Choosing Montreal as the main setting for my first mystery novel, False Impressions, couldn’t have been easier. It’s a city I know and love, and it also happens to be my hometown in La Belle Province of Quebec. You could say my book is a tribute to the decades I lived there.
Montreal is vibrant with social life, a sense of fashion, and an eclectic choice of restaurants. And yes, they have poutine! Whether it’s riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Old Montreal, enjoying the entertainment venues along Crescent Street, or visiting the top of Mount Royal overlooking downtown, there’s something for everyone.
I could go on at length about the things to do and see in this second-largest city in Canada. Instead I’ll share passages from False Impressions that portray some of the numerous facets of Montreal as interpreted through the eyes of Megan Scott, my main character:
“Montréal. The French aspect, along with the vast choices of stores, restaurants, nightlife, international sports, and art events were only some of the reasons this welcoming City of Festivals drew millions of tourists every year. This year was no exception. The sidewalks stirred with camera-toting pedestrians as diverse in cultural backgrounds as the city’s growing cosmopolitan makeup. Attired in shorts to saris, they peered at the displays in store windows along Sainte-Catherine Street, the primary commercial artery of downtown Montreal.”
“The Christ Church Cathedral loomed ahead. Its imposing neo-Gothic architecture was a sharp contrast to the glass veneer of surrounding office towers. Built under this historic site was Les Promenades Cathédrale—a modern shopping center and the ideal place to escape from the muggy heat.”
“Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Laurent. The fact that the streets at this renowned intersection were named after two saints was deceptive, if not paradoxical, given that they crossed in the heart of the city’s red light district. Prostitution ranked as old a tradition in Montreal as eating a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz’s, a steamy hot dog at the Montreal Pool Room, or poutine at LaFleur.”
“As a young child, I’d go shopping with my parents in the open-air Jean-Talon market near Little Italy where hundreds of fresh fruit and vegetable stands attracted throngs of buyers. We often stopped at one of the neighboring bakeries or cheese shops to purchase a special treat before heading back home.”
Nostalgia wasn’t the only reason that prompted me to use Montreal as the main setting in False Impressions. Its multicultural aspect, especially the predominant English and French factions, offered the perfect backdrop in which to set my scenes and have my characters interact. And interact they did!
No murder mystery is complete without the weather playing an active role in the setting. I chose summer because Montreal’s hot and humid climate mirrors the rising pressure my characters experience as the criminal investigation intensifies. Not to mention the extra heat that a touch of romance can generate!
Every location has unique characteristics. Even if we’ve never been there, we can fall in love with a place from just reading about it. Do you have a favorite setting and why?