Media
Operation Wormwood
Helen C. Escott speaks with VOCM's Brian Maddore about her new novel, Operation Wormwood
A Newfoundland and Labrador Crime Thriller
An elderly man is carried into the emergency department of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s, setting off a chain of events that leaves doctors mystified. He is the first of many victims suffering from severe nosebleeds and excruciating pain. Dr. Luke Gillespie and Nurse Agatha Catania investigate their symptoms but are unable to diagnose them. The only thing they have in common is Sgt. Nicholas Myra, an investigator with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
Dr. Gillespie and Sgt. Myra join forces to solve this twisted mystery. But the story takes a critical turn when Sister Pius, a nun from Mercy Convent, informs them about Wormwood: a disease she believes is created by God to kill perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. Wormwood becomes an international media storm when parish priest Father Peter Cooke holds a news conference on the steps of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and announces that God has unleashed a plague upon the earth.
Is God truly punishing these criminals, or is a serial killer targeting them? Dr. Gillespie and Sgt. Myra race to find answers, while the Roman Catholic hierarchy starts bringing people back to the Church in droves . . . by cashing in on what it claims to be a miracle.
https://www.flankerpress.com/product/...
The Write Project Podcast - Helen Escott, author of Operation: Wormwood
The Write Project Podcast - Helen Escott, author of Operation: Wormwood
Operation Vanished book launch interview
VOCM Radio, August 4, 2019Radio/Podcast
Helen C. Escott continues her one-woman crime spree in the literary world with the release of Operation Vanished: A fictional investigation into missing and murdered females in the 1950s and why the cases were never solved.
In the 1950s, three young women in rural Newfoundland were sexually assaulted, beaten and murdered. Their killers were never caught. During the same time period an eight-year-old girl disappeared. Her body was never found.
In 2018, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Major Crime Unit executed Operation Vanished, a special task force whose duty was to solve the historical murders of these women and the missing child.
RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton has just transferred into the Major Crime Unit. As its newest investigator, she is given a stack of missing and murder files dating back to the 1950s. These crimes prove to be a challenge to investigate as most of the witnesses have died or have aged, memories have faded, scenes were not secured to today’s standards, and DNA testing was not available at the time.
Corporal McNaughton befriends Larry Morgan, an expert on Newfoundland and Labrador history who is also the son of one of the murdered women. Together they put together a list of suspects and begin to dig up ghosts from the past. The investigation is hampered by the local belief in fairy culture and McNaughton’s own PTSD as she delves further into the details. She discovers that the files may be linked and sets out to prove her theory that a serial killer had been operating in rural Newfoundland and Labrador when these crimes were committed.
Helen C. Escott’s first novel, Operation Wormwood, was a top five finalist for the 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards, Best First Crime Novel, by the Crime Writers of Canada. Both Operation Vanished and Operation Wormwood, published by Flanker Press, are available at: Costco, Chapters, and Coles. Also, online at indigo.ca Apple – itunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. National and international orders can be placed by calling 1-866-739-4420 ext. #22 or you can send e-mail eoldford@flankerpress.com
The Write Project Podcast - Helen Escott, Author, Part Two
Memorial University Radio, August 30, 2018Radio/Podcast
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fowgSH3va-E
Helen C. Escott takes you on a thrill ride through the oldest city in North America. Where historical landmarks become clues and every name has two meanings. It’s an interactive crime thriller that will have you researching what’s real and what’s not. Never take a chapter at face value. You’ll have to read Operation Wormwood twice - once to get the story, and again to uncover the hidden secrets in each chapter.
An elderly man is carried into the Emergency Department setting off a chain of events that leave you guessing until the end. He is the first of many victims suffering from severe nose bleeds and excruciating pain. Dr. Luke Gillespie and nurse, Agatha Catania investigate their symptoms but are unable to diagnose them.
The only thing they have in common is, Sergeant Nicholas Myra, an investigator with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
Gillespie and Myra join forces to solve this twisted mystery. The story takes a critical turn when Sister Pius, a Nun from Mercy Convent, informs them about Wormwood: a disease she believes is created by God to kill pedophiles.
