Marchant, Bessie: A Canadian Farm Mystery. v1. 4 Apr 2015
 

Bessie Marchant (1862–1941) was a prolific English writer of adventure novels featuring young female heroines. Marchant was born in Kent, and despite never leaving England herself, she wrote over 150 novels set in locations around the world. She wrote in the style of the Victorian adventure novel (even being called "the girls' Henty"), but challenged established gender roles by putting strong female characters in what was seen as a boys' genre.

Excerpt
The broken door of the shack was half-open. The dog was close to it now, creeping and creeping, as if ready for a spring. The purring sound had dropped to silence, and a minute passed which seemed to Pam as long as hours. Then came an awful, ear-splitting yell, as a lithe grey creature hurled itself out from the shattered door like an arrow from a bow straight at the dog. Pam heard a shriek of pure terror, yet had no idea that it was herself who had screamed. The dog swerved, the lithe grey thing hit the ground beside it, and then dog and the unknown fury were rolling over in the deadliest of combats.