Book ~ "Blood Typed" (2026) Jane Doucet

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to the NOVA Prize gala dinner, where one Nova Scotian author will go home with the $100,000 grand prize ... unless they don't go home at all.

Val Jenkins is stuck. A journalist for the Halifax Post, she's been writing a local books column for over a decade. But ever since she was a precocious Nancy Drew wannabe, she's longed to cover the crime beat.

When the gala ceremony approaches for the annual NOVA Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Canada, Val anticipates more of the same old thing: authors in various interpretations of "formal" wear, hiding their simmering jealousies while dreaming of the life-changing prize money. But this year, something happens that no one could have expected.

Murder.

The off-beat cast of shortlisted authors each has their own secrets and grudges to hide: the well-published romance writer Sonya King; Victor Comeau, a narcissistic professor with delusions of grandeur; Sally MacPhee, a terminally ill writer who just wants to add "award-winning" to her bio; and Alexander Fitzgerald, a literary darling who has the Canada Revenue Agency on his back.

Rounding out the cast are an embittered editor with dreams of authorship, an octogenarian bookie with indigestion, a pair of homicide detectives hot on the case, and one nosy historical portrait. 

This story follows Val, a journalist for the Halifax Post who has spent years covering the local literary scene while hoping for the opportunity to report on crime. Val is assigned to cover the annual NOVA Prize gala, a prestigious Nova Scotia literary award with a $100,000 prize. The event brings together four shortlisted authors, judges, publishers, editors and other members of the province's literary community. Beneath the formal atmosphere, many of the attendees have personal rivalries, financial problems and professional grievances. 

During the gala, a murder interrupts the proceedings, turning the awards ceremony into a crime scene. As police investigate, Val begins gathering information on her own, hoping to prove she is capable of covering more than book news. Her inquiries reveal connections among the suspects and uncover hidden motives, past conflicts and long-held secrets within the literary community. 

I've read a few novels by this author and thought this one was okay. It's a quick read. I liked that it's set in Nova Scotia. It's written in third person perspective from a variety of characters. I thought the banter between Val and Kevin, her boss, was fun. As a head's up, there is swearing.