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Home & Away
Home & Away is McKercher’s fifth novel and picks up the story line from his second novel, The Incrementalist in mid-June of 1940. (The third and fourth novels were murder mysteries set during WWII with many of the same characters, but not directly in the chronological sequence.
Review of Home & Away
Fifth and Finest, Featuring Heroine Frances McFadden
Home & Away, Ian McKercher’s fifth Frances McFadden novel is arguably his finest work to date. This World War II story is composed of two entwined plot lines. Borrowing a sports metaphor, he presents the odd-numbered chapters set at the Bank of Canada with Frances as “the home game.” The even-numbered chapters, “the away game.” track the adventures of her boyfriend, Paul Roderick, in occupied France.
Will this switching back and forth confuse the reader, or prompt more attentive reading? Is one story line more interesting than the other, encouraging readers to skip chapters for the plot they prefer?
I found his use of chapter titles set guardrails to keep me in the correct field of play. Also, the “away” chapters are much shorter than the “home” chapters, emphasizing the quickened pace of life in the war zone. That said, the “home” chapters do not drag. Peppered with subplots, (anti-Nazi rioting, intrigue at the Governor General’s, seances with the Prime Minister, security leaks at the Bank) McKercher keeps both plot lines hopping.
If you’ve read any of the earlier novels, you know that Frances is a rising star in the clerical hierarchy at the Bank of Canada where she exercises as much sway as Governor Graham Towers. She intervenes like a helicopter parent when internal or external forces threaten the Bank’s critical work financing the Canadian war effort. Is she “the power behind the throne?”
Frances is embarrassed when teasingly called “Queen of the Bank,” but she hobnobs so easily with Hollywood royalty and the House of Windsor, what sobriquet would be more appropriate?
If you’ve read any of the earlier novels, you know that Frances is a rising star in the clerical hierarchy at the Bank of Canada where she exercises as much sway as Governor Graham Towers. She intervenes like a helicopter parent when internal or external forces threaten the Bank’s critical work financing the Canadian war effort. Is she “the power behind the throne?”
Frances is embarrassed when teasingly called “Queen of the Bank,” but she hobnobs so easily with Hollywood royalty and the House of Windsor, what sobriquet would be more appropriate?
McKercher uses correspondence between characters to illuminate views on the war from as far away as a rancher in Argentina, a parent in California and most interestingly, a princess in England. All to say, there are many perspectives on a war which remind us to contemplate carefully who did what to win it.
Sidebar subplots lure the reader to shady dealings in the construction of “temporary buildings” in Ottawa, to an abortionist in Montreal and to a blackmailer in California.
It’s a balancing act to keep the double helix story line and the various subplots from overwhelming the main theme of the novel – which seems to be that resilience and daring win the day – but the variety of these diversions draw us deeper into Frances’ world.
McKercher does have a weakness for alliteration which he uses most effectively to paint character descriptions that blossom in the mind’s eye: “She wore a blue halter top that just barely halted.” and “He had the thin-lipped smile of an undertaker’s understudy.”
The copyright page has the standard boilerplate quote found in every historical fiction novel: “This book is a work of fiction wound loosely around historical events and personages.” Right, but then the author inserts, for easy reference, 18 pictures of real people who are characters in the novel, daring readers to parse the fine line between fact and fiction. Is this an aid to the visual learner or a sleight of hand designed to distract the truth from creative license?
Characters, anecdotes and historical information are the ingredients that make Home & Away a compelling and entertaining read. Despite the circumstances, Frances’ humour is ever present, as are her wisdom and humanity. A highlight of McKercher’s books is the dialogue through which the author conveys a wide variety of personalities, often with an amusing tone. Equally intriguing here are the little-known facts woven into fiction. Who could have guessed that the invention of drywall and the paint roller in 1940 would be critical to advancing a subplot?
Susan Cornell is a former Ottawa resident now living in Kirbyville, Texas, where she makes art.
Death by Misadventure
Death by Misadventure is McKercher’s fourth novel and second murder mystery. Frances McFadden extends her sleuthing adventures with police and military personal introduced in Carbon Copy.
Review of Death by Misadventure
“The fast pace of Frances’s life is in keeping with the pace of the novel; the action starts on the first page and it doesn’t slow down.