Wormwood becomes an international storm when parish priest, Father Peter Cooke, holds a news conference on the steps of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist announcing that “God has unleashed a plague upon the earth.”
Is God truly unleashing his wrath on child molesters or is a serial killer targeting them? Dr. Gillespie and Sgt. Myra race to find answers as the Catholic hierarchy cashes in on the miracle that is bringing people back to the church in droves.
Just when you think you know who the killer is, this fast paced, intelligent thriller will shock you when you reach the unpredictable stunning conclusion.
Helen Escott says her brother was taken advantage of by those who prey on people with mental illness
VOCM Radio, April 15, 2019Radio/Podcast
Welcome to MINDBODYSOUL. We have a very simple mandate: TO PROVIDE OUR LISTENERS WITH HELPFUL ADVICE, DIRECTION, and A VEHICLE to help you with issues regarding your mental, physical and spiritual well being. MIND BODY SOUL with Gary Summers Sundays at 1:30 pm is about YOU and what you can do to create a balanced life. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it. This show is about the 90% and how to best cope with stress. Gary’s promise is to provide you with guidance so you can make an informed decision on what path to take. MIND BODY SOUL includes thought provoking interviews with experts in the field of mental, physical and spiritual health. It discusses every aspect of our life’s that cause anxiety and stress that leads to imbalance and mental fatigue.
Listen with an open mind. Be open to the possibility of a better life. Just because you have not found the answer does not mean it DOES NOT exist, you just have not looked in the right place. Maybe this is the place! Gary believes there are solutions to every problem.
Joan Sullivan: Helen C. Escott’s ‘Operation Wormwood’ is one heck of a thriller
The Telegram, September 15, 2018Print
On a foggy St. John’s night, two men enter the emergency room of the Health Sciences Centre. They could be a father and son, the young man supporting his elderly dad who is clearly in distress. But they aren’t. They are a priest and archbishop. Father Horan has finally persuaded his superior, Archbishop Keating, to seek medical aid.
For months Keating has been suffering from physical pain, nosebleeds, and a great thirst — he longs for water but can’t drink it and protests it’s actually vinegar. These symptoms have now escalated to a crisis point.
Dr. Luke Gillespie and Agatha Catania, the ER nursing supervisor, together try to assess and diagnose the patient. “The archbishop began to come to and broke into a heavy cough. His throat was dry. He could not catch his breath, and his head fell forward. Horan put his arm under the archbishop’s shoulders and lifted him to open his airways. Without notice, he broke into a harder cough that came from the pit of his belly. Suddenly, blood spewed from his nose, splattering his chest. He coughed again, and the blood flew through the air.”
The situation is distressing and urgent. Different clusters of symptoms suggest various disorders, but tests are inconclusive. Morphine, administered in increasing dosages, keep the patient quiet for intervals, but the pain and bleeding always return, while the thirst remains unquenchable.
Then a second patient, this time a child psychiatrist, is admitted, displaying the same tortuous features. And this brings Sgt. Nicolas Myra of the Child Exploitation Unit of the RNC on the scene. For the two patients share more than the excruciating manifestations. They are both accused of repeatedly hurting children.
Soon, more cases appear, and, when Gillespie arranges a video conference with some mainland Canadian counterparts, he finds they’re not isolated to this province. The markers of the affliction are always the same, and the shadow of terrible crimes seems communal to its victims. Is someone poisoning these suspects? Can there really be an illness that only strikes such perpetrators? And, if so, can that be seen as a punishment for a grievous sin – nothing less than a sign from God?
Father Peter Cooke believes so, and is prepared to bring this message to his flock – globally. Gillespie, still searching for medical connections and leads, drawn between what he can know and what he increasingly senses, doesn’t know what to make of it. And Nick is adamant in pursing any and all criminal leads.
