Ian McKercher

This is McKercher's third novel with Frances as his heroine. The previous two were about her work with the early Bank of Canada, This novel is a murder mystery with some WW II espionage added to the mix. Frances is accused of stealing important documents and passing them on to an enemy power. Fortunately for her, she has many loyal friends in high places who help prove her innocence.

The plot is full of convenient coincidences and Frances is almost superhuman in her ability to figure out people's motives. Her access to important people at the right moment stretches credibility but makes for a fun read that I looked forward to finishing so I would know who did what and why.… (plus d'informations)

This the second novel by McKercher that follows the career of Frances McFadden at the Bank of Canada while also educating us about Canadian history. Important Canadian historical moments during the World War II such as the 1940 election, the fall of France, moving European countries' gold reserves to Canada for safe keeping, the legacy of the Chinese Immigration Acts of the 19th and early 20th Centuries and the impact of the War Measures Act are worked into the novel's story line .

The heavy workload at the Bank has dramatic affects on Frances' personal life as her romance with Paul suffers. Then her father tries to come back into her life which creates more soul searching for her.

McKercher does stretcher credibility when he has Frances save the passenger ship she is on by sighting an attacking German U-Boat from the ships crows nest. Combined with her other achievements saving the Bank & Canada, she is definitely a super hero. As with volume one in the series, this was a pleasant read and I look forward to reading volume three.… (plus d'informations)

Surprisingly interesting considering the topic around which this novel revolves is the creation of the Bank of Canada. In 1934 Frances McFadden is a Grade 11 Business student at the High School of Commerce in Ottawa. Suddenly with the encouragement of her school principal and one of her teachers, she is pulled out of school short of graduation to take a job with the newly planned but not yet created Bank of Canada.

My incredibility was stretched when this 17 year old girl is sent out to purchase office furniture and equipment on behalf of the a government department. Furthermore, she is asked to organize the office in the most efficient way and shortly to hire other staff. The way she performs these duties is admirable and efficient but is it realistic?

There are many crisis including one involving Nazis and German spies which make for entertaining reading but are they possible historically? Still a fun read and written in prose that moves the story along at a good pace.… (plus d'informations)