Paul Masson, writer of detective novels

The ABC Files, Hamish Cameron Investigates

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  • Welcome

    Welcome to my corner of the web. I’m Paul Masson, a retired economist turned detective novelist, and this is home to The ABC Files — a series of mysteries featuring retired judge Hamish Cameron and his partner Sean Carroll, set in the fictional Nova Scotia seaside town of Ashcroft-by-the-Sea. If you’re new here, the best…

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    A New ABC Files Mystery is on its way!

    The new mystery is titled Ignorance is a Pleasant Evil. It is set partly in Nova Scotia, and partly in Alberta, in the Athabasca Oil Sands. As usual, the partners in the Cameron and Carroll detective agency, Hamish and Sean, play starring roles. In addition, a new comer, Beth Phillips (who appeared in a previous volume, Memories of…

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    Crime Writers of Canada (CWC)

    I decided to join the organization after attending a conference in Toronto that they organized. The high point for me was a moderated discussion between Otto Penzler, a long time editor and book seller of mysteries and crime fiction, and Margaret Cannon, reviewer of mysteries for the Globe and Mail. They discussed 19th century mysteries,…

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  • Books at the Barn

    As in some previous years, I hosted a book fair for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Writers’ Circle across the street from the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, on Saturday. As usual, we had a good time, sold a few books, and chatted with new and returnng readers. Thanks to all those who participated! Here is a picture, courtesy of the…

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    Why Detective Fiction?

    People ask how I got started writing detective fiction. My job as an economist led me to publish a number of scholarly articles and several books. After I retired, I looked for a way to continue writing, which I enjoy, and I decided to try penning mystery novels.  Writing fiction posed different challenges from the…

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  • Why I write

    Why does any writer put pen to page, or nowadays, finger to keyboard? To communicate with readers. I’ve always felt more comfortable with the written word. Perhaps it was the result of growing up speaking two languages. I was afraid of making mistakes in either French or English. Each of my parents was a stickler…

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