Canadians are very polite — but they also commit murder. And those who think that mass homicides and wanton killings are recent phenomena in Canada should treat themselves to Fatal Intentions. Using contemporary accounts, Barbara Smith vividly recreates a number of murder cases from 1920s Nova Scotia to 1980s British Columbia.

Some, like the Boyd Gang adventures, are still remembered often inaccurately or romantically; others, like the murder of Flora Gray in Yarmouth, or the murder of twenty-three innocents in Quebec in 1949, can now be recalled by only a few. In some cases, the “truth” may exist only in dusty archives; in others, the truth may have gone to the graves of the victims — or the accused.

Robert Cook’s killing spree — all seven in his family — in Stettler, Alberta, will probably be recounted, locally, for generations. But, did he do it?

Toronto’s Boyd Gang boasted about hot cars and beautiful women — the stuff of folklore. And newspaper writers of that time were only too willing to add to the romantic tales.

The last woman to be hanged in Canada, her disabled brother, and his employer all went to the gallows — two for greed, one for lust.

These and other stories are part of our history — and often part of our folklore. They also can remind us that human nature doesn’t change easily, over decades or distances. Greed, lust, and other deadly sins can lead to fatal intentions, anytime, anywhere.

Barbara Smith was born and raised in Toronto and lived most of her life in Edmonton before settling in the Victoria area in 2006. Barbara is a full-time writer whose work is inspired by a love of mystery combined with her lifelong interest in social history. She has published over thirty books, twenty of which are collections of true ghost stories, including Campfire Stories of Western Canada, The Mad Trapper and perennial bestsellers Ghost Stories of Alberta, Ghost Stories and Mysterious Creatures of British Columbia, Ghost Stories of the Rocky Mountains and Canadian Ghost Stories. Barbara was also featured on the Discovery Channel's Hunt for the Mad Trapper.

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“Smith recreates the crimes as they unfolded, with all the drama, deception, gore and sordid details included.”

Barbara Smith