Blood in the Water

Blood in the Water is a stunning example of a true crime novel. The book covers the circumstances around the death of Phillip Boudreau in Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, where three (normally law abiding) citizens are accused of his murder. It is a very unusual case, as usually you would expect the local people to side with the victim, but here they all seem to give their support to the suspects - even creating petitions for their release on bail.

The account was so detailed, I doubt if you would have gained more information if you had actually been present at the trial. There was background information on everyone involved, looking at every point of view. The history of the area was covered going back hundreds of years, which built up a picture of the conditions at the time of the murder, and gave an idea of the mindset of the people living there. More importantly, this history ultimately showed why one particular phrase ‘murder for lobster’ had such a profound impact on the case.

I was particularly interested in the discussion about the different techniques used during the investigation to get to the truth (or force a confession), and also in the exploration into small island living. How a small, close-knit community dealt with conflict and the way they treated outsiders. It gave the impression that they were like one large family – relationships were complex, there was no privacy and disputes could become volatile, but at the same time, issues were easily forgotten. This all gave fantastic background into the reasons why the accused group pulled together to help each other out.

Blood in the Water is a reflection of a system where the police were not able to provide a suitable answer to an ongoing problem. This left the residents in a situation where eventually somebody was going to take matters into their own hands, regardless of the consequences. A fascinating and extremely detailed true crime account.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift Press for the opportunity to read an ARC.

As a fan of crime novels and true crime stories I was immediately drawn to the synopsis of this novel of a murder occurring in a small fishing community. With the tag line of the trial as 'Murder for Lobster' Silver Donald Cameron describes the events leading up to the murder (and beyond) with an unbiased eye and lets the reader know that this wasn't merely about lobster poaching but about a long history in the small community and the impact that was felt long after the trial had ended. A truly gripping read 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

This was a clear cut above the usual level of true crime - a genre which, of course, has produced some wonderful examples of transformative writing, especially in recent years, but there is a slushy and sensationalist level much of it sits at. Cameron takes the time not to hone in on what is gory or reductionist (murder for lobster), but has the knowledge to explore the circumstances around the murder with nuance, both horizontally - taking in a variety of different, kaleidoscopic perspectives - and vertically, back through the centuries until the local culture and understanding of legal process and justice makes sense. This approach has more chance of capturing 'reality' and 'truth' than most that seek to clearly grasp for it - Cameron is careful never to claim that he knows or can deliver this, but he so carefully works up the circumstances around the death of Phillip Boudreau that the reader is able to see that institutional justice can't do this, either.

I wanted to read this book as the story sounded so fascinating but on the other hand I hadn’t read any true crime books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was really impressed. This book is written so well, it brilliantly captures all sides of the story and manages to maintain an impartiality all the way through. The main part of the story follows the court case that followed the death of the victim but that is perfectly embedded in the context of the history of the community, and the families that live there, which was fascinating in itself. Come the end of this book I was actually quite moved as I could feel the sense of loss and the impact that the whole incident had had on the families and community involved.