Location: Canada
Member Since: Aug. 29, 2013

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Chris Laing

Biography

Chris Laing is a native of Hamilton, Ontario. He worked in private business for twenty years before joining the Federal Public Service, where he served in the Department of the Secretary of State and National Museums of Canada until his retirement.
In the past few years he has expanded his long-time interest in detective stories from that of avid reader to writing in this genre. His short stories have appeared in a number of literary journals. His first novel, "A Private Man", was published by Seraphim Editions in 2012 and it was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel. His second novel in the Max Dexter series, "A Deadly Venture", also set in Hamilton in the 1940’s, was published in Sept 2014 and won the Kerry Scooley Award from the Hamilton Arts Council in 2015. It was followed by "A Family Matter" in 2017 and "A Devious Dame" in 2019. He is now at work on the next adventure of Max and Isabel.
"West End Kid" is a collection of short stories based loosely on his experiences growing up in Hamilton during World War II.

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario during WW II. My family lived in the so-called "Wartime Houses", a small concentration of prefab houses - hastily-built plywood structures which allowed for maximum heat in the summer and maximum cold in the winter. The neighborhood was teeming with kids whose fathers were either serving overseas or employed in war-related jobs. Needless to say, you learned about life and how to survive at an early age - lessons which have lasted me a lifetime.
I fondly remember those early experiences (the hardships are dulled by time) and attempt to recall them in my writing. "West Side Kid", my collection of short stories, is an example.
My experiences working in downtown Hamilton during the 1950's has strongly influenced my detective novels set in the 1940's. "A Private Man" is the first in the series of Max Dexter Mysteries, a wounded veteran of WWII who returns to Hamilton to set up his own private detective agency. The second novel in the series will be published by Seraphim Editions in Sept., 2014.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
This is my first indie publication. Print book publishers can't make a buck with short story collections (unless you're world-famous) and I have a collection of rejection letters to prove it. A friend told me about Smashwords and here I am. So far, so good.
Read more of this interview.

Where to buy in print

http://amazon.com

Books

A Devious Dame by
Price: $8.99 USD. Words: 79,700. Language: English. Published: May 14, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
Max Dexter and his partner, Isabel O’Brien, try to assist a young boy who’s been abandoned by his mother, Ida Lucas. Ida’s an ambitious hostess at a luxurious hotel where she leads a busy after-hours life entertaining the well-to-do male members of the city’s upper crust. When Ida disappears Max and Isabel find a temporary home for her son then they attempt to track down this devious dame.
A Family Matter by
Price: $4.55 USD. Words: 58,210. Language: English. Published: May 14, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
Max Dexter’s mother returns to Hamilton after an absence of twenty-some years. But Max is not anxious to meet her – why should he be after she’d abandoned him as a child. Besides, she’s now living in Florida where she’s the accountant for the Mob. But Max and Isabel do meet her and she tries to enlist Max’s assistance in her nefarious plans.
A Deadly Venture by
Price: $4.55 USD. Words: 61,090. Language: English. Published: May 14, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
Hamilton’s own Max Dexter and his easy-on-the-eyes assistant Isabel O’Brien are back in the second book of this post-WWII historical mystery series. When their artist friend, Roger Bruce, is in the Barton Street Jail for murdering one of his clients they try to find the real killer. But they’re unpleasantly surprised to meet Hamilton’s Mafia boss and his henchmen.
A Private Man by
Price: $4.55 USD. Words: 94,610. Language: English. Published: May 14, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
“July, 1947. And hotter than hell in Hamilton.” So begins Chris Laing’s first novel in the Max Dexter Mystery series. Max is a former RCMP officer who served overseas during WWII. Recently discharged and limping from a serious war wound, he returns to his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario to open his own private detective agency. But right out of the gate he comes face to face with mob.
West End Kid: Tales from the Forties by
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 39,760. Language: Canadian English. Published: September 13, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General, Fiction » Historical » General
An imaginative collection of 9 short stories about a group of kids growing up in Hamilton, Ontario during World War Two. This coming of age collection captures the spirit of the times and reflects the age-old challenges facing every generation.

Chris Laing's tag cloud

1947    1948    adolescent adventures    hamilton    hamilton ontario    post ww2    private eye    short stories    strong women    the mob    ww2 fiction