsily drawn. I can't say that I read another in the series.
October 5, 2011
Probably worth more than three stars but I can't put four. I liked the history (although I tyhtink it could have used a little more explanation) and the mystery was good but not spell binding. Really, what makes it middling for me is the characters. Our hero was, well, rather blah. Rather two dimensional. I'll likely give this series another go because there's promise there....
May 1, 2015
3 and a half stars. set in the Cobourg area of Upper Canada, before the Rebellion of 1837. first of a long mystery series. an engaging detective whose sympathies are increasingly with the ordinary people rather than the upper-class English class to which he belongs, an exciting time in history, but somehow the book - worthy though it is - never really takes fire.
February 20, 2012
This is the first book in the Marc Edwards mystery series, written by my former Faculty of Education English professor. Set in Upper Canada in the early 18th century, Don Gutteridge brings his characters and the period to life. Great historical fiction.
December 8, 2012
The historical aspect of this book was enjoyable for me--learning about the times: the relationship to England and the country to the south and the impact on the political situation. The writing was pleasant. I wanted to keep reading although it did not grab me the way Dubious Allegiance did.
January 6, 2013
This was an easy read but entertaining. It made me curious enough to want to try some more in the series - when I want something light. Hopefully the subsequent books in the series have better editing. I found the mistakes annoying.
May 15, 2009
This is a good Canadian Historical Mystery. Gutteridge, an academic who in retirement turned to mystery writing has a very fine had on the times and tenor of pre-confederation Upper Canada.
September 11, 2009
Really enjoyed this - it's a place and historical period I'm interested in, and besides spinning an enjoyable yarn, the author successfully evoked a Canadian winter for me.
August 10, 2013
I enjoyed the extra historical details about the time period in the story.
August 25, 2013
A very well written and enjoyable book.
August 1, 2014
Lacks snap, crackle and pop.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews