I Told You! I'm Innocent!

It's the spring of 1937 and the small Canadian town of Chaseford is in an uproar. Bella Frankel, convicted of the murder of Louise Carter in 1928, has won her appeal and been released from prison. Though unwelcome, Bella claims she was falsely accused and is determined to make her home in Chaseford. Proctor Carter, her fiancé, is more than happy to comply, going so far as to renovate the cabin in the woods where his own sister was found murdered. And Louise Carter's restless spirit isn't happy about it! Everyone in town is talking about the scandal, but one person is doing something about it. How far will a person go to protect the ones they love?

As if the local controversy and accusations of police incompetence weren't enough to deal with, an illegal gambling house has been discovered on the outskirts of town. But Chief Petrovic and his constables, Jake, Peter, Jay, and Joel, with the assistance of their informant, Proofie, must proceed carefully with their investigation; the shadowy figure running the establishment is rumored to be a dangerous criminal mastermind and not above resorting to murder to achieve his nefarious ends. Fortunately, Inspector Simpson and his special London Police unit are more than happy to help.

The investigation might have gone nowhere if not for Joel's unique ability to contact 'essences'--what others might call ghosts or the spirits of the dead. Joel's afterlife informants turn up several useful leads and a series of revelations unfolds, resulting in a journey across Ontario to the quaint cottage community of Bala and a stratagem to catch the leader of the gambling den gang. With surprising results!

I Told You! I'm Innocent! is the sixth installment in the Joel Franklin Mystery series which began with Lightning at 200 Durham Street. Set in the small town of Chaseford in rural Ontario, Canada, this historical whodunit with overtones of the paranormal has a cast of recurring characters and harks back to the Golden Age of detective fiction. A real treat for readers of all ages.