The Maji-ataage Casino and Hotel is succeeding beyond all expectations in Port Huntington, a small resort town on Georgian Bay, sparking an economic boom in the local community from increased tourism. But all is not as it seems. Within a two-week span in July, two casino employees are murdered. While the deaths seem at first to be unrelated, police homicide detectives uncover evidence that might show a link between them. Derek Sloan, a member of the casino board, and his wife, Maggie Keiller, are drawn into a related investigation when approached by the casino's general manager and security chief for help. They have been targeted by an unknown extortionist who threatens to reveal their sexual indiscretions if they do not cooperate. When suspected links to organized crime and Chinese money-laundering are uncovered, the investigations into the murders and extortion attempts come together in a crashing climax.

This collection of observations, questions, and concerns about the world in which we live, written from the perspective of a closet curmudgeon, confronts the storms surrounding us, and responds to the tumult and the shouting accompanying them. Many of the tales have been published on the author's online blog, TallandTrueTales: Hot Air, Flights of Fancy, and Roads Not Taken. These wry and humorous rantings will make you laugh, I hope, at the oft-absurd behaviours of our human species. Laughter, even of the self-deprecating kind, is good for us all. The more sombre ragings may provoke a moment of reflection, and encourage you to determine to what extent you agree (or disagree) with my take on things. I fear for our future, and that of our children, because so many of us are ignoring the warning signs of potential disaster that are clearly flashing. Things happen! Whether we choose to acknowledge them or not.

These stories, written and posted during the past few years by an inveterate blogger, are a smorgasbord of memories of fun with family and friends, amusing anecdotes about things that have happened to him---many of which may resonate with you---and a mixed bag of wry observations concerning world events as they roll out around us. Looking back fondly over the years can be beneficial for anyone, and the author hopes these tales will stir recollections of good times you have experienced over the years. Laughter, even of the sardonic kind, is good for us all. The author makes no claim to profound wisdom or even accurate recall in the telling of the tales; he is a writer of fiction, after all---he often makes things up! But he does promise that all the stories told here truthfully reflect his appreciation for, and understanding of, the people, places, and situations portrayed. All these tales, the tall and the true, will bring a smile to your lips as they meld with your own experiences.

A significant number of antipsychotic medications are being surreptitiously administered 'off-label' to residents suffering from dementia in a seniors' home. A local physician comes under suspicion as hospital staff and police investigate the incidents. Maggie Keiller, principal of the local high school, and her husband, Derek Sloan, become involved when one of her students, a patient of that same physician, dies of a drug overdose while in hospital. As she probes further, Maggie and the physician are both targeted by someone unknown, who sabotages their cars to explode when the engine is started. Both narrowly escape a horrifying death, but another person is not so fortunate. As events hurtle toward a climax, Maggie and Derek face increasing danger, not knowing who the true culprit is. When the deranged killer makes a final, frenzied attempt on her life, Maggie is caught totally off guard. This riveting thriller closely examines the primary duty of every doctor:- First, do no harm.

A young Indigenous woman is cruelly slain, her battered body left in a back-alley dumpster by her callous killers. Just another statistic in the harrowing history of girls missing and murdered, her death comes under scrutiny by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commission, a national inquiry holding local hearings in Port Huntington, a bustling resort town on Georgian Bay. But even as the MMIWG committee begins its work, the community is shocked when a second woman is brutally murdered. And then, as the police investigation expands, yet another Indigenous woman disappears without warning, her whereabouts unknown. Maggie Keiller, principal of the district high school, and her husband, Derek Sloan, an adviser to the local First Nations band, are quickly drawn into the investigation. As the hunt for the murderers unearths one surprise after another, Maggie and Derek inch ever closer to identifying the disturbed predators who are determined to escape justice.

In this collection of tales, I've pulled together an assortment of random thoughts and dreams, a smattering of memories and recollections, and a mixed bag of wry (but never cynical) observations of life as it rolls out around me. Many of the stories are whimsical or fanciful, some nostalgic, some just funny...or so they seem to me. Most are current, drawn from events and occasions I'm witnessing now; a few are from bygone years. I make no claim to profound wisdom or even accurate recall in the telling of the tales. But I do promise that they truthfully reflect appreciation for, and an imperfect understanding of, the people, places, and situations portrayed. Laughter, even of the sardonic kind, is good for us all. I hope you will enjoy these tales of a bemused bystander, faithfully trying to keep up with the passing parade.

In this third novel of the highly-praised Maggie Keiller/Derek Sloan series of thrillers, two armed intruders storm the local high school in Port Huntington, a small-town tourist mecca on Georgian Bay. Intent on taking revenge for the deaths of two of their friends, the men seize a number of hostages, including the school principal, Maggie Keiller, and her husband, Derek Sloan. The school goes into lockdown. In a community already divided over Indian land claims to Crown land, a mega-developer's plan to build and operate a casino on that same property, and a waste-management proposal that threatens the fragile shoreline environment, two more murders related to these issues shock and frighten the local residents. The high school hostage crisis, coming on top of everything else, stampedes events toward a heart-stopping climax. This is a first-rate, fast-paced story that no reader will want to put down---a worthy successor to the first two novels in this thrilling crime series.

Here is a humorous, reflective, and evocative collection of stories of fatherhood, written from the perspective of a young father. These entertaining and tender tales recall a family's journey together, delving into pursuits that drew them close, even as the growing independence those activities fostered in the children eventually eased them apart. Both parents heeded a wise adage about raising children: hug them close, then let them go. The first part was easy; the latter somewhat more difficult. The author, a grandfather now, recalls those bygone years with a mixture of appreciation and nostalgia---appreciation, arising from the joy and love his daughters provided for their parents; and nostalgia, knowing those days are gone forever, living on only in shared remembrances of times past. If you have a son who is, himself, a father, you must get him to read this book www.jbradleyburt.webs.com

Mrs. Crosby was always Mickey's favourite teacher, from the time he met her in grade four until he killed her in grade eight. Twenty years later, the crime returns to haunt the residents of Port Huntington, a small Ontario town on Georgian Bay. Two women in their late-twenties publicly accuse Al Dougal, a former teacher, of raping them when they were fifteen years old. Now a vice-principal at Port Huntington High School, he is killed shortly thereafter by an unknown assailant. The murder seems somehow tied to the long-ago death of Mrs. Crosby. School principal Maggie Keiller, and her husband, former principal and superintendent Derek Sloan, face a rapidly-escalating crisis when other deaths follow. Drawn inexorably into the investigation of both mysteries, they discover they, too, are at risk as they seek to uncover the truth. The book may be found at the author's website ~ http://jbradleyburt.webs.com.

Don't miss this wonderful new collection of tales crafted to amuse, entertain, and give you pause for reflection. Enjoy the meanderings of a snowbird in Florida---his comic misadventures, rewarding times with grandchildren, and the learning that comes from living in a retirement community. Nostalgia, humour, and whimsy flourish in a splendid array of stories, suitable for all ages---tales you will recognize and appreciate. The book may be found at the author's website ~ http://jbradleyburt.webs.com.