Vander Vlugt Launches Crime Anthology With B.C. Writers

Chemainus mystery writer Joanna Vander Vlugt and a group of B.C. crime authors have released Murder on the Menu, an anthology featuring eight short stories from the Second-Act Sleuths collective. The collection was released in paperback and ebook formats after its Oct. 6 launch.

Published through Vander Vlugt’s Ozzy Imprint, the anthology brings together stories from Vander Vlugt, Winona Kent, Debra Henry, CJ Papoutsis and Judge Fong, with a foreword by Canadian crime writer Vicki Delany.

According to the Ladysmith Chronicle, the collection explores fictional crimes involving mystery writers, sinister discoveries, and investigators pursuing unusual cases. Vander Vlugt contributes two stories, including Mr. Buffed and Buttered and The Lady in Pink.

Vander Vlugt’s The Lady in Pink drew inspiration partly from a late-night road trip incident in California with her husband, when the couple stopped to assist a stranded driver pulling a trailer and later used the experience as a foundation for a story involving a cold case.

The anthology also includes Winona Kent’s Between Stations, which follows a 17-year-old Lucy moving to London in 1973 to seek experiences for her writing. Kent based elements of the story on her own teenage time in England.

Other contributors created stories featuring characters such as a Polish immigrant seeking justice against criminals connected to a food truck, a Greek cafe owner in Victoria, and a detective investigating a killer who leaves chocolate clues beside victims.

Vander Vlugt was born and raised on Vancouver Island, lives in Chemainus, holds a creative writing certificate from Simon Fraser University, and serves as the B.C./Yukon representative for Crime Writers of Canada.