Marilyn Bowering

There's a tinge of chicklit about this creatively plotted book that employs the conceit of a boat voyage circumnavigating Vancouver Island and a ghost to tell its tale. There's a small dollop of the dreamy romance scene, but not as much as made it hard for this reviewer to finish, say, Diana Gabaldon's romance-infused series (instead, read Jack Whyte, fellers). That notwithstanding, a wonderful historical novel in a region of the world not over-displayed in fiction.

Canadian novel that takes place in Victoria, BC from 1888 to the present. Interestingly, it gives historical tidbits about Victoria--such as a leper colony on D'Arcy Island; the Chinese immigration in the late 1800's and opium factories in Victoria itself, approximately where City Hall is now.