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Iona Whishaw is a bestselling author that writes historical mysteries. Born in British Columbia, because of her father’s geological work, Iona spent her childhood in various places, including Mexico, the Kootenays, and Nicaragua.
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Order of Lane Winslow Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Killer in King's Cove / Dead in the Water | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Death in a Darkening Mist | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | An Old, Cold Grave | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | It Begins In Betrayal | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | A Sorrowful Sanctuary | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | A Deceptive Devotion | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | A Match Made for Murder | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | A Lethal Lesson | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Framed in Fire | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | To Track a Traitor | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Lightning Strikes the Silence | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Order of Iona Whishaw Children's Books
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry and the Cow Problem (Short Story) | 1995 | Description / Buy |
Iona, who attended Antioch College (Degree in History and Education), the University of British Columbia (Masters in Creating Writing), and Simon Fraser University (Pedagogy), has a long and successful teaching career.
In fact, she won the Woman of Distinction in Education Award (YWCA) because of the work she did as a Vancouver Principal. She has written short stories, poems, and children’s books.
The author started writing at a very young age. She was inspired by her parents who were always writing. Back then, writing was just a hobby. Iona was not necessarily driven to pursue the activity as a career. But she read voraciously. The books she read pushed her to write stories.
Iona was already 40 when she decided to get her MFA. The lessons she learned encouraged her to give writing a serious go. She was 64 when the first novel in the Lane Winslow series came out.
Lane Winslow was, more or less, fully formed when the character came to Iona. She could see the heroine very clearly in her imagination. The author based the character on her mother.
She had always wanted to create a strong and intelligent female protagonist; a clear thinker with an amusing personality. Lane ticked all these boxes and more. She had deep insecurities but they did not keep her from accomplishing her objectives.
She was everything Iona wanted to see in the heroines she read about. Unlike the other heroines in the mystery genre, Lane doesn’t see herself as a detective, and neither does she want to be one.
She solves mysteries because she wants to be of use. Her former employers recruited her out of Oxford because of her intelligence and language skills. Now, she uses those same skills, not to mention her considerable resourcefulness, to escape difficult situations.
Iona enjoys writing the Lane Winslow series because it has given her a deeper understanding of her characters. She knows who they are and how they will react to any given situation because she has walked with them for so long, watching as they have grown and evolved.
She admits that writing a long-running mystery series has its challenges. She has to find new ways of killing her victims. But she has no interest in making the deaths more exciting and ghoulish.
As far as Iona is concerned, the deaths are merely a tool that provides a foundation for new stories to emerge. They are not the primary focus. From what the author has seen, in real life, most people die in very mundane ways.
Rather than the blood and violence, Iona wants her protagonists to take center stage. She spends a lot of time exploring their relationships and struggles.
The author’s novels start with a scene. When a scene first comes to her, she doesn’t know anything about the story. Once she has a vivid scene in her mind, Iona starts asking questions. The answers to those questions form pillars that the author will use to build the rest of the story.
The author has won the Bony Blithe/Woody Words Light Mystery Award.
Best Iona Whishaw Books
When she isn’t writing, the author paints, dances, and reads. She also enjoys gardening. Iona Whishaw’s best books include:
A Killer in King’s Cove: War-weary Lane Winslow moved to a sleepy hamlet in British Columbia in 1946 in the hopes of starting over. She liked the people and it looked like the ex-intelligence officer would live out the rest of her days in peace.
When a murder occurred, Lane was just trying to help. But she inadvertently made herself a suspect. Now, her secrets are coming to the surface.
Death in a Darkening Mist: When Lane Winslow was introduced to the local hot springs, she did not expect to overhear a conversation between Russian speakers. Now that a murder has occurred, Lane’s linguistic skills have become invaluable.
This is 1946 and Stalin’s purges are still ongoing. The local police will need all the help they can get to find the murder victim’s connection to the Soviet Union.
When Does The Next Iona Whishaw book come out?
Iona Whishaw doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Lightning Strikes the Silence and was released on May, 7th 2024. It is the newest book in the Lane Winslow Series.