The new supernatural mystery in the Requiem series draws on real events and historic locations in Burlington and Hamilton Ontario. Detectives Weiss and Joshi try to stop a killer targeting local women. His case becomes strangely linked to an unsolved series of murders from the city's past when Carly Rouhl confronts an astonishing variation on … Continue reading The Latest Requiem Novel from Douglas Cockell
The Blank Page
I remember noticing a painting at the Tate Gallery in London. It was a large canvas, completely white, except for a small black circle on the lower right corner. It struck me as the ultimate middle finger to the viewer: ‘This is art because I say it is’. I don’t know what made me look … Continue reading The Blank Page
The Merry Outlaws of Sherwood
Last night I was ambushed by my past. Again. I was watching an old black and white movie made in 1939, filmed years before I was born, and yet strangely enough it seemed to be about me. Well, in a way. It’s a persistent theme in my Requiem series of supernatural mysteries: the way in … Continue reading The Merry Outlaws of Sherwood
To the Lighthouse
Near the beginning of my novel Requiem for Thursday, Detective Weiss arrives at the Hamilton ship canal to investigate a drowning. Looming over the scene is an old lighthouse—no longer used and no longer lit against the night sky. I imagine him looking up at the old grey stone relic, it’s shape setting the mood … Continue reading To the Lighthouse
The Unhappy Psychic
Seems to me that, at the most basic level, there are three types of supernatural tale. The first is a kind of cheat. The author weaves a dark web of words, building up atmosphere and dread, and in the end it turns out there’s a mundane explanation for the scary goings on. These stories can … Continue reading The Unhappy Psychic
Sweet Metaphysics
In my upcoming supernatural mystery, Requiem for Parish, number four in the series, Detective Eilert Weiss and Carly Rouhl are in pursuit of serial killers. Weiss has a current open case, but Carly is caught up in a mystery that is all but forgotten. Between them lies a lake house jammed with boxes of memorabilia … Continue reading Sweet Metaphysics
A Portal in Time
The tinkle of a distant player piano, a room jammed to the walls with crates and cardboard boxes full of antique memorabilia—lost in this narrow jam of memories, Carly Rouhl just might find herself squeezing out into the world of a long forgotten serial killer. I’ve always wanted to write a time portal story—you know: … Continue reading A Portal in Time
Why Ghost Stories?
Why ghost stories? It’s a fair question. The first wave of ghost stories were buoyed up by the spiritual angst that followed the American civil war. These tales flourished within a culture dominated by religious belief, but spiritualism wasn’t exactly a mainstream genre. Ghost stories were subversive, flouting church orthodoxy—and in particular, affording women a … Continue reading Why Ghost Stories?
Miss Langford’s Ghost
Frances Langford was a beautiful band singer back in the 30’s and 40’s. Well, cute is a more accurate description. She was only five feet tall, and had a round face framed by sculpted curls. I was watching her on Turner Classic Movies, and as she was singing I noticed her perfect teeth. I remember … Continue reading Miss Langford’s Ghost
Tale of Two Islands
I found myself standing in a graveyard in South Carolina. It was an old burial ground by North American standards, and when these people were interred they were among the very few ethnic Europeans on Hilton Head Island. I imagine you’re thinking of Hilton Head, if you’ve heard of it at all, as a golfer’s … Continue reading Tale of Two Islands
Douglas Cockell 