The Massey Murder
On Sale: 03/25/2014
The Massey Murder
On Sale: 03/25/2014
Format:
Toronto Book Award
RBC Taylor Prize
Ottawa Book Award for English Non-Fiction
OLA Evergreen Award
Heritage Toronto Book Award
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
About the Book
Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Non-Fiction
Winner of the Toronto Book Award
Winner of the CAA Lela Common Award for Canadian History
Winner of the Heritage Toronto Book Award
A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
Finalist for the RBC Taylor Prize, the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the Ottawa Book Award, the Libris Award, the OLA Evergreen Award
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—adapted into the Discovery Television miniseries Klondike—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.
Educator and Librarian Resources
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
Resources
Product Details
- ISBN: 9781443436427
- ISBN 10: 1443436429
- Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
- On Sale: 03/25/2014
- Pages: 336
- List Price:22.99 CAD
- BISAC1 : HISTORY / Canada / General