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Giles Blunt is a Canadian author that writes mystery novels. He was born in Windsor, Ontario, in 1952. The author spent his childhood in North Bay. Anyone familiar with the Cardinal series will recognize the author’s love for the location once they visit North Bay.
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Order of John Cardinal Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forty Words for Sorrow | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Delicate Storm | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Black Fly Season | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | By the Time You Read This / The Fields of Grief | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Crime Machine | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Until the Night | 2012 | Description / Buy |
Order of Giles Blunt Standalone Novels
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold Eye | 1989 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | No Such Creature | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Breaking Lorca | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Hesitation Cut | 2015 | Description / Buy |
The setting plays a pivotal role in the Cardinal books. Giles changed the name to Algonquin Bay but kept the names of the major streets, lakes, and layouts. He was tempted to use New York, having lived in the city in previous years.
But he changed his mind because New York was already a key location in many shows, movies, and novels. So he turned his attention to London, which also accommodated him on a previous occasion. But he dismissed it, along with Ottawa and Toronto, in favor of North Bay, which he visited every Christmas.
Giles is grateful to the people of North Bay for embracing his work. He has seen writers that use their hometowns as central locations in novels, earning the wrath of the people in those communities because they revealed certain uncomfortable truths.
Giles doesn’t take it for granted that North Bay’s residents love his stories. The author took an interest in writing and publishing early on. He remembers reading Enid Blyton’s ‘The Castle of Adventure’ and loving it because the characters felt so real.
He attended the University of Toronto, where he studied English literature. Later on, he moved to New York, making the city his home for twenty years before returning to Toronto. Giles still remembers the first book he wrote at eight years old.
It was only two pages long. He stopped after running into plot-related problems he couldn’t overcome. He added several short stories to his resume in college before finally writing a proper novel at the age of 24.
But the book did not produce the meteoric success the author wanted. So he spent a little over a decade dabbling in screenplays and TV scripts and making almost no money for his efforts. Most people would dismiss that period as a pointless detour, but it paid off.
It was not Giles’ intention to become a crime writer. His relationship with the genre began when he joined a crime show’s writing team. The position compelled the author to familiarize himself with crime fiction by reading as many crime novels as possible.
By the time he left, the author had developed an interest in the genre. Giles had already published a psychological suspense novel. He decided to write a detective novel next because the sub-genre excited publishers.
They wanted two books from Giles. Once he fulfilled the demands of his first contract, publishers asked him for four more books. By then, the author had cemented his position as a crime fiction writer.
Giles believes that crime fiction is comforting, which is why the public love it. The genre tells stories in which most villains lose. It comforts readers to know that good will win.
Giles Blunt Awards
Giles has won MacAllan Silver and Arthur Ellis Awards. The author has also received Dagger, Anthony, and Macavity Award nominations.
Giles Blunt Books into Movies
‘Cold Eye’ became a French film in 1997 (Les Couleurs du diable). The Cardinal books became a live-action TV show on CTV.
Best Giles Blunt Books
You don’t have to read the author’s novels in a particular order to enjoy them. Although reading them in the correct order will enhance your enjoyment. Giles’ best books include:
Forty Words For Sorrow: Detective John Cardinal refused to dismiss Katie Pine as an ordinary runaway when she disappeared months ago. His relentless but ineffectual investigation earned the detective a demotion.
But then the unthinkable happened. The teenager’s remains appeared in an abandoned mine shaft. Cardinal was right. Now they want him to join forces with Lise Delorme, his new partner, to solve the case.
Blackfly Season: Jerry Commanda was minding his business at the town’s least reputable bar when a red-haired woman came along and confused him. She couldn’t even tell the OPP officer her name. A hospital X-ray soon revealed why.
The woman’s amnesia was the result of a bullet in her brain. Now, Cardinal and Delorme are on the case. They have a variety of suspects to sift through, including a self-proclaimed shaman and the three young men he recruited.
When Does The Next Giles Blunt book come out?
Giles Blunt doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Hesitation Cut and was released on August, 18th 2015.