Tracy Tonkinson is a fellow Canadian author who has a deep love for history. In this interview she explains what drew her to write about late 19th century Chicago. We also discuss her character Drew McMillan, who made himself known to Tracy, and had such an effect on her, that she's now writing a second mystery series featuring this Pinkerton agent.

In the introduction I mention that podcast guest Cassidy Salem will have the next book in her Adina Donati series available next week. You can learn more about Dying for Data here.

You can find out more about today's guest, Tracy, and all her books on her website DiamondAndDoranMysteries.com. You can also find her on Facebook.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Tracy Tonkinson

Alexandra: Hi, Mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor, this is It's a Mystery podcast and I'm here today with Tracy Tonkinson. Hi, Tracy.

Tracy: Hi, Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

Tracy: Good, thank you.

Alexandra: Good, excellent, so let me introduce you to our listeners.

Tracy Tonkinson is the author of "Madman" and of "Poison," the first two books in her "Diamond And Doran Mystery Series," which follow rookie cop Arthur Diamond and the veteran sergeant Billy Doran as they clean up 19th century Chicago.

Also out soon is "Argent," which is the first book in the "Drew McMillan Case Files" series and this one follows the early career of Pinkerton agent, Drew McMillan.

Let's begin talking about Diamond and Doran.

Let's start by talking about Sergeant Billy Doran. Tell us a bit about him. He's an Irish Catholic living in Chicago.

Tracy: He is, yeah, and he's a 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Force and he's pretty much getting to the end of his rope with the job and he wants desperately to retire but the fly in the ointment is he's a widower with five daughters and they all need supporting at this point, so the job is not going anywhere any time soon.

We meet him at the point where he's just lost a very good friend and unfortunately he ends up being, what's the word you would use, I guess, encumbered with a rookie that he doesn't want, and the rookie is Arthur Diamond.

Alexandra: Right, and we'll come back to the loss that Billy has experienced in a few minutes.

Tell us a little bit too about Arthur Diamond and how he ended up in Chicago.

Tracy: Arthur Diamond was actually born in Toronto and he lived in Toronto until he was 10, where under very unfortunate circumstances, he lost his mother and for a couple of years he was floating around, pretty badly treated, and ran away at 12 to join the British Army. He found himself in the UK and joined as a boy soldier and then he ended up in the Sudan at a very important time in British history and Sudanese history and found himself the recipient of the Victoria Cross.