Gail Bowen Books

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Gail Bowen is an award-winning novelist and playwright that writes mystery novels. She was born in 1942 in Toronto, Canada. Bowen’s education includes stints at the University of Toronto (Bachelor of Arts degree), the University of Waterloo (Master’s degree), and the University of Saskatchewan.

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Order of Joanne Kilbourn Mystery Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Deadly Appearances 1990 Description / Buy
2 Murder at the Mendel / Love and Murder 1991 Description / Buy
3 The Wandering Soul Murders 1992 Description / Buy
4 A Colder Kind of Death 1994 Description / Buy
5 A Killing Spring 1996 Description / Buy
6 Verdict in Blood 1998 Description / Buy
7 Burying Ariel 2000 Description / Buy
8 The Glass Coffin 2002 Description / Buy
9 The Last Good Day 2004 Description / Buy
10 The Endless Knot 2006 Description / Buy
11 The Brutal Heart 2008 Description / Buy
12 The Nesting Dolls 2010 Description / Buy
13 Kaleidoscope 2012 Description / Buy
14 The Gifted 2013 Description / Buy
15 12 Rose Street 2015 Description / Buy
16 What's Left Behind 2016 Description / Buy
17 The Winners' Circle 2017 Description / Buy
18 A Darkness of the Heart 2018 Description / Buy
19 The Unlocking Season 2020 Description / Buy
20 An Image in the Lake 2021 Description / Buy
21 What’s Past Is Prologue 2022 Description / Buy
22 The Legacy 2023 Description / Buy

Order of Charlie D Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Love You to Death (Short Story) 2010 Description / Buy
2 One Fine Day You're Gonna Die (Short Story) 2010 Description / Buy
3 The Shadow Killer (Short Story) 2011 Description / Buy
4 The Thirteenth Rose (Short Story) 2013 Description / Buy

Order of Gail Bowen Standalone Novels

# Read Title Published Details
1 1919, The Love Letters Of George & Adelaide 1987 Description / Buy

Order of Gail Bowen Plays

# Read Title Published Details
1 Dancing in Poppies (Short Story) 2002 Description / Buy

Order of Gail Bowen Omnibus

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Early Investigations of Joanne Kilbourn 2004 Description / Buy
2 The Further Investigations of Joanne Kilbourn 2006 Description / Buy
3 Gail Bowen Bundle 2013 Description / Buy
4 The Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries 6-Book Bundle Volume 3 2014 Description / Buy

Order of Gail Bowen Non-Fiction Books

# Read Title Published Details
1 Sleuth (Short Story) 2018 Description / Buy

Order of Akashic Noir Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 San Francisco Noir 2002 Description / Buy
2 Seattle Noir 2003 Description / Buy
3 Bronx Noir 2003 Description / Buy
4 Brooklyn Noir 2004 Description / Buy
5 Brooklyn Noir 2 2005 Description / Buy
6 Chicago Noir 2005 Description / Buy
7 Manhattan Noir 2006 Description / Buy
8 Miami Noir: The Classics 2006 Description / Buy
9 D.C. Noir 2006 Description / Buy
10 Baltimore Noir 2006 Description / Buy
11 London Noir 2006 Description / Buy
12 New Orleans Noir 2007 Description / Buy
13 Los Angeles Noir 2007 Description / Buy
14 Wall Street Noir 2007 Description / Buy
15 Havana Noir 2007 Description / Buy
16 Detroit Noir 2007 Description / Buy
17 Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008 Description / Buy
18 Toronto Noir 2008 Description / Buy
19 Las Vegas Noir 2008 Description / Buy
20 Manhattan Noir 2 2008 Description / Buy
21 Paris Noir 2008 Description / Buy
22 Istanbul Noir 2008 Description / Buy
23 Boston Noir 2009 Description / Buy
24 Rome Noir 2009 Description / Buy
25 San Francisco Noir 2 2009 Description / Buy
26 Portland Noir 2009 Description / Buy
27 Delhi Noir 2009 Description / Buy
28 Phoenix Noir 2009 Description / Buy
29 Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Description / Buy
30 Mexico City Noir 2010 Description / Buy
31 Richmond Noir 2010 Description / Buy
32 Orange County Noir 2010 Description / Buy
33 Indian Country Noir 2010 Description / Buy
34 Moscow Noir 2010 Description / Buy
35 Lone Star Noir 2010 Description / Buy
36 Philadelphia Noir 2010 Description / Buy
37 Haiti Noir 2010 Description / Buy
38 Copenhagen Noir 2010 Description / Buy
39 Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Description / Buy
40 San Diego Noir 2011 Description / Buy
41 Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Description / Buy
42 Barcelona Noir 2011 Description / Buy
43 Cape Cod Noir 2011 Description / Buy
44 Staten Island Noir 2012 Description / Buy
45 Mumbai Noir 2012 Description / Buy
46 Long Island Noir 2012 Description / Buy
47 Venice Noir 2012 Description / Buy
48 Kingston Noir 2012 Description / Buy
49 St. Petersburg Noir 2012 Description / Buy
50 Kansas City Noir 2012 Description / Buy
51 Boston Noir 2 2012 Description / Buy
52 Manila Noir 2013 Description / Buy
53 Buffalo Noir 2013 Description / Buy
54 Twin Cities Noir 2013 Description / Buy
55 Dallas Noir 2013 Description / Buy
56 Haiti Noir 2 2013 Description / Buy
57 Singapore Noir 2014 Description / Buy
58 Prison Noir 2014 Description / Buy
59 Tel Aviv Noir 2014 Description / Buy
60 Tehran Noir 2014 Description / Buy
61 Belfast Noir 2014 Description / Buy
62 Helsinki Noir 2014 Description / Buy
63 Providence Noir 2015 Description / Buy
64 Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015 Description / Buy
65 Memphis Noir 2015 Description / Buy
66 Zagreb Noir 2015 Description / Buy
67 Marseille Noir 2015 Description / Buy
68 Beirut Noir 2015 Description / Buy
69 Stockholm Noir 2016 Description / Buy
70 Brussels Noir 2016 Description / Buy
71 Mississippi Noir 2016 Description / Buy
72 St. Louis Noir 2016 Description / Buy
73 Prague Noir 2016 Description / Buy
74 San Juan Noir 2016 Description / Buy
75 Oakland Noir 2017 Description / Buy
76 Trinidad Noir 2017 Description / Buy
77 Atlanta Noir 2017 Description / Buy
78 New Haven Noir 2017 Description / Buy
79 Montana Noir 2017 Description / Buy
80 Buenos Aires Noir 2017 Description / Buy
81 Montreal Noir 2017 Description / Buy
82 Berlin Noir 2018 Description / Buy
83 São Paulo Noir 2018 Description / Buy
84 Santa Cruz Noir 2018 Description / Buy
85 Lagos Noir 2018 Description / Buy
86 Marrakech Noir 2018 Description / Buy
87 Baghdad Noir 2018 Description / Buy
88 Vancouver Noir 2018 Description / Buy
89 Sydney Noir 2018 Description / Buy
90 Hong Kong Noir 2018 Description / Buy
91 Amsterdam Noir 2019 Description / Buy
92 Houston Noir 2019 Description / Buy
93 Columbus Noir 2020 Description / Buy
94 Santa Fe Noir 2020 Description / Buy
95 Alabama Noir 2020 Description / Buy
96 Addis Ababa Noir 2020 Description / Buy
97 Tampa Bay Noir 2020 Description / Buy
98 Belgrade Noir 2020 Description / Buy
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Gail Bowen Anthologies

