The Massey Murder
A Maid, Her Master And The Trial That Shocked, The
On Sale: 09/17/2013
The Massey Murder
A Maid, Her Master And The Trial That Shocked, The
On Sale: 09/17/2013
Format:
Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
CBA Libris Award for Non-Fiction
CAA Lela Common Award for Canadian History
British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction
Arthur Ellis Award for Non-fiction
Heritage Toronto Book Award
OLA Evergreen Award
Ottawa Book Award for English Non-Fiction
RBC Taylor Prize
Toronto Book Award
Arthur Ellis Award for Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing, Best Nonfiction - Winner
About the Book
A Globe & Mail 100 Selection and longlisted for the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize!
A scandalous crime, a sensational trial, a surprise verdict—the true story of Carrie Davies, the maid who shot a Massey
In February 1915, a member of one of Canada’s wealthiest families was shot and killed on the front porch of his home in Toronto as he was returning from work. Carrie Davies, an 18-year-old domestic servant, quickly confessed. But who was the victim here? Charles “Bert” Massey, a scion of a famous family, or the frightened, perhaps mentally unstable Carrie, a penniless British immigrant? When the brilliant lawyer Hartley Dewart, QC, took on her case, his grudge against the powerful Masseys would fuel a dramatic trial that pitted the old order against the new, wealth and privilege against virtue and honest hard work. Set against a backdrop of the Great War in Europe and the changing faceof a nation, this sensational crime is brought to vivid life for the first time.
As in her previous bestselling book, Gold Diggers—now in production as a Discovery Television miniseries—multi-award-winning historian and biographer Charlotte Gray has created a captivating narrative rich in detail and brimming with larger-than-life personalities, as she shines alight on a central moment in our past.
Critical Praise
“Canada’s pre-eminent historian. . . . A captivating read, balancing intense research with richly drawn characters and lively storytelling.” - Maclean’s
“Engaging. . . . Gray’s cast involves meticulously researched historical figures, whose behaviour she depicts with psychological insight. Narrated with a great sense of presence, irony, and verve, this book recreates a vanished world of Canadian jurisprudence and politics, invests it with life, and makes it memorable.” - The Globe and Mail
“An engrossing chronicle of Toronto’s social life at the beginning of the 20th century.” - Toronto Star
“Gripping and insightful . . . . Gray has managed to resurrect a devilishly intriguing character.” - Quill & Quire
In The Massey Murder, Gray shows real kindness and compassion, bringing a sense of humanity to a once-lurid tale from the tabloids.” - Winnipeg Free Press
Product Details
- ISBN: 9781443409230
- ISBN 10: 1443409235
- Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
- On Sale: 09/17/2013
- Pages: 336
- List Price:33.99 CAD
- BISAC1 : HISTORY / Canada / General
- BISAC2 : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General