Customer Reviews

The Third Suspect: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Yellowknife's Mass Murderer (Anthologies)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought it was a good read. I was able to learn a great deal about a tough mining town and its people when they were torn apart by a violent mass murder, a labor strike, an inflexible capitalist and strong emotions on both sides.

It was interesting to read of the clever methods used by the RCMP to solve the case. On the other hand, the true details of the costly and lame defense, after the miner charged with the fatal blast was put on trial, was too much of a stretch for a jury or a reader to believe. The convicted's excuse was not logical, especially based on the independent and uncooperative nature of the man. It seemed a classic case of a person trying to "unexplain" himself after his own actions were incriminating.

As far as the cursing in the text, mentioned by another reviewer, the swearing was primarily taken from transcripts or police documents, so watering down the words would not have been honest. Frankly, it would not have given the true feel of the town or the situation if these earthy miners were speaking in the tones of choir boys.

Great true crime. A very interesting analysis of the RCMP work on a murder investigation.

A fantastic read about how a strike can turn men to do acts they would normally even contemplate.

If the book hasn't been made into a movie, it should be. It has everything of high drama. Not only does it give an intimate view of the Canadian legal, judicial justice and labour system, it tells a captivating and incredible story. My biggest problem with the book is gratitous use of the f*** word. While it may not be hard to fathom that hard rock miners from a territorial backwater can't complete a simple phrase without the f*** word or some derivative thereof, it is tough to imagine award winning journalists from Edmonton joining them.

But then again, maybe Canadian like American society, has sunk lower in the decade plus which I've lived in Japan. However, our Canadian friends can still feel smug. Our jury bought O.J. Simpson's frame-up story and Danny White's "Twinkie" defense. The Canadian jury couldn't swallow (pardon the pun, Bill Clinton) Roger Warren's limp impotence defense.

I lived in Yellowknife during the Giant Mine strike, the murder investigation and the trial. I can't describe to you in words how painful it was to live through such a thing. On one hand, the mine management was greedy and arrogant, treating the workers as if they were stupid cattle because they were uneducated; on the other, the union was incredibly spiteful and full of intense and unwarranted hate, especially towards the female CEO of the company, Peggy Witte. It was a clash between two very unlikeable forces, and the result -- the murder of nine men whose only crime was not to agree with the union bosses -- was devastating to both the city and the nation. And for the murderer to claim he killed nine men, leaving behind so many widows, orphans and bereaved parents, because being out of work made him impotent -- it just made me want to scream in fury.

How, then, could someone write such a dull book about the matter? "The Third Suspect" has no heart, no soul; it's nothing more than a dry recitation of facts. Perhaps some people do find it easier to read such an emotionally empty narrative of the strike, the murders, and the trial; I don't know. But I for one was deeply disappointed.

I don't recommend this book.