J.E. Barnard Books In Order

Publication Order of The Falls Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

JE Barnard is a crime fiction author from Calgary who has spent a quarter of a century writing award-winning children’s literature and short fiction. She is best known as the author of the “Maddie Hatter Adventure” novels and “The Falls Mystery” series of novels. For her work, she has won several awards including the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Award, the Bony Pete, and the Dundurn Unhanged Arthur. “Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge,” the second novel of the “Maddie Hatter” series was the Alberta Book of the Year for Children and Youth. Her novels have made the shortlist for the UK Debut Dagger and twice for the Prix Aurora and won the Great Canadian Story Prizes three times.

As a teenager, Jayne went to high school in Northern Ontario and on a NATO base in Germany. She still remembers the fishing, boating, and camping of her childhood that led to her developing passionate respect for the environment and a love for the wild outdoors. She then studied Theatre and Psychology at the University of Regina, worked for the Mental Health Association, and volunteered with Transition House. She also wrote “Daddy is Not Like Grandpa” an intergenerational docu-drama on intergenerational domestic violence set in the small town of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan. While she was in university she was afflicted by CFS/ME, a devastating neuro-immune illness. Within two months she went from being a proficient cross country skier, jogger, bicyclist, and hiker to almost being unable to get out of bed. But she was never one to lose heart and in the ups and downs of her condition, she raised three children, studied for two degrees, and wrote fiction. At a time when she was writing “When the Flood Falls” her debut novel, she had a bad relapse that made it difficult to compose even a two-line text or swallow a smoothie.JE Barnard would soon learn to write and eat once again and used the experiences to construct a character in “When the Flood Falls.” She is a member of the Sisters In Crime, Calgary Crime Writers, and a past vice president of the Crime Writers of Canada.

JE Barnard’s work has been described as women’s wilderness suspense set in small-town settings. Since they are for the most part set in the wilderness, the characters have to deal with rough terrain, wild animals, and natural phenomenon such as blizzards and floods in addition to deadly human predators. She has said that she was a big reader of mysteries such as “Trixie Belden,” “Nancy Drew,” and “The Three Investigators” ever since she was a child. Barnard was always curious to know what a stranger was thinking or what was happening behind closed doors. While in the third grade, her class was given a half-page assignment to write a story, and when the teacher saw how enamored Barnard was with the project, she gave her a full week to write more if she liked. JE would end up with seven pages of writing which was quite impressive for a third-grader. Her father who also had a lifelong obsession with crime also fueled her interest in the genre. He would often bring home copies of Enid Blyton Adventure novels and she would spend her nights reading about daring young investigators, spies, and jewel thieves. Barnard would eventually get into capers when she read “The Three Investigator” and it was not long before she was reading golden age authors such as Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy L. Sayers. It was from these authors that she gets much of her inspiration.

“When the Flood Falls” by JE Barnard introduces Lacey Macrae, a proficient crime buster whose skills are put to the test when her only friend becomes the target of a phantom stalker. Her marriage is receding in the rearview mirror and her career is in tatters and the ex RCMP corporal decides to get a tool belt rather than her trademark uniform. She is also moving to Calgary foothills and leaving the Lower Mainland behind. Amid the hockey stars, oil barons and other affluent people living in the wild playground is Dee Phillips her old university roommate. His glossy life had been destroyed by a careless driver and now she keeps hearing voices and a nighttime stalker only she can hear. The Elbow River has swollen from all the snowmelt and is now threatening to sweep away the only bridge that connects them to civilization. Lacey needs to find a cure for her fears and find out the person so interested in silencing Dee. The strange behavior of some of the neighbors means that there are several potential suspects in the case. But just as Lacey is making headway, she discovers that she may just have a target on her back. Somewhere someone will do anything to ensure that their secret remains just that.

JE Barnard’s “Where the Ice Falls” is the story of the death of a young man named Eric who was kidnapped and left to die in a woodshed behind a chalet during one of the worst winter nights. Over the course of the novel, we learn that there may be several characters that may have a motive for killing Eric. Former corporal of the RCMP and now freelance investigator Lacey teams up with Zoe, a woman whose daughter was responsible for discovering the corpse in the shed. Together, they work hard and find some evidence that leads them closer to the killer. Zoe can hear and see Eric’s ghost but she would prefer not to have anything to do with the voices or visions of him. She also experiences his desire to get back to his family and home. Unfortunately, has lost all memory of the person that murdered him but he still has little bits and pieces that would be valuable clue to Zoe’s investigation. But the number of suspects is growing with each passing day and just when you think she has finally cracked the code, other clues are unearthed that suggests that it could be another person who is responsible.

“Where the Rock Falls” by JE Barnard sees Lacey McCrae still holding down her security job as she is working on getting her private investigator certifications. She had been working security for Jake Wyman when she saves Kitrin Devine the wife of Mylo Matheson a Hollywood director from drowning. But the very next day the woman she had saved is found dead by Jan Brenner a mutual friend. Meanwhile, Orrin and Tyrone his son have disappeared and Lacey has to work to protect the remaining members of the family who it is believed may be in danger. Orrin had been present at Jake’s house when Kitrin was murdered and Lacey thinks there could be some connection between the two cases. Lacey is still very much haunted by her past in the RCMP. She has always been good friends with Jan and while Lacey works at the Caine home, her help will be critical in the ongoing investigation. In their search for Tyrone and Orrin, they stumble upon some surprising evidence and also learn of several places where the security of the home may have been compromised.