True crime stories are so often as good as any fictional story written today. A man is killed after many years of constant crime and disregard for his neighbors. The lack of action by those sworn to protect the public and preserve the community have placed these duties on the shoulders of the citizens. When these citizens take action, should they be treated as criminals or officials enforcing the law?

I enjoyed the writing style. This book lacked suspense and the pacing was very slow. This is an informative book but not very gripping

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

It's a true crime book based on a real-life situation. I like the way the author just goes all out with the background information and all TMIs. I like the book and enjoy it more than I thought.
Thanks to Netgalley for the copy!

This was unlike any other true crime novel I’ve ever read. Full of facts not only on the crime but on the history of the place where the crime was committed and the people who live there, as well as the voices of those who knew both the victim and the perpetrators, this book shows that not everything is as black or white as the law allows.

I’m super glad I got the chance to read this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Steerforth Press and Silver David Cameron for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

In his riveting and meticulously reported final book, Silver Donald Cameron offers a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing and its devastating repercussions.

Cameron’s searing, utterly gripping story about one small community raises a disturbing question: Are there times when taking the law into your own hands is not only understandable but the responsible thing to do?

In June 2013, three upstanding citizens of a small town on Cape Breton Island murdered their neighbor, Phillip Boudreau, at sea.

While out checking their lobster traps, two Landry cousins and skipper Dwayne Samson saw Boudreau in his boat, the Midnight Slider, about to vandalize their lobster traps. Like so many times before, the small-time criminal was about to cost them thousands of dollars out of their seasonal livelihood.

Boudreau seemed invincible, a miscreant who would plague the village forever. Meanwhile the police and local officials were frustrated, cowed, and hobbled by shrinking budgets.

One of the men took out a rifle and fired four shots at Boudreau and his boat.

Was the Boudreau killing cold blooded murder, a direct reaction to credible threats, or the tragic result of local officials failing to protect the community? As many local people have said, if those fellows hadn't killed him, someone else would have...

The storyline kept me glued to my Kindle through the whole book! I definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

An extremely well researched and wonderfully told about an incident that never should have happened. The author leaves us wondering whether we really knows what happened and "who done it".

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Well written true crime story of what happens when you take the law into your own hands. I never thought I would enjoy a book about the lobster industry, but this book was good.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Canada, a friendly nation, full of resilient and quirky individuals, has a long history of sea-faring fishermen. The maritime provinces are especially known for hardy people with strong family and friendship ties to the small communities that dot its shores.This book tells the disturbing tale on one community, a terrible crime and the background of individuals involved. It raises questions about the community policing and the way an island community keeps secrets. The background on the methodology of crime solving and law should have been presented first, in my opinion, as a foundation for the dialogue depicting the suspects, crime committed and the lawless victim who contributed to his own demise. Overall, interesting and sad true crime story. Note: film on the crime is currently featured on Amazon prime.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book captivating, so well-written and compassionate. A brilliant account of a crime. Recommended.

Should a true-crime recounting of a murder ever be “enjoyable?” And if so, how can one aptly describe an experience as pleasurable when it involves death?

This is the Catch-22 when it comes to books like Silver Donald Cameron’s Blood in the Water. Like the true-crime book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, Blood in the Water is filled with a collection of amusing people and circumstances in such a way that the recounting of a murder and the subsequent trial is both compelling and amusing at times.

Blood in the Water is similar to watching a short video clip of a person’s mishap that at first appears to be innocently humorous until the realization that the mishap was actually pretty serious.

Another way to describe Cameron’s book would be to imagine a blending of Berendt’s book, the historical background of Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, with the quirkiness of the Netflix documentary The Legend of Cocaine Island.

In June of 2013, three Acadian fishermen of Petit de Grat, Isle Madame, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, fed up with the habitual and decades-long criminality of Philip Boudreau, decide it is time to take matters into their own hands and end up killing Boudreau while he is vandalizing their lobster cages.

Through descriptions, Boudreau is almost able to be imagined as a real-life gadfly and troublemaker similar to the fictional character Ernest T. Bass from the classic television series The Andy Griffith Show, but only in a more serious and dangerous way. For decades, Boudreau was not only known for minor acts of misbehavior, but much more serious ones such as threatening to burn down the homes of people if they complained, which also included threats to law enforcement personnel if they took action against his acts of criminality.

Boudreau also bore a duality of either being liked and tolerated or intensely despised for his behavior.

