Turnstone Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINNIPEG-Turnstone Press is pleased to announce that very soon, Americans everywhere will be avidly reading the adventures of the reluctantly violent ex-con-turned family man and day-care provider, Monty Haaviko. St. Martin's Press has bought the US rights to Michael Van Rooy's popular Ravenstone mystery titles, An Ordinary Decent Criminal (ODC) and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal (YFNC).

St. Martin's Press is one of the United State's largest publishers. SMP's Thomas Dunne Books division, which publishes mysteries and mainstream books, will have the first American edition of ODC on shelves in 2010 and YFNC in 2011. Future editions of the books will be published as trade paperbacks by Thomas Dunne's Minotaur imprint.

"I am thrilled by the opportunity to reach a larger audience and am ecstatic by the warm reception Monty is receiving," said Van Rooy. "The potential to reach an American audience with this quirky Canadian antihero is very exciting and I am looking forward to the next development."

"Turnstone Press is very pleased with the success Michael's book has had in Canada," said Associate Publisher, Jamis Paulson, "and we are positive that the American audience will enjoy Monty's adventures as much as we have."

In ODC, the first Monty Haaviko mystery, Monty has just settled in Winnipeg with his wife, baby son, and family dog, hoping for a fresh start after a long, dark past. However, a tangle with local hoods trying to break into his house brings him unwanted attention from a local crime boss and an egotistical police detective who makes it his mission to bring down the notorious criminal. Determined not to play along, Monty uses his agile criminal mind to stay out of trouble-in his own special way.

YFNC finds Monty attempting to set up a friendly neighbourhood daycare business. A human rights activist foils his plan to lay low and stay clean when she asks him to set up a route to smuggle refugees into the United States. The do-gooder's plans go off the rails when a local criminal tries to seize the route for her drug smuggling operation. Monty finds himself in a power struggle that quickly escalates into kidnapping, torture, and a daring, and explosive stand-off.

Due to the books' popularity, Turnstone Press is publishing a New Format edition of ODC this fall. Copies will be available at local book stores by the end of October. A third novel in the Monty Haaviko series is scheduled for publication in 2010 with a fourth in preparation for an as-yet-undetermined date.

Michael Van Rooy writes for documentaries, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. He won the 2006 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book, and the 2009 John Hirsh Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. He lives in Winnipeg with his wife and three children.


If you would like to arrange an interview with Michael, or for more information, please contact Christine Mazur, Marketing & Submissions Coordinator at Turnstone Press by phone at (204) 947-1556 or by email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Turnstone Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council, The Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, and the Department of Canadian Heritage through BPIDP.