Murder on the Rock: True Crime in Newfoundland and Labrador

by Robert C. Parsons

The story of Newfoundland and Labrador is a long and bloody one.

In Murder on the Rock, Robert C. Parsons describes some of the most horrific and puzzling crimes and shenanigans that have happened in this province. With tales of kidnappers, cold-blooded murderers, cannibals, and more, these fifty-nine stories of crime and punishment cover the 1700s to present day. Included are:

Death at Saint Pierre
Politics and Murder
Mutineers, Villains, and Cowards
The Death Ritual
A Crime Most Frightening
The Signal Hill Prison Break
Rampage and Mutiny in Harbour Buffett
The Bonne Bay Hostages
Death at Beaumont
The Decapitation of John Ball
Eleanor Power: The First Woman Hanged


. . . and many more!

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 12, 2015

Reviews

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought the title of this book was a little misleading, as it was more a collection of anecdotes of events (accidents, court cases) rather than just murder. Interestingly enough there was a section at the end where the author shared the publication process including the title selection (and the title changed a few times!) I think "Mayhem on the Rock" would have been more accurate. But overall it was fairly interesting!

[Deanyka · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a real struggle not to DNF this one. And honestly, it might as well be a DNF bc I genuinely did not retain a single thing I read. I'm not much into history as it is which certainly didn't help me enjoy this read, but no matter how hard I tried I could not get into this one.
First of all, for a book that's titled "Murder on the rock" there is a whole lot less murder than I would have thought. A lot of people died yes, but many of them were not murder. I also wasn't expecting the high focus on boats (which honestly is on me bc hello its Newfoundland deanyka), or the courts.

For someone who enjoys history more than I do