Diana Van Geffen

Changes in the Mist Diana Van Geffen

It's 1986, and changes are coming to the misty shores of New Petrograd, BC, the Canadian village with the Russian history. The newest residents, June and Marvin Palmer, get surprising and welcome news-their daughter Shelley is coming home as Gaspar Rosso's bride! And with their impromptu wedding reception begins the busiest summer the village has ever seen. With its fascinating and unique past, New Petrograd has opened its doors as a living history museum, welcoming the public to experience the food, the costumes, and the traditions of its residents. Under Mary Ellen Filipova's capable management, summer staff come on board, and, in the midst of a flurry of building, she learns that New Petrograd may even become an excursion destination for a cruise line. But along with the influx of tourists and staff comes a perplexing mystery. Every shop in the village reports items missing-items that could mean the difference between success and financial failure. Could it be one of the summer staff? Or Bert, the new gardener who always has a proverb for the occasion? Or could it be a tourist-or worst of all, a new resident? Determined to find the answer before the village's reputation is shattered, Shelley Rosso sets the khaki cap of her 1917 Russian policewoman's uniform firmly on her head and opens an investigation. But with waves of tourists coming all summer for Russia Day, Canada Day, Family Day, and Labour Day, will she find the answer in time?