Gail Bowen
Encyclopedia
Gail Dianne Bowen, née Bartholomew (born 22 September 1942) is a Canadian
playwright
and writer of mystery
novels.
Born in Toronto, Ontario
, Bowen was educated at the University of Toronto
, the University of Waterloo
and the University of Saskatchewan
. She subsequently taught English in Saskatchewan
, and was associate professor of English at First Nations University of Canada
before retiring from teaching. She currently lives in Regina
, Saskatchewan
.
Bowen's mystery novels feature Joanne Kilbourn
, a widowed mother, political analyst and university professor who finds herself occasionally involved in criminal investigations in various parts of Saskatchewan. Many have been adapted as Canadian television movie
s by Shaftesbury Films
.
She has had several plays produced., including Dancing in Poppies, an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, The Tree, and an adaptation of Peter Pan, all premiering at the Globe Theatre in Regina. Her radio play Dr. Doolittle was broadcast on CBC Radio in 2006. She wrote The World According to Charlie D., a radio play focusing on a radio talk show host, broadcast on CBC Radio in 2007. A follow-up episode about Charlie D. will air in August 2008 as part of the WorldPlay series, airing on public radio networks in six English speaking countries.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and writer of mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novels.
Born in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Bowen was educated at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
and the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. She subsequently taught English in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and was associate professor of English at First Nations University of Canada
First Nations University of Canada
The First Nations University of Canada is a university in Saskatchewan, Canada with campuses in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert...
before retiring from teaching. She currently lives in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
Bowen's mystery novels feature Joanne Kilbourn
Joanne Kilbourn
Joanne Kilbourn is a fictional Canadian detective, who appears in mystery novels by Gail Bowen.In Deadly Appearances, the first Kilbourn novel, she is a political strategist and advisor to Andy Boychuk, a politician who is murdered just hours after being elected Leader of the Opposition in the...
, a widowed mother, political analyst and university professor who finds herself occasionally involved in criminal investigations in various parts of Saskatchewan. Many have been adapted as Canadian television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s by Shaftesbury Films
Shaftesbury Films
Shaftesbury Films is a Canadian film and television production company founded by Christina Jennings and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1987, Shaftesbury is a leading creator and producer of original content for television and multiple platforms, with programming available in more than...
.
She has had several plays produced., including Dancing in Poppies, an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, The Tree, and an adaptation of Peter Pan, all premiering at the Globe Theatre in Regina. Her radio play Dr. Doolittle was broadcast on CBC Radio in 2006. She wrote The World According to Charlie D., a radio play focusing on a radio talk show host, broadcast on CBC Radio in 2007. A follow-up episode about Charlie D. will air in August 2008 as part of the WorldPlay series, airing on public radio networks in six English speaking countries.
Novels
- 1919: The Love Letters of George and Adelaide (1986) Western Producer Prairie Books
- Deadly Appearances (1990) Douglas & McIntyre
- Murder at the Mendel (1991, published in the U.S.A. as Love and murder) Douglas & McIntyre
- The Wandering Soul Murders (1992) Douglas & McIntyre
- A Colder Kind of Death (1994, winner of the Arthur Ellis AwardArthur Ellis AwardsThe Arthur Ellis Awards are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing....
) McClelland & Stewart - A Killing Spring (1996) McClelland & Stewart
- Verdict in Blood (1998) McClelland & Stewart
- Burying Ariel (2000) McClelland & Stewart
- The Glass Coffin (2002) McClelland & Stewart
- The Last Good Day (2004) McClelland & Stewart
- The White Bear (2005) McClelland & Stewart
- The Endless Knot (2006) McClelland & Stewart
- The Brutal Heart (2008) McClelland & Stewart
- The Nesting Dolls (2010) McClelland & Stewart