Author Ann Shortell’s historical mystery novel, CELTIC KNOT, opens with the April 1868 assassination of Irish-Canadian poet-politician D’Arcy McGee on Sparks St. in Ottawa.
And there’s a twist: the story of high-stakes politics, Fenian violence, religious intolerance and ethnic strife is told through the lens of an Irish immigrant housemaid and amanuensis named Clara Swift.
In Shortell’s coming-of-age tale, Clara opens the boarding-house door to find McGee lying on the stoop, shot in the back of the head. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald soon arrives, cradling his friend McGee’s bloody scalp when the body is carried inside. Then Macdonald orders a hunt for the Fenian rebels who must be to blame.
Clara’s fear of how her fellow Irish are treated during questioning by the authorities is outweighed by her need to understand McGee’s killing. So she forges an unlikely alliance with the Prime Minister’s chief investigator, Pierce Doyle. It is at Pierce’s behest that Clara befriends rebel suspect Patrick James “Jimmy” Whelan’s wife, Bridie.
Clara gains work with Doyle—decoding McGee’s shorthand notes. But when Clara testifies at Jimmy’s murder trial, she voices her own doubts about the man’s guilt.
As the date of Jimmy Whelan’s public hanging approaches, the boarding house is burned to the ground. The authorities suspect a Fenian bombing.
Clara is then hired to care for Prime Minister and Lady Macdonald’s challenged infant daughter. It is there, in the spring of 1869—after Jimmy swings–that Clara Swift untangles the truth behind McGee’s slaying. And it’s a CELTIC KNOT.
This is a tale of how an Irish female crosses the threshold to a new land—and the costs that come with that journey. Author Ann Shortell explores the divide within the Irish-Canadian immigrant community of that day—and the one between the Irish and other Canadians. As for young Clara Swift? She loses her job, her home, and those she loves most because of McGee’s fight with the Fenians. And, in a classic immigrant story, she picks herself up and starts anew.
Author Ann Shortell says that while she is twisting fact in order to fashion fiction, many of the strangest details in CELTIC KNOT are true. Even when reimagining the classic Canadian mystery of McGee’s murder, Shortell was guided by the signposts of actual events. “There are so many rich details that are true – and so much to play with, as a fiction writer.”
A debut novel for non-fiction author Shortell, CELTIC KNOT was a finalist for Crime Writers of Canada’s 2017 ‘Unhanged Arthur’ Award. Shortell is also a past co-winner of the National Business Book Award and a National Magazine Award winner. CELTIC KNOT is available on Kobo, GooglePlay, iTunes, Kindle, and through your local bookseller.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR: please see www.annshortell.com
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