One of which is the aliment’s nickname: Wormwood. It’s in reference to the Biblical Book of Revelations – “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. Our brothers conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to their lives even in the face of death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
Novelist Helen C. Escott has created a crux that is one heck of a thriller, if a slightly queasy one. The plague, if that’s what it is, is graphically unpleasant. As for its casualties, they seem irredeemable. So, where do the reader’s sympathies lie? What are the stakes to solving this mystery? It’s a quandary shared by the characters – what should Luke and Agatha and Nick do, if the situation is what Father Cooke swears it is?
The plot has momentum, although it is periodically stalled by lapses in plausibility. For one example, that such a disease would be extant and affecting so many people not just provincially but far outside a small geographic boundary without attracting media attention and a more seriously a co-ordinated medical response seems unrealistic. Sometimes characters slip into odd poses, smirking or chuckling at jarringly-timed moments, or affecting a disbelief which seems strangely unsophisticated. And, this is a pet peeve, but it should have been edited: “never” doesn’t mean “didn’t,” as in “Father Cooke never took his intense stare off the crowd the whole time he spoke.”
Still, “Operation Wormwood” has drive.
“Gillespie had a heavy heart. ‘What have we stumbled on?’ “‘Pandora’s box, I think,’ answered Nick.”
Writing World: Helen Cleary Escott
Newfoundland Herald, October 2, 2018Print
URL: https://nfldherald.com/writing-world-helen-cleary-escott/
Author Helen Cleary Escott shares the dark, yet touching, motivation behind her latest creation, Operation Wormwood
===
Helen Cleary Escott is known for her Blog I’m Funny Like That. Later turned into a book of the same name, Escott seemed to take her light-hearted thoughts on the mundane and captured them to the delight of readers in search of a chuckle.
But, as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Newfoundland author’s book offers new strategy for Roman Catholic Church
The Telegram, October 18, 2018Print
URL: https://www.northernpen.ca/living/nl-authors-book-offers-new-strategy-for-rc-church-251057/
Helen Cleary Escott says if church doesn’t admit its mistakes and deal forcefully with sexual abuse scandals, its downfall will continue
I am Funny Like That
by Helen C. Escott
Bookbaby
September 12, 2017
148357816X
Escott has a unique perspective on life and a funny way of looking at it. From wearing granny panties to Brazilians to capturing the essence of a moment in a person''s life. Escott will make you laugh out loud and feel better about yourself. She is the best friend you have always wanted and the life of the party. You will be glad you invited her into your life.
Operation Vanished
by Helen C. Escott
Flanker Press
July 15, 2019
9781771177511
In 2018, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary executed Operation Wormwood, an investigation into a mysterious disease that targeted some of the worst criminals this province has ever seen.
At the same time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were executing Operation Vanished, a special task force whose duty was to solve the historical murders of women and children.
RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton has just transferred into the Major Crime Unit. As its newest investigator, she is given a stack of missing and murder files dating back to the 1950s. These crimes prove to be a challenge to investigate: most of the witnesses have died or aged, memories have faded, scenes were not secured to today’s standards, and DNA testing was not available at the time. Corporal McNaughton befriends Larry Morgan, an expert on Newfoundland and Labrador history who is also the son of one of the murdered women. Together they put together a list of suspects and begin to dig up ghosts from the past. McNaughton discovers that the files may be linked, and she sets out to prove her theory that a serial killer had been operating in rural Newfoundland when these crimes were committed.
Praise for Helen C. Escott
“Operation Vanished is the epitome of what an author can achieve with the knowledge and skill to back up their work. Expertly plotted and perfectly executed, Operation Vanished is the missing-persons thriller to end all missing-persons thrillers and a massive achievement for author Helen Escott.” — Matthew LeDrew, author of Cinders
“Operation Wormwood is one heck of a thriller.” — The Telegram
Helen C. Escott’s first novel, Operation Wormwood, was a top five finalist for the 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards, Best First Crime Novel, by the Crime Writers of Canada.
