Scott McKinnon
Mystery and Crime Fiction
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Biography
Scott McKinnon began his career writing screenplays, mostly romantic comedies, and now has turned his hand to "cozyish" murder and crime fiction. Born and raised in Alberta, with stints in Los Angeles and Vancouver, he now calls Toronto home. Inspired by Anthony Horowitz, Rian Johnson and Agatha Christie, Scott creates entertaining and thought-provoking stories through wry humour, unconventional plots and compelling characters. He successfully pitched his comedy crime thriller novel “Note to Self: Don’t Die” at Toronto’s Crime and Mystery Festival, regularly performs his work at public events such as Noir at the Bar and is an active member of the Crime Writers of Canada.
Last Light on Loon Lake is novella length cozy mystery (18,000 words) available for publication.As the First World War is winding down, a young man avoiding conscription at a remote lakeside resort in northern Ontario becomes involved in investigating the brutal murder of a notoriously bad mannered but very talented painter.
There's Always Hope is a novel length comedic mystery currently under development.On the cusp of her 30th birthday, Hope Andersen’s life is a complete mess. While her siblings are settling into adulthood, she’s an out-of-work screenwriter with a dangerously overdrawn bank account. When she jokes about using a private investigator’s license she got while researching a police procedural, a friend surprises her with a possible case. An eccentric young woman is offering $50,000 to anyone who can prove she was murdered in a past life. What begins as easy money turns deadly when her investigation draws the attention of a ruthless killer determined to keep the past buried.
The Proposition is a 2000 word short story available for publication.A lonely man makes a connection with a woman who calls herself Desperate_Housewife#81 on a local online discussion forum. After spending a week swapping stories about their terrible spouses, she proposes a monstrous remedy: “If I kill your wife, would you kill my husband?”
Not a Murder Mystery is a 2500 word short story available for publication.Middle-aged, combative siblings attempt to overcome their childhood rivalries as they try to deal with their mother's brutal murder and possibly uncover her killer.
I'm always open to connecting with readers, fellow writers, and mystery enthusiasts.Please reach out!
Hope Andersen had forgotten how heavy disappointment felt until she dragged it up her parents’ front stairs in an overstuffed suitcase. The wheels groaned with each stubborn step as she hauled it up all fifty stairs from the street to the front door. She paused to catch her breath as she reached the front porch, but hardly had a moment to gather herself before the front door swung open.Claire, her ever-composed stepmother, stood framed in the doorway like a modern day Julia Childs ready to host a cooking demonstration. At fifty-four, she remained striking, dressed in a shapely floral dress with a cheerful apron neatly tied around her waist. In one hand, she held an oversized novelty fork and in the other, a slotted spoon. Her long dark hair was pinned up on top of her head in her usual elegant way and perfectly offset with a touch of flour on the end of her button nose to humanize her. She smiled enigmatically at Hope with something between delight and concern.“That’s a very large suitcase,” Claire said, raising an expertly plucked eyebrow.Hope hung her head and said, “I packed with the idea of giving myself options.”Claire examined Hope like she had been doing since she was a child. “So how long are you planning on staying?”Hope rolled the suitcase across the threshold, avoiding eye contact. “My plans are elastic.”
Winona breezed onto the veranda and sat herself at our table. She was breathless and said, “Last night’s wine simply wiped me out. I just slept and slept this morning. Was it just me?”“No,” I said, “we are all moving a little slower today. None so slow as you, though.”“That’s me,” she said. “First or last and nothing in between. And what are you up to there Adonis, reading a dime-store detective novel no doubt?”Adonis looked up at her curiously. “I'm too boring for that,” he said with a smile, “but I am undertaking some detective work.”“How so?” she asked, resting her chin on her hands in a playful display of interest.“I thought I had captured a migrating Monarch butterfly but instead I've been duped.” He held up a butterfly for her to examine that he had staked on a large pin.“Oh, clearly not a Monarch,” she said with a wink. “But what could it be?”“This little sneak is a Viceroy,” he replied. “It assumes a similar colouring as the Monarch, which is poisonous to any bird that may try to eat it.”“But the Viceroy is not poisonous,” she guessed.“Exactly!” said Adonis excitedly.“That is quite clever,” she said, “to hide in plain sight of one’s enemies.”
My Must Read List
It's hard to find a mystery novel that really satisfies, so here is my list of novels that I think really hit the mark. Some of my recent discoveries have been Janice Hallet, Kate Atkinson, Eleanor Catton and Mick Herron.And remember there’s always room on my shelf for another great book, so don't be shy to tell me about what you've been reading.Isaac Asimov
• I, Robot (1950)Kate Atkinson
• Case Histories (2010)Paul Auster
• The New York Trilogy (1987)Alan Bradley
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009)Dan Brown
• The Da Vinci Code (2003)Eleanor Catton
• Birnam Wood (2024)Micheal Chabon
• The Yiddish Policmen’s Union (2007)Raymond Chandler
• The Big Sleep (1939)Agatha Christie
• The Secret Adversary (1922)
• Why Didn't They Ask Evans (1934)P Djeli Clark
• A Master of Djinn (2021)Umberto Eco
• The Name of the Rose (1980)Sue Grafton
• A is for Alibi (1982)Janice Hallet
• The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels (2023)Mick Herron
• Slow Horses (2010)Carl Hiaasen
• Bad Monkey (2013)Patricia Highsmith
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955)Anthony Horowitz
• Magpie Murders (2016)
• The Word is Murder (2017)P.D. James
• An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972)Stieg Larsson
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005)Elmore Leonard
• Get Shorty (1990)Jonathan Lethem
• Motherless Brooklyn (1999)Abir Mukherjee
• A Rising Man (2016)Richard Osman
• Thursday Night Murder Club (2020)Alex Pavesi
• Eight Detectives (2020)Louise Penny
• Still Life (2005)Ellis Peters
• A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)Dorothy L. Sayers
• Gaudy Night (1935)Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
• Roseanna (1968)Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson
• The Road to Heaven (2024)Peter Swanson
• 8 perfect murders (2020)Ben H Winters
• The Last Policeman (2012)