A Violent End

by Maggie Wheeler

Dr. Farran Mackenzie didn’t know she had a past, until her one link to it had been snapped.

Raised by her independent mother, Farran had come to accept that she belonged to a family of two. And that had satisfied both of them until her mother’s sudden death revealed glimpses of unknown people and places—including Farran’s mother. Where did she come from? Who were her family? And what was the significance of a newspaper headline reporting the sudden discovery of a body, hundreds of miles away?

For the first time in forty years, one of the Lost Villages of the St Lawrence Seaway had emerged from their burial place beneath the flood waters. An unusually dry summer had laid bare streets, foundations, and the remains of a young man tied up in an ancient sleeping bag—Farran’s father.

Taking advantage of a much needed sabbatical from her position teaching history at the University of Waterloo, Farran rents a cottage on Ault Island in the St Lawrence and sets about finding her parents. Her first discovery proves a shock. No one had known it was even possible that she could exist. Yet the distress the old-timers from the Lost Villages feel upon learning that Farran’s father had died and her mother had lived pales when two who could most likely sort it out turn up dead.

Under the watchful eye of Detective Inspector Jerry Strauss, Farran begins applying her research skills to learn more about the people and events leading up to July 1, 1958, when the great waters of the St Lawrence Seaway were unleashed, tearing apart communities, and destroying her family. But will she uncover the river’s secrets—and her father’s murderer—before it is too late?

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wondeful story involving The Lost Villages, which were flooded or moved, during the building of The St. Lawrence Seaway. A lot of history. There are 4 other books in this series.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live on the St. Lawrence River, on the American side - so I found this book particularly interesting, well written, and fun to read. I only wish there had been some pictures in it. I have been to Upper Canada Village, also, but not for many years, and I did not previously realize that some of the homes & artifacts were actually from the lost villages.

[Ulrike Lewald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book as it relates to the history of Eastern Ontario in the 50s and the displacement of approximately 6,000 people and their homes due to the installation of the Seaway power plant. Lots of irrelevant characters. Author sometimes uses their first names, other times their last names and other times their titles (i.e. Detective inspector). A bit dragged out and a tad soapy.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie, you are a beautiful writer. This book is so well done and now, I look forward, to the second book. You put the feelings and actual heart into an era where people were traumatized, at a time that should always be remembered.

[Connie Paddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

l Very good book, a good look at what it must have been like for the people living in the villages along the St. Lawrence that were affected by the building of the Seaway.

[Roger Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. There are two sides to this book. The foirst is the building of the St Lawrence Seaway and the power dam at Cornwall, Ontario and how it affected the people of the area. The descendants of the original settlers were uprooted and moved from the farms and villages and placed in new towns and this books describes the experiances of various (fictional) people. On top of this story is a murder mystery. I figured out who the murder was fairly early on, then I changed my mind, then I changed it again. I was correct in the beginning, but by the end I di not think so. An excellent mystery and an excellent description of the historical events. The story was well researched and the places which can be visited today, are well described. My cousin was one of those up-rooted people and even though I was in my early teens at the time, I remember her and the effect the project had on her was very much as Maggie Wheeler describes. An excellent read for the history buff who likes mysteries or vice versa.

[Lynne Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the history of the Lost Villages, have a love for Upper Canada Village, or simply grew up in the area, this book will probably keep you entertained.

I enjoyed knowing precisely what Wheeler was talking about when Farran described certain landmarks and areas that she visited. It made the story seem... real.

This is a good little murder mystery, especially as the main character tried to piece the mystery together 40 years after it happened.

Wheeler's voice is easy to read, which makes getting through this novel a breeze. There are a few typos that should have been addressed.

[Kristine Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This past summer I spent some time near Cornwall and learned about the Lost Villages. I visited (for the first time) Upper Canada Village and the Cornwall Generating Station. So it was really quite neat to read about these places back as they would have been in the 1950s. I'm not much of a murder mystery fan, but I enjoyed this one. A nice balance between plot and character development - in this case the character was the place - Aultsville. Because the main character, Farran, is not a detective, but is investigating the murder of her father when he was only 18, the book has a rather melancholy tone to it. I would definitely read the sequel.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another example of a book that I would never have picked up, except that it was a choice for our book club and I'm glad it was. I have a few issues with it (it reads like it's been rather poorly edited, it has parachuted-in characters that seem to add nothing to the story, and the writing seems a bit amateur) but the pro's outweigh those con's for me (LOVE the Canadian history, the sorrow and tragedy of the flooding is well used as background mood, and there are some real gems for literary quotes.) An easy read that added knowledge to my starving brain and fed my romantic soul.