As women go missing and the small village of Chester, Nova Scotia, grapples with murder after murder, domestic violence is at an all-time high.

There’s only one common theme. The men charged with assaulting their girlfriends and wives belong to a secret club called the ‘Wednesday Night Whites’.

But who’s running the show?

Bookstagram Tour: 18th – 24th May 
Genre: Crime | Mystery 
Pages: 360
Publisher: Her Island Press

The police are overwhelmed and the scant evidence they have is circumstantial; not even enough to lay a charge.

When famed Nazi-hunter, Padraig Cassidy, moves to the village, the terrified residents believe he’s their only hope. And so Padraig begins the most dangerous investigation of his career.

As violence escalates, Padraig—and a group of trusted colleagues—begin to unravel secrets that threaten to destroy them all. 

My Review

I hardly know where to start. When I got to the end I thought ‘what the hell did I just read?’ It’s deep and meaningful with the focus on vulnerable women and white supremacy, but it’s also quirky and rather strange at times. So did I guess the abductor and alleged killer of the missing women? No I didn’t. I had my own theory (which I’m rather proud of to be honest) but I can’t say any more as it might give too much away.

There is another major twist, which I wasn’t that keen on – a bit too far-fetched for me – but it didn’t distract from my enjoyment. The whole book is so fast-paced that I just kept reading and reading.

Lawyer Zale, who like her boss Crandel Christmas is ‘Indigenous’ – I had to look that up, but I’m not going to explain as I’m sure I’ll get it wrong – is being stalked by fellow lawyer Ruben Hollywood, who believes himself to be the grandson of Heinrich Himmler. He’s a nasty piece of work, who considers it his right to be superior to women and non-whites. He’s quite scary but in fact his childhood is even scarier.

As well as Crandel and Ruben, there is a third partner at Christmas, Hollywood and Bear. His name is Jamie Bear, and he also had a terrible childhood. He’s rather an unattractive specimen (not that he can help it), whose wife Dahlia dotes on him for some unknown reason, but each to their own I suppose.

Crandel’s wife Carolyn blames herself for the kidnapping of their only child Aponi, yet they still live together, even though they hardly speak to each other. It’s very sad.

Then we have poor Nora, who lives with her abusive husband Earle in the middle of nowhere, and their ‘adopted’ child.

That’s all I can say really. Just be assured that it’s one of the best books I have read in a long time, totally different and absorbing, with a message that runs through it, and it is very relevant in our current climate of racism and misogyny.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #WedenesdayNightWhites blog tour.

About the Author

Marci Lin Melvin is a recently retired Family and Provincial Court Judge. She sat on the bench for over fifteen years. Prior to her appointment, she spent twenty-five years practicing family and criminal law. She is a novelist and playwright from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, and has written since she was a young child.

All proceeds from the sale of Marci’s novels and children’s books have been donated to various charities including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Atlantic Chapter; Prostate Cancer Canada; Canadian Tire Jumpstart; the Two Rivers Wildlife Park in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; and school breakfast programs.

She loves dogs, having once had the pleasure of sharing her space with ten. She now has only three, is married, and has three children, and five grandchildren.

Handles/Tags
Instagram 
@lovebookstours
@LBT.Crew
Ad #LBTCrew #Bookstagram #FreeBookReview

X (Twitter)
@lovebookstours 
Ad #LBTCrew #BookTwitter #FreeBookReview

Threads
@lovebookstours   

Facebook
@lovebookstours 

TikTok
@lovebookstours