Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife: A Paul Manziuk and Jacquie Ryan Mystery

A warm July weekend. A select house party at a private estate. And a mystifying murder.

Her plan was for a cozy weekend with a touch of matchmaking. But from the moment guests began to arrive, everything went wrong. After the discovery of a guest’s body in one of the gardens, could it get any worse?

Toronto Homicide Inspector Paul Manziuk desperately needed a weekend off after hitting yet another dead end in his search for a serial killer, but this case is too important.

To make things worse, he’s forced into a partnership with Jacquie Ryan, a newly promoted female constable who, according to office gossip, owes her upward move to a new affirmative action mandate.

Forced to ignore the sparks that flew at their first meeting, Manziuk and Ryan struggle to deal with the frustrated hostess and her disparate group of guests, most of whom have motives for the murder as well as questionable alibis. It isn’t long before the mismatched duo feel they’ve been thrust into an Agatha Christie novel where they can’t trust anyone.
Can the experienced investigator and his green partner unravel the clues and find the culprit who is hiding in plain sight?

Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife is the first novel in a series of classic-style whodunits set in modern-day Toronto. If you like warm-hearted mysteries filled with fascinating characters, witty dialogue, and plot twists, you’ll love J. A. Menzies’ whodunits.

"He’s white, an abrupt, patronizing veteran, while she’s a recently promoted, vivacious black woman—but... the two rub elbows and tempers to captivating effect." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY