Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. The writing was good, and I can see why other people will like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

I could not get into this book. I felt that it was too long and though I skimmed it quickly did not find it was something I felt I wanted to invest reading word for word. Perhaps with serious editing I might try again as the main character had potential. DNF

In J.E. Barnard's When the Flood Falls, the first installment in the Falls Mystery series, this gripping debut will send you chills all over from the first page to the last. Lacey McCrae was an ex-Mountie in Bragg Creek, when they prepare for the flood of the Eagle River. And while she worked for a security farm, her friend Deandra "Dee" Phillips asked her for her help with a particular issue. She believed that someone's been stalking her. So she informed her boss to set up some video surveillance. But things get heated up when she dealt with protestors, partying hockey players, and a security job at the museum. As she dug deeper into Dee's case, she had a line of suspecting including Dee's ex and her own issues of PTSD from her abusive husband. At the night of the gala, things got weary and suspicious with the people who were there. And when Dee was a victim of a hit-and-run, things might've got personal when Lacey sought up help from her friends and neighbors. She learned how she lost a dog last winter and other juicy tidbits. When she shed light into Jarrad Fiske, a hockey player, he turned up missing and later dead in the river. Somehow he ended up caught in the middle of a scandalous taped mess when she later learned in the thick of things, who was the truly culprit was in the middle of the flood.

Lacey McCrae has traded in her RCMP uniform, her broken marriage and her life in British Columbia's Lower Mainland for a new start in the small town of Bragg Creek located in the foothills west of Calgary, Alberta. Lacey's university roommate, Dee Phillips, is the executive director of the new arts center that is getting ready for its grand opening. Lacey is temporarily working there to help with the last minute construction tasks and security.

Dee’s life was shattered by a reckless driver 6 months ago and she is now nervous about a nighttime prowler at her house and asks for Lacey's help. As the spring melt swells the icy river and threatens the only bridge back to civilization, Lacey must help Dee cope with her fears.

This was a strong debut mystery with an interesting protagonist.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Dundurn with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Lacey McCrae is running from the tatters of her life. Her career with the RCMP is over. Her divorce is pending. She needs a change. So, she moves back to Bragg Creek, west of Calgary, to start over. Taking a temporary job with the crew installing security systems and the vault for the new Foothills History Museum and staying with her friend, Dee, she tries to pull herself together. Dee feels she is being stalked, but nobody ever sees the stalker. When it escalates into a hit-and-run attempt on Dee's life with a disappearance and murder tacked on for good measure, Lacey realizes the situation is more than just a simple case of stalking. She teams up with Dee and a neighbor to investigate the growing danger.

I enjoyed this book. The setting is great, and I liked Lacey as a main character. She is flawed, but determined to rein in her chaotic life. With a river threatening to flood the entire region, a killer and all sorts of issues surrounding her at all turns, she has to rise to the occasion -- and she does. At times the plot moved a bit too slowly, but the suspense was enough to keep me reading. I wasn't sure who was behind everything until the very end. There were definitely enough suspects, red herrings and twists to keep the truth a secret til the last minute. I liked how Lacey, Dee and Jan all have different issues, weaknesses and prejudices, but were able to work through differences and help each other.

I will definitely read more by this author. Very enjoyable debut!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Dundurn via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

If you're like me and like discovering new authors this book is a definite pick up. I loved the well told story with the strong characters. Her writing is tight and vivid and I really felt as if I was in rural Calgary. I am looking forward to reading more books from this amazing author. Happy reading!

When the Flood Falls is the first book in the Falls Mystery Series by author J. E. Barnard.

When the Flood Falls is set outside of Calgary, Alberta in the small town of Bragg Creek. Bragg Creek is a wealthy enclave in the foothills. There is a river that runs through town that has caused wide spread devastation in the past from flooding. In the early stages of the book the river is rising!

Lacey McRae has recently retired from the RCMP and is setting a new path for herself. Staying with an old friend in Calgary and working as a security consultant brings Lacey to Bragg Creek. A new museum is opening and the company Lacey works for is installing the security. An old friend of Lacey's, Dee, lives in Bragg Creek. She has had some prowler scares so Lacey stays with her.

I love books set in Canada. Barnard really brings the Bragg Creek area to life for the reader.

I found it a bit slow at first but the pace picked up and it was hard to put down.

Highly recommend When the Flood Falls. I'm am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I read this book as a digital ARC.
This mystery left me guessing to the end. Fast-paced, strong characters, and a good plot. Recommended to all mystery lovers.

I enjoyed this book it was an unusual one and it made a change. I particularly the location and would have loved to have seen it on a file.
I did however have to suspend disbelief at the idea of a modern art complex in what I felt was a complete backwoods location.
However the story was quite good, although some parts were predictable and I wondered how long it would take the storyline to get round to telling me that I was right.
However all things considered, it was a good read that would make a good holiday read.

I liked this mostly for the setting and for the three women- Lacey, Dee, and Jan- who band together to figure out who is stalking Dee and later who hit Dee with a car. Lacey's a former RCMP officer who is now working security and so she doesn't have a badge to investigate. All three women are flawed and not one of them is especially likable (although I was most sympathetic to Jan). The young and privileged hockey players are well drawn. This would have benefited from another edit to tighten it up and make the beginning, in particular, more page turning. It's slow and therefore some might put this down before getting to the mystery. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

4 stars
This book takes place in Bragg Creek, western Alberta, Canada. It is about 30 miles/50 kilometers west of Calgary, where the plains meet the Rocky mountains. Since June 2013 when a flash flood did major damage to Bragg Creek, locals watch the creek with apprehension, as snow melt causes the river to rise to dangerous levels. Lacey McCrae is a burnt out ex RCMP cop. She has not only quit her job, but is in the middle of divorcing her abusive husband, another Mountie. She has left her home in Surrey, British Columbia for Bragg Creek , where she grew up. She goes to visit her old and best friend Dee, also recently divorced.
Dee tells her that she is being stalked by an unknown person and she is afraid. Lacey soon discovers proof that Dee is being stalked and sets out to protect her friend by finding the stalker. In the course of the book, 1 person is murdered and Dee is attacked. There are a couple of red herrings and I was not sure who the killer was until near the end. I liked the pace of the mystery and I thought the characters were well written. I recommend it to cozy mystery fans as there is minimal violence.
Thanks to Dundurn Press for sending this ARC through NetGalley.

This book was extremely slow for the first half of the book. The plot and character development was lacking. I really was hoping that this book was going to be great. I considered DNFing this book but I kept going. Even though it did pick up I felt it was too little too late. There was just too many things going on. Dogs dying, people getting hit by cars, child abuse. I read the whole thing and I am still confused by what I just read. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me review this book.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Lacey McCrea is a former RCMP police officer. She has now gone to a little town outside of Calgary to visit her friend Dee Phillips, a former college roommate, and to recover from her divorce. She doesn’t really have a job. Dee offers to let her stay at her lovely home while she is in the area.

Dee also has a problem. She has a night time stalker who may or may not be real. Lacey agrees to help her figure out who it is and stop them.

The area in which Dee lives is known for its high rollers: oil magnates, hockey stars and other famous people. As Lacey meets them, they all seem superficial and pretty self-absorbed. Lacey learns some very interesting secrets and makes connections between the events that are occurring now and the past. There is a lot going on behind the scenes – scheming and manipulating events. Lacey’s investigation moves along, albeit not very quickly. The stalker turned out to be real, and their identity was a surprise – at least to me.

This novel moves along very slowly. There are moments of suspense, but they are not long lasting. I felt like tossing in the towel a few times, until the story finally picked up a little. There was almost too much background information given on Lacey. I didn’t really care for her. She was too wrapped up in herself; too concerned with her own garbage to accurately assess the situation of her friend Dee.

The redeeming aspect of this novel was the gorgeous countryside described in the book. I’ve been to that area of Canada, and it is breathtaking. Ms. Barnard described it so well that I was transported back to the times I visited there myself.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this interesting book to read and review.

Former Canadian cop Lacey McCrea has no real job and some issues to deal with so she tries to help her friend, who is scared because she is being stalked. This crime fiction started out with all the right premises but it did not deliver. Characters were flat like the trophy wife or even the stepson. I found myself wishing for the end as it was rather longwinded and for me and tedious to read. The story picks up somewhat at the end which did surprise me. Still not enough to save the book.

When a stalker is too good at stalking.

Ex Canadian cop Lacey McCrea’s life is in tatters. Nowhere to live and no real job, so when her friend tells her she is being stalked, Lacey investigates. She is not sure if there is a stalker or if her friend is imagining it.

As the melting snow swells the river, Lacey must decide whether there is a stalker or if something else is afoot.

Well, this book is so miserable. I hated the characters as they all had a grievance against the world. It wasn’t just the story - their personalities were miserable or mad. The book is not very well thought out and the plot was easily solved which prolonged the agony of the rest of the book.

To be honest, I can see was Lacey’s husband left her and she had no job, as she moaned and groaned and probably pushed everyone away.

A truly bad book in my opinion but read it yourself and decide.

Chester.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I have had the most wonderful Canadian vacations and I was drawn to this book because of the setting and it did not disappoint. Lacey McCrae has left her marriage and her job as an RCMP officer and is trying to figure out what comes next. She has a temporary job at the Bragg Creek and Foothills History Museum and has been sleeping on the couch of a former colleague. Her finances are pretty well depleted and until the details of her divorce and settlement are finalized, she really needs her job. Her old friend Dee Phillips has a lovely and large home in Bragg Creek and she invites Lacey to stay with her. Dee believes she is being stalked but has no idea who would do this or why. Having Lacey in the house solves Dee's problem of being alone and afraid and also provides Lacey somewhere to stay close to her job. Lacey also hopes to figure out who would want to hurt Dee.
I liked the characters and the author's vivid descriptions of scenic Bragg Creek. I could see all the natural beauty as well as the peril of the swollen river. There was a lot going on and I didn't figure out who was responsible for Dee's 'accidents' until the author revealed it. An enjoyable read that held my attention from beginning to end.
Thank you, J.E. Barnard, Dundurn, and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC. Extra thanks to Dundurn for all the 'Canadian Noir', I love it!
Lacey, a former RCMP officer, left her job and her husband and is currently in Bragg Creek (outside Calgary), staying with a friend. She's got a temporary job with a security firm, working to get ready for the opening of a new museum.
She's meeting her friend from college, Dee, recently divorced and terrified by a stalker, who may or may not be her ex. Lacey gladly accepts her offer to stay in her beautiful home, hoping she can find out what's going on and allay Dee's fears.
The people around her are mostly well to do, with strong hockey connections and many young hockey players out for a good time. One of them, Jarrard, killed Dee's beloved dog in a car accident and the court case is upcoming. Could Jarrard be the phantom stalker?
We meet an interesting array of characters, of which Jan is my favorite. Laid low with a frightening disease, she's a good friend and neighbor of Dee's who is also determined to help Dee however she can.
When Dee is hit by a speeding car again and lands in the hospital in a coma, the hunt is on...The perpetrator must be caught before he ends up killing her and between Lacey and Jan they manage to do so after some hair raising events. I never guessed who it was, which was a nice way to end the book.
This is the 1st in a series and I'm really looking forward to #2, I love the setting and the cast of characters is great...love Dee's 2 feisty dogs! A highly recommended read.

What a great mix of characters in this story. I went through this book thinking I knew who the villain was, then I changed my mind but was still wrong. There's so much going on in this story to keep you entertained. I think about half way is when things started to get more interesting for me. Great mystery and suspense with some twists and turns to keep you thinking.