John Ballem Q.C., LL.D

While John Ballem (1925-2010) was best known as a murder-mystery/thriller novelist, he was also a naval air force pilot, assistant professor, oil-industry specialist, and lawyer. 

John served as President of the Calgary Zoo. He went to Africa to put together a program entitled Diary of the Calgary Zoo, the first colour presentation for the CBC. There, he began to seriously consider writing fiction. His extensive travels took him to the ends of the earth – to the North Pole aboard a Russian icebreaker in 2005 and the South Pole in 2009.

John was a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta, Crime Writers of Canada, the Canadian Authors Association, the Probus Club of Calgary, and the Air Crew Association of Alberta: Southern Alberta Branch.

Novels

  • The Devil’s Lighter (1973)
  • The Dirty Scenario (1974)
  • The Judas Conspiracy (1976)
  • The Moon Pool (1978)
  • Sacrifice Play (1980)
  • The Marigot Run (1984)
  • Oilpatch Empire (1985)
  • Death Spiral (1989)
  • The Barons (1991)
  • Manchineel (2000)
  • Murder as a Fine Art (2002)
  • The Oil Patch Quartet (An Omnibus of four novels) (2005)
  • A Victim of Convenience (2006)
  • Murder On The Bow (2010)
  • Non-Fiction: The Oil and Gas Lease in Canada, 2nd edition, 1985; 4th edition, 2008
  • Poetry – Lovers & Friends, The Natural World (2000)

> Shop for John Ballem’s novels on Amazon.ca

Articles

Awards

  • Received an award from the Petroleum Law
    Foundation, 1973
  • Starving Romantic Poets Award, 1996
  • Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship,
    Canadian Bar Association and Law Society of
    Alberta, 2009

“People ask me how do the law and fiction work together. They work together very well – they sort of feed on each other.”