Who Killed Janet Smith?

by Edward Starkins

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• ISBN: 0771592604
• ISBN13: 9780771592607
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: MacMillan of Canada
• Length: 348 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Well-written, meticulously researched, but no ending!

The question asked by the title is never answered, but nevertheless this is an excellent read. Although judging by the cover you might think you're getting a fictional murder mystery, in fact this book documents the writer's almost incredibly detailed investigations into a true-life crime mystery--the death in suspicious circumstances of a Scottish nanny in the high society of 1920's Vancouver, B.C.--and the hack-handed but nevertheless successful high-level cover-up which followed, involving police, politicians, elite families and the courts. Sadly, after all that work, the author leaves you guessing about who really did it! I ended with a strong suspicion against one of the characters (cherchez la femme), but the writer didn't seem to be trying to lead me that way--or any way. So was he worried about lawsuits, or did he really not work it out himself?The author also explores a couple of interesting side roads--the way Chinese immigrants were treated--and is excellent at presenting Vancouver society of the period. An interesting and insightful read, and a must for anyone with an interest in Canadian history and a reasonable tolerance for ambiguity.