Here’s the truth: Good book covers help to sell books. Not-so-good book covers don’t.

Of course, what constitutes a good or not-so-good book cover is largely dependent on the genre, and in the case of mystery, the sub-genre. With my upcoming release, A FATAL AFFAIR: THE MURDER OF HELEN GRIER, I was faced with more than one challenge: it was my first true crime book AND it was the first time I’d been a co-author. Which meant the decision was not entirely up to me.

Amanda Capper (my co-author) and I were lucky. The graphic artist recommended to us by another local author was Cassie Amond of Diamond Creative Studio. Cassie insisted that we spend some time on Amazon to familiarize ourselves with true crime book covers.

I’ll admit I was resistant. I had a firm idea in my head. A photo of Helen Grier to the right side of the cover was a must and no amount of time spent looking at other authors’ book covers was about to change my mind.

Except it did. Turns out my “unique” cover art idea was as common in the true crime lane as a white picket fence and a floppy-eared dog is in the cozy mystery world. Who knew? (Well, Cassie, probably.)

Amanda didn’t do much better. Her vision had started with a leaf-covered trail in the woods leading up to a remote cabin. The problem was, the cabin where Helen Grier had been murdered in 1937, while still standing, now had a lovely green metal roof. And using another cabin, or worse, trying to photoshop the one in existence, just didn’t feel authentic.

We kept searching. And then I stumbled upon this cover of BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS by Mandy Matney. The moment I saw it, I was reminded of a vintage black and white photograph, shared by the current camp owner, taken from the other side of Long Lake sometime in the 1930s.

I ran the idea by Amanda, willing her to love it too.

She did. The question was this: Could Cassie Amond make it work?

Cassie immediately saw our vision. She asked for photos of trees that surrounded the camp (supplied) and got to work on the cover.

So (drumroll please): here are the covers!

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

On October 28, 1937, at a remote cabin in the Algoma District of Northern Ontario, the body of 28-year-old Helen Grier was discovered by her lover, Vernon Spencer. The cause of death was a bullet to the brain.

A married father of two, Spencer, 43, was held as a material witness for 71 days before being charged with Helen’s murder. A gruelling six-day trial in Sault Ste. Marie followed. Vernon Spencer was acquitted after a scant three hours of jury deliberation.

Was the jury wrong? Did Vernon Spencer, former professional baseball player and Michigan dairy farmer, get away with murder? Could it have been someone local who dropped in to visit and found the pretty young brunette alone and vulnerable? Or is it possible, as was suggested by Spencer’s defence team, that it was Helen Grier who fired the fatal bullet?

You be the judge.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

A lifelong resident of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Amanda Capper is the author of A Bother of Bodies (as A. J. Capper), the first in her Maybe Mystery series. The second, A Devotion of Dads, as well as the re-release of A Bother of Bodies, is in progress for upcoming publication.

A prolific writer of short fiction, Amanda’s work can be found in Every Day Fiction, The Algomian,Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, and Crimeucopia presents Canadian Chronicles. Amanda is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and enjoys volunteering at The Royal Canadian Legion.

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the founder and owner of Superior Shores Press, which she established in February 2018.

Judy is a member of International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors, most recently as Chair. A native Torontonian, Judy now splits her time between Goulais River and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

A FATAL AFFAIR: THE MURDER OF HELEN GRIER will be published in trade paperback and e-book on October 28 2026, the 89th anniversary of Helen’s death. E-book pre-order available in select markets at www.books2read.com/afatalaffair. Print pre-order coming soon!