Many thanks to the editors of ABC Bookworld magazine, for the excellent review of A Garden of Thieves, and Blessed Be The Bones: https://abcbookworld.com/writer/unger-dean/.
In the first fictional tale we meet Canada’s first female journalist, Eve Walker, who discovers the body of a labour leader washed ashore on Texada Island. She visits the man’s Salish wife, Heidi Tsan, who tells her the murder was racially motivated.
In the company town of Vanada on Texada, Walker is aided by a helpful town coroner and some local unionists. The trail leads Walker to uncover Amor de Cosmos’ allies included Judge Walkem, also involved in an alleged land grab scheme involving the Highland Bell Mine near Rock Creek.
As well, Unger has highlighted the prejudices of the notorious Joseph Trutch (“an outright bigot”) who delegitimized Douglas’ progressive treaties with First Nations, reducing Douglas’ initial reserves by 92%. In 2007, according to Unger, the history magazine, The Beaver, assembled a list of the “Worst Canadians” and Trutch made the list.