In dealing with not only the murder and subsequent trial, like Keefe’s Say Nothing, Cameron provides an in-depth, but accessible history of the Acadian people of the region and of their culture. For example, unlike the legal system of the United States being largely guided by legal precedents and original foundations, the legal system of this region has been allowed to modify by accepting how the changes in culture and society are dynamic and ever-changing, and such evolution should be taken into account in legal matters.

Cameron’s examination of Acadian society allows the reader to fully grasp the uniqueness of the region and its citizens, which adds to the complexity of how difficult it was to curtail Boudreau’s behavior, especially when people were worried about their homes being burnt to the ground with them in them. Acadians are very community-oriented, forgiving, and with a practice of helping neighbors in need while in a community where doors are not locked at night or when people are not in their homes.

Blood in The Water is recommended to fans of true crime novels with legal matters and well-researched backgrounds.

Netgalley provided a copy of Blood in the Water with the promise of a fair review.

This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspence.com.

In June 2013, three men killed a neighbour. This neighbour, however, was no angel himself. But did he deserve to die? And how did things get to the point where this ended up as a solution? I found this book really interesting. It didn’t just cover the killing, but it talked about the Acadian community and the history of the area, all of which had an impact on how the community worked together. I also really enjoyed the interviews with the locals. It really felt like the author had taken the time to talk to a variety of different people, which meant it felt like a balanced portrayal of the parties involved. I do believe it also helped that he’d lived in the area a time, and so he was able to really tease out the differences between a murder in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia and a murder in a big city. This isn’t a book where you necessarily put it down with the feeling justice has been done. As I finished it, it was easy to see how everybody had been let down. The killers had tried time and again to get help to protect their families and livelihood, only to be told there was nothing to help. The victim had been let down by a system that didn’t seem to be concerned with helping him. Was justice done? Read and decide for yourself.

This was a well-written crime novel, but became a little heavy on the history of the towns, details on industries, and other (un)related backgrounds. For me, that made the story drag a bit more than I would've preferred. It felt like filler when the story couldn't been moved along quicker.

I appreciated the multiple view points; it's often hard to understand both sides of a story from a neutral starting point. And it made me question assumptions and what I would do in a similar situation, always the mark of a thought-provoking read.

I’ve read many true crime books and tend to gravitate toward small town murder investigations. This book read more of a historical recap or a biography to me. There was a lot of detailed information on the location and and the lore of the area as well as a deep dive into the community & societal development which I found very interesting.

Well Crafted And Immersive…
Fascinating account of a true crime. Is taking the law into your hands ever the right thing to do? It happens. Well crafted and immersive reading which effectively captures equal sides of this occurrence. Both moving and emotional.

This was an interesting read, but not as true crime unfortunately. There's not a lot of suspense around the crime as we know pretty much from the start what happened. Once I came to piece with that knowledge I knew that I would read anyway because Cameron is a great storyteller.
I found Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes a fascinating and thought-provoking read,
An in-depth account of small town murder and raises the question ; can such actions ever be justified?It is an examination of the limits of societies and the limits of any legal or justice system.
Highly readable, this story should interest many espacially those who want to know more about ins and outs in the courtroom.

Blood in the Water is a gripping true crime story by the late Silver Donald Cameron that tells the tale of the murder of Phillip Boudreau near Isle Madame,nova Scotia. Boudreau was a bully and a nuisance who plagued his small community for most of his life until being shot dead on June the 1st 2013. While to some he was a loveable rogue who would help anyone, that was outweighed to most by his constant thieving and thuggery. He ran riot ,taunting his victims and never found the jail sentences he served any incentive to change his ways.
On the fateful day he pushed his luck too far and being caught red-handed he was shot at by local fisherman,chased....and was never seen seen again.
Inevitable comparisons will be made between this book and the classic "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. Cameron takes an in-depth view of the community plagued by Boudreau ,the events that led up to his killing and the rare situation of many people having more sympathy with the perpetrators of a murder than the victim.
An excellent read for true crime buffs.

I am not as familiar with Canadian true crime stories, so this book was my first exposure. It was a fantastic read! I am saddened to hear that it is his last book. The overall question this book addresses is "is it okay to take the law into your own hands?" While I would never advocate for committing murder, or crime period, I could see why the events unfolded in the manner they did. Cameron did lay the background very well, and I was engaged from the first page.

Well written crime novel. I was interested from beginning to end. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this read.

This is really interesting! Silver Donald Cameron really captures the essence of Isle Madame from its people to its culture and highlights everything that led to the tragedy with Philip Boudreau. He masterfully captures the timeline of events and explores them in detail in exquisite writing that really envelops the reader and makes them feel like an Isle Madame resident.