If you’ve read any McKercher novels before, you’ll know that the prose is crisp and restrained and that dialogue carries the story. He doesn’t actually tell you all that much – he lets the characters tell you. Your knowledge of what they do is largely embedded in what they say. And that’s a treat, because the dialogue is rich and varied, with a lot of witty banter that gives the novel a pleasantly light-hearted quality that balances the dark side of this tale of greed and murder.
Death By Misadventure will keep you interested and keep you guessing. You’ll feel comfortable in the hands of a seasoned novelist who knows how to spin a tale and how to take you to another time and place.”
Death by Misadventure
Death by Misadventure is McKercher’s fourth novel and second murder mystery. Frances McFadden extends her sleuthing adventures with police and military personal introduced in Carbon Copy.
Review of Death by Misadventure
“The fast pace of Frances’s life is in keeping with the pace of the novel; the action starts on the first page and it doesn’t slow down.
If you’ve read any McKercher novels before, you’ll know that the prose is crisp and restrained and that dialogue carries the story. He doesn’t actually tell you all that much – he lets the characters tell you. Your knowledge of what they do is largely embedded in what they say. And that’s a treat, because the dialogue is rich and varied, with a lot of witty banter that gives the novel a pleasantly light-hearted quality that balances the dark side of this tale of greed and murder.
Death By Misadventure will keep you interested and keep you guessing. You’ll feel comfortable in the hands of a seasoned novelist who knows how to spin a tale and how to take you to another time and place.”
Carbon Copy
Ian McKercher’s third novel, Carbon Copy, represents a genre switch from historical fiction to mystery, although many of the characters from The Underling (2012) and The Incrementalist (2016) have starring roles.
The novel is set in February 1942, with Canada at war against Nazi tyranny and Ottawa mired in a vicious winter.
Frances McFadden, personal secretary to Graham Towers, Governor of the Bank of Canada, is hoping to get away on a much-deserved holiday when she is summoned before a military intelligence tribunal and accused of espionage and treason.
Someone appears to be trafficking in state secrets and is willing to resort to murder to cover the trail. It’s one thing for Frances to proclaim her innocence, it’s quite another thing to prove it.
Facing a fourteen-year prison term and possibly the death penalty, Frances joins RCMP Inspector Hollingsworth and Ottawa Police Sergeant Scobie in a race through a labyrinth of dead ends, dopplegängers and deceptions to solve the deadly puzzle.
Carbon Copy
Ian McKercher’s third novel, Carbon Copy, represents a genre switch from historical fiction to mystery, although many of the characters from The Underling (2012) and The Incrementalist (2016) have starring roles.
The novel is set in February 1942, with Canada at war against Nazi tyranny and Ottawa mired in a vicious winter.
Frances McFadden, personal secretary to Graham Towers, Governor of the Bank of Canada, is hoping to get away on a much-deserved holiday when she is summoned before a military intelligence tribunal and accused of espionage and treason.
Someone appears to be trafficking in state secrets and is willing to resort to murder to cover the trail. It’s one thing for Frances to proclaim her innocence, it’s quite another thing to prove it.
Facing a fourteen-year prison term and possibly the death penalty, Frances joins RCMP Inspector Hollingsworth and Ottawa Police Sergeant Scobie in a race through a labyrinth of dead ends, dopplegängers and deceptions to solve the deadly puzzle.
The Incrementalist
The Incrementalist is the sequel to The Underling and follows the activities of Frances McFadden at the Bank of Canada into the first year of World War II.
This fusion of fact and fiction brings authenticity to a little known facet of Canadian history. In September, 1939, a modest country with limited resources or military tradition signs up for world war.
Frances McFadden finds herself propelled into the top echelon at the Bank of Canada as it faces the crushing weight of financing the conflict, following the famous tenet of Marcus Tullius Cicero “Endless money forms the sinews of war.”
Marginalized as a female, Frances struggles to support a desperate cause with the help of a curious raft of characters. Her love life is compromised by covert duties that the Official Secrets Act prevents her from sharing.
On June 20, 1940, as France falls, a warship arrives in Halifax harbour with three hundred million in French gold that the Bank of Canada has promised to safeguard. However, life gets in the way of best intentions.
Review
“Ian McKercher’s second novel, The Incrementalist, will not disappoint his fans. Written as a sequel to The Underling, many of the familiar characters are back.
World War II is all heady stuff for Ottawa High School of Commerce dropout Frances McFadden, who takes on the challenge with all the common sense and pluck we’ve come to know her for.
