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Read what really happened on the night of February 3, 1916, when a fire destroyed the Canadian Parliament Buildings more...
What really happened that fateful night when a fire destroyed the centre block of the Canadian Parliament building? more...
My suspense novel is set mostly in between December 1915 and February 1916, with some excursions to New York City and London, England more...
- Ottawa
I just l loved the style and the tone used in the advertisement pamphlet For Tourists and Sportsmen published by the Russell Hotel to promote their hotel and Ottawa more...
- Old Centre Block - Parliament Hill (pre 1916)
At the time, it was one of the largest construction projects in North America. The final cost was about $1.7 million. There were criticisms that the buildings would be far too big for such a small country more...
- Rideau Hall
During the period in my novel Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence, would reach the height of its glory as the centre of political and social life in Ottawa more...
- Château Laurier
The Château Laurier is one of the key settings in Fire on the Hill. It is where we first meet German agent Count Jaggi where we first meet German agent Count Jaggi as he is writing his reports in invisible ink, more...
- Russell House Hotel
In my novel, Count Jaggi stayed at the Russell House Hotel when a room was not available at the Château Laurier. The Russell was also considered an ideal spot for romantic encounters romantic encounters more...
Take a tour of the original Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament Buidlings before it was destroyed by a fire on Feb 3, 1916. more...
Explore the fictional and historical characters in the Canadian WW1 historical suspense novel Fire on the Hill. more...
Main Fictional Characters
- Chief Inspector Andrew MacNutt
“No” is the first thing you hear when you first meet Inspector MacNutt in the novel. Prime Minister Borden is quite adamant in his refusal more...
- Katherine MacNutt
Katherine’s first meeting with Count Jaggi was inauspicious. She handed him a white feather of cowardice not realizing that he was the newly arrived Belgian Relief more...
- Sergeant Lacelle
Staff Sergeant Lacelle of the Dominion Police is not fond of typewriters, especially the replacement ribbons and carbon paper that stain his hand black on a daily basis more...
- Count Jaggi
I know what you are words every spy dreads. It means your cover has been blown. But these are the first words that Katherine MacNutt says more...
- Hans Müller
As a fixer, Hans Müller has his work cut out for him. His first clandestine meeting with was in Times Herald Square, where more...
- Mrs. Ramsey
Mrs. Ramsey is the dragon-lady that everyone dislikes and fears. Katherine MacNutt takes her with a grain of salt, but her husband, more...
Main Historical Characters
- Governor General of Canada
Royal Higheness Duke of Connaught
- Henri Bourassa
“To his enemies, who became many and whom he made more than welcome in his enmity, he had the dark and glinting look to Mephistopheles more...
- Sam Hughes
“There is only one feeling as to Sam, that he is crazy,” wrote Sir George, deputy prime minister in his diary more...
- Sir Arthur Percy Sherwood
“I heard a few days ago about Bennett probably taking a prolonged holiday. I think it is a good thing. I wish I could the same...” more...
- Inspector Thomas J. Tunney
The arrest of German spy Paul Koenig by Inspector Thomas J. Tunney is when we first meet the head of the New York City more...
- Captain Franz von Papen
Captain Franz von Papen is not happy to see Count Jaggi and is not in the mood to be cooperative more...
- Captain Karl Boy-Ed
Captain Karl Boy-Ed is cautious when he first meets Count Jaggi to brief him on the various covert operations that he has been running more...
- Paul Koenig
We see only Paul Koenig once, when he is arrested byInspector Tunney of the New York City’s Bomb Squad for being a German spy more...
Background information on the Canadian war effort during WW1 more...
Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
- Fenian Raids
After the American civil war, between 1868 and 1871, the Fenian Brotherhood mounted a number of raids into Canada more...
- Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
By December 1915, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in France had grown to three divisions more...
- The Ross Rifle
“The hasty condemnation by the War Office in 1902 marks the beginning of a controversy which lasted for a quarter of a century; in Canada few topics received so much attention...” more...
- Medical care of Canadian casualties in WW1
In the novel I portray Katherine MacNutt and the woman’s Canadian Club of Ottawa raising funds for a nine bed ward at the Sir Sandford Fleming Convalescent Home on Chapel St. more...
- Canada’s first submarines - CC1 & CC2
How Canada acquired her first submarines is actually a fascinating tale of suspense, intrigue, hysteria, greed, and comic opera. more...
Home Front
- Belgian Relief
In the novel, one of the key storylines is the Ottawa Belgian Relief Committee, where the main characters Katherine MacNutt and Count Jaggi meet more...
- The Home Front
In my novel I tried to portray the many facets of life on the home front during the First World War. Some were quite amusing, like: December ads for Harley-Davidson motorcycles more...
- Women and war effort
I tried to reflect some of the changes in the role of women during the war. Most of the women in the novel, such as Katherine MacNutt and Mrs. Ramsey, more...
- The Ottawa Women's Canadian Club
Without organized effort, without the turmoil of a national conflict, without any special stirring of political life or feeling, the steady growth of Canadian Clubs throughout Canada has, more...
- The Memorial Cross (Silver Cross)
The Memorial Cross, commonly known as the Silver Cross, is a medal that no one really wants. Receiving the medal means that you have a lost a love one in the service of Canada more...
- White Feathers
The handing out of white feathers to men on the street to encourage enlistment in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), as Katherine MacNutt did more...
- Winterlude
Only one skating scene, where Inspector MacNutt puts on his skates to cool off after a chance encounter with Mrs. Ramsey, made it into my novel. I had to delete a second scene where Katherine MacNutt and the Count Jaggi meet at a skating party more...
Background information on spying and and counter-intelligence agencies in Canada and the United States during WW1 more...
- Dominion Police
1868 - 1920
When I was conducting research for my novel, I didn’t realize that Canada had a Secret Service that was part of the Dominion Police. Also, it was actually running investigations and counter-intelligence operations more...
- British Intelligence - New York City
You will see very little of British intelligence in Fire on the Hill. However, I do make some passing references to Captain Guant and Sir William Wiseman who ran British counter intelligence in New York City more...
- American Intelligence - New York City
A fair amount of the action takes place in New York City, since my fictional German spy character Count Jaggi was ordered there by Berlin more...
- German Intelligence - New York City
In Fire on the Hill I have German secret agent Count Jaggi reporting, as did military attachê Captain von Papen, to Major Walter Nicolai, the director of German military intelligence, Abteilung IIIb. more...
- Secret Writings & Invisible Ink
Count Jaggi writing his reports to Berlin using secret writing and invisible ink is one of the key plot points in the novel. This would eventually lead to his eventual discovery as a secret agent. more...
A brief bio of the author, Frank Rockland more...
Where you can buy the suspense novel more...