As the old saying goes,
"You can pick your friends, but not your relatives." In tranquil
Northumberland County, Ontario, two families are well acquainted with
the grim truth of that innocuous-sounding expression. They are the
descendants of the first, and only, man executed in Northumberland's
history. In a sordid true-crime tale of poison and philandering in 1850s
Ontario, the respected Dr. William Henry King astonished the
countryside with the sinister murder of his wife and with his subsequent
attempts to evade justice. His capture and conviction were triumphs of
vengeful relatives and early forensic science. Dan Buchanan, a blood
relative of Dr. King's, grew up dogged by rumours of his ancestor s
bloody crime, but family shame and obfuscation left him with more
questions as time wore on. Now, based on original documents, breathless
reportage of the sensational King trial, and interviews held just after
the notorious hanging, Buchanan reconstructs the full tale of crime and
punishment, which shocked the province and has engendered speculation
for over a century and a half."
I want to be able to say that I loved this book, but I didn't. I had a
very hard time ready it. It just didn't feel like it flowed very well.
It had great information about the family, but that is all I can really
say.
No comments:
Post a Comment