As the story progresses, the reader is struck with the haunting fear that Frances is on a path that few would willingly chose.”
Terry West, The Glebe Report
The Underling
Ottawa, Canada, 1934. Seventeen-year old France McFadden is plucked from the tedium of school routine and the control of a domineering mother to gather resources for the new Bank of Canada. Like many hard-working women of her generation, she comes to wield tremendous power without any of the trappings of authority. Many noble acts, some skinny-dipping.
Over the course of five years, Frances rises through the Bank hierarchy until, in late August 1939, she is entrusted with a mission to Warsaw, where the Polish gold reserves bait a rapacious neighbour. Beset by Nazi spies and double agents, Frances is called upon to draw deep from her own resources.
Speaking of The Underling…
“…a sly mixture of fact and fiction, with characters well-drawn, dialogue fun and lively, the plot full of surprises, wit, and wisdom.”
Allison Dingle
“Frances McFadden … a compelling protagonist in a fiction crafted to be totally believable.”
Pat Belyea
“I can’t believe that I’m enjoying a novel based on banking!”
Marilyn Blattel
“… a fine read. Who would guess that the founding of the Bank of Canada could be made lively and exciting? Frances is a memorable character. The reader roots for her the whole way…would make a great mini-series for TV.”
Brian Doyle
“I really like the novel’s sense of how work can be fulfilling – particularly socially fulfilling. Working people build friendships and social networks that make their lives richer. I also felt that the “coming of age of Canada” aspect of the novel was well done – clear and important but not overstated.”
Bob Neilson
The Underling
Ottawa, Canada, 1934. Seventeen-year old France McFadden is plucked from the tedium of school routine and the control of a domineering mother to gather resources for the new Bank of Canada. Like many hard-working women of her generation, she comes to wield tremendous power without any of the trappings of authority. Many noble acts, some skinny-dipping.
Over the course of five years, Frances rises through the Bank hierarchy until, in late August 1939, she is entrusted with a mission to Warsaw, where the Polish gold reserves bait a rapacious neighbour. Beset by Nazi spies and double agents, Frances is called upon to draw deep from her own resources.
Speaking of The Underling…
“…a sly mixture of fact and fiction, with characters well-drawn, dialogue fun and lively, the plot full of surprises, wit, and wisdom.”
Allison Dingle
“Frances McFadden … a compelling protagonist in a fiction crafted to be totally believable.”
Pat Belyea
“I can’t believe that I’m enjoying a novel based on banking!”
Marilyn Blattel
“… a fine read. Who would guess that the founding of the Bank of Canada could be made lively and exciting? Frances is a memorable character. The reader roots for her the whole way…would make a great mini-series for TV.”
Brian Doyle
“I really like the novel’s sense of how work can be fulfilling – particularly socially fulfilling. Working people build friendships and social networks that make their lives richer. I also felt that the “coming of age of Canada” aspect of the novel was well done – clear and important but not overstated.”
Bob Neilson
About the Author
Ian Stewart McKercher was born in London, Ontario, in 1946. He attended Wortley Road Public School, London Junior High School and South Collegiate before taking a degree in English and History at Queen’s University in Kingston.
His apprenticeship to writing began accidentally at age thirteen when his parents gave him a day-diary as a Christmas present.
He moved to Ottawa in 1969 to teach English at Glebe Collegiate. Thoughtful colleagues and curious students kept him engaged with the printed word. His interest in historical fiction flows from a belief that Canada has an esteemed but largely unexplored history that is ripe for acknowledgement
In 1983-84 he took an eighteen-month leave to teach English in Beijing, China, where he began writing The Underling. Teaching responsibilities back in Ottawa meant he was only able to write sporadically until he retired in 2005.
The Underling was published in 2012. The popular response to the exploits of Frances McFadden at the Bank of Canada encouraged him to write a sequel, The Incrementalist, published in 2016.
He then decided to try his hand at the mystery genre, but he kept faithful to Frances McFadden and the family of characters built up in the earlier novels. Carbon Copy came out in 2019, followed by Death by Misadventure in 2022.
He currently lives in the Glebe area of Ottawa with his wife, Amelia Hope.
Ian McKercher
All novels are available in electronic format for Kindle and through Amazon
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All novels are available at the following locations:
Ottawa, Ontario
From the Author
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