It is the spring of 1885 and the Northwest Rebellion has broken out. Amid the chaos of the Battle of Batoche, a grisly act leaves Reuben Wake dead. A Metis man is arrested for the crime, but he claims innocence. When Durrant Wallace, sergeant in the North West Mounted Police, begins his own investigation into the man’s possible motives, he learns there were many who wanted Wake dead. What Durrant uncovers is a series of covert conspiracies surrounding Metis leader and prophet Louis Riel. And, during the week-long intermission in Riel’s trial, he sets a trap to find Wake’s true killer.

The Third Riel Conspiracy is the second book in the Durrant Wallace Mysteries, a series of historical murder mysteries set during pivotal events in western Canada’s history.

Stephen Legault is a full-time conservation activist, writer, photographer, and organizational development consultant. He is the author of a number of historical and environmentally themed mysteries, including The End of the Line and The Third Riel Conspiracy, featuring Durrant Wallace, a sergeant with the North West Mounted Police in the late 1800s; The Slickrock Paradox, a Red Rock Canyon Mystery set in Utah's Canyonlands region; and The Vanishing Track and The Glacier Gallows, the most recent mysteries featuring Cole Blackwater, an environmentalist who finds himself solving crimes. Stephen is also the author of Carry Tiger to Mountain: The Tao of Activism and Leadership, which he wrote based on his experience using the Tao Te Ching as a guide to his lifelong work to protect wilderness and wildlife, and Running Toward Stillness, a meditation on Buddhist spiritual practice, running, and parenthood. He is currently working on new books of photography, essays on spirituality, and more mystery novels. He lives in Canmore, Alberta, with his wife, Jenn, and two children, Rio and Silas. Visit Stephen online at stephenlegault.com and follow him on Twitter at @StephenLegault.

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Legault is proving himself to be a writer with an ability to create increasingly complex story lines while at the same time taking readers deep into the history, politics and culture of the time, without sacrificing story. —Rocky Mountain Outlook

It is not easy for an author to blend fictional characters into historical fact, but Legault manages it very well . . . He has created a believable man for his time, a passionate believer in justice who will go to great lengths to ensure it. —Star Phoenix

A slick whodunit . . . It’s Legault’s excellent research that makes this novel work. Think Canadian history is dull? Think again. —The Globe and Mail

Stephen Legault tells about the story behind the story, and why The Third Riel Conspiracy was one of the hardest books he's ever written. Read the full piece from the Rocky Mountain Outlook

Stephen Legault has proven himself to be one of the most versatile writers currently working in Canadian crime fiction . . . [The Third Riel Conspiracy] offers sharp, uniquely West Coast perspective on some of the most important moments in early Canadian history. —National Post

A thoroughly researched history mystery with tension, fine storytelling, and a focus on some of the defining moments of Canada’s story, holding a mirror to the hardened reality that Canada’s political chicanery has deep roots into our national soul. —The Hamilton Spectator

The Third Riel Conspiracy