# Read Title Published Details
1 Toronto Noir 2008 Description / Buy
2 The Dame Was Trouble 2018 Description / Buy
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She eventually joined the First Nations University of Canada as a teacher. Bowen claims that the tombstones in the Prospect Cemetary taught her to read. She blames this experience for sparking her fascination with death at an early age.

The author was already in her 40s when she took an interest in fiction and publishing. A friend asked her to write a guide to Canada. The friend in question had a tight deadline. But even though Bowen was flattered by the request, she turned it down.

The author had a full schedule that included three small children and a teaching position at a university. The last thing she wanted was to fill her limited free time with a writing assignment. But then her husband intervened and encouraged her to give the offer more thought.

After all, the request came from a friend. Bowen called the friend back and accepted the assignment. The publisher liked the book so much that he asked Bowen and Ron Marken to write another book together.

By the time ‘The Love Letters of George and Adelaide’ came out, the writing bug had taken hold of Bowen, and it wouldn’t let go. The mystery genre was an obvious choice for the author because her summer reading list in graduate school was chocked with mysteries.

Bowen made two decisions early on. First, she wanted to use Saskatchewan as her primary setting. It was not enough to feature Saskatchewan’s streets and towns. The author was determined to capture the local flavor.

Second, Bowen wanted to create a protagonist that reflected her. That meant introducing a middle-aged heroine, competent and intelligent, but not a superwoman. Later on, Bowen admitted that Joanne Kilbourn wasn’t necessarily her fictional counterpart.

While Bowen imprinted some of her mannerisms and attitudes onto the heroine, it would be more accurate to call Joanne a Canadian protagonist. Because Canadians are community-minded, Bowen did not want Joanne to mimic the lone wolves that appear in American mysteries and thrillers.

The author’s protagonist is a social animal with plenty of friends and family. She has also nurtured a strong working relationship with the police, another attribute that sets her apart from American protagonists.

The most challenging aspect of the writing process for Bowen is the first chapter. It can take her months to write a first chapter she likes. The author knows where she’s going by the time the first chapter is done. But that doesn’t prevent the manuscript from surprising her.

Bowen’s struggles with the first chapter haven’t changed, even though she’s written over a dozen Joanne Kilbourn novels. People continue to follow the series despite its length because they care about the protagonist and her family. Joanne is an ordinary woman, so readers feel like they can relate to her.

Gail Bowen Awards

Bowen has won the Arthur Ellis and Derrick Murdoch Awards.

Gail Bowen Books Into Movies

Shaftsbury Films turned the first six Joanne Kilbourn books into television movies.

Best Gail Bowen Books

The author has written plays that premiered at the Globe Theater (Regina). Bowen’s best books include:

Deadly Appearances: Andy Boychuk had a successful career. The Saskatchewan politician’s prospects seemed bright when he walked onto the podium at a picnic whose guests included his friends, family, enemies, and supporters from his party.

But then he took a sip of water and dropped dead. Joanne Kilbourn will dig into Andy’s past in the hopes of finding a clue that explains his untimely death.

Murder at the Mendel: Joanne and Sally Love were close friends. But then Sally’s father died, and the family moved away, fracturing Sally and Joanne’s relationship. Sally matured into a controversial artist.

Joanne had no idea how much things had changed when she went to the Mendel Gallery to attend Sally’s exhibition. Before long, it became obvious that renewing her friendship with Sally wouldn’t be easy.

When the director of a local private gallery died, Joanne leaped into action and started investigating the case. In doing so, she threw the spotlight on Sally and quickly noticed that their childhood relationship had more layers than she initially realized.

When Does The Next Gail Bowen book come out?

Gail Bowen doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Legacy and was released on October, 24th 2023. It is the newest book in the Joanne Kilbourn Mystery Series.

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