Operation Wormwood
by Helen C. Escott
Flanker Press
July 12, 2018
1771177071
A Crime Thriller:
An elderly man is carried into the emergency department of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, setting off a chain of events that leaves doctors mystified. He is the first of many victims suffering from severe nosebleeds and excruciating pain. Dr. Luke Gillespie and Nurse Agatha Catania investigate their symptoms but are unable to diagnose them. The only thing they have in common is Sgt. Nicholas Myra, an investigator with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Dr. Gillespie and Sgt. Myra join forces to solve this twisted mystery. But the story takes a critical turn when Sister Pius, a nun from Mercy Convent, informs them about Wormwood: a disease she believes is created by God to kill perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. Wormwood becomes an international media storm when parish priest Father Peter Cooke holds a news conference on the steps of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and announces that God has unleashed a plague upon the earth. Is God truly punishing these criminals, or is a serial killer targeting them? Dr. Gillespie and Sgt. Myra race to find answers, while the Roman Catholic hierarchy starts bringing people back to the Church in droves . . . by cashing in on what it claims to be a miracle.
2019 - One of top 5 Finalist - Arthur Ellis Awards Shortlist for Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing - Best First Crime Novel
Biography
Helen C. Escott is an award-winning, bestselling Canadian author published by Flanker Press.
Her Operation crime thriller series has been both short-listed and won awards including the Silver Medal – Best Regional Fiction at the 24th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards for Operation Vanished. She has just released her sixth novel and the fourth in the Operation series: Operation Trafficked.
Escott is a retired Civilian Member of the RCMP was the communications lead on high-profile events including the RCMP’s NL response on the September 11th terrorist attacks. She wrote and implemented the Atlantic Region Communication Strategies to combat organized crime and outlaw biker gangs, created a Media Relations course and taught it in several provinces as well as at the Canadian Police College, Ottawa. She also served as a communications strategist at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Before joining the RCMP Helen C. Escott worked in the media for 13 years.
In 2017 she was presented with the CLB Governor and Commandants Medallion in recognition of her achievements of excellence in volunteering and fundraising work, including creating the idea and concept for the Spirit of Newfoundland dinner theatre, “Where Once They Stood.”
In 2019 she was presented with the Governor General's Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.
Helen C. Escott web page https://www.helencescott.com/
Novels written by Helen C. Escott:
Operation Wormwood: A top five finalist for the 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards, Best First Crime Novel, by the Crime Writers of Canada. The first novel in the Operation series, this crime thriller was published in August 2018. It was on Indigo’s bestsellers list from August to December 2018 and remains a strong seller.
Operation Vanished: Was awarded a Silver Medal – Best Regional Fiction at the 24th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. It was released in August 2019.
The Reckoning: On the Day of Reckoning, everyone is called to account for their actions. The bestselling conclusion to Operation Wormwood. With her razor-sharp writing and inside police knowledge, Helen C. Escott delivers a fast-paced, dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest Canadian crime thriller authors.
Operation Trafficked: In her most thrilling novel to date, bestselling, award-winning author Helen C. Escott takes you on a lightning-paced, chillingly current, criminal investigation that is surprising at every twist and completely unpredictable right up to its astonishing conclusion.
In Search of Adventure- 70 Years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador. Named one of the top memoirs in Atlantic Canada it took two years of research and interviewing Veterans to put together this comprehensive collection of personal stories.
I am Funny Like That (Engen Books): This is the author’s memoir of personal stories and anecdotes exploring the funny side of life. The book consists of laugh out loud, humorous short observational essays based on Escott’s life as a mother, wife, and crime writer.
Author website: https://www.helencescott.com/
Recognition/Reconnaissance
Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers | Professional
COGNITION HAPPENS HERE
Passion, dedication and a commitment to community are the driving forces behind the volunteers who receive the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
The medal recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields and pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers. They embody the caring country we aspire to build.
Past Talks
Book launch for Operation Vanished
Operation Vanished Book Launch
Chapters, Kenmount Road, St. John's, NL, August 14, 2019
Testimonials
Easily one of the most discussion-worthy pieces of Newfoundland literature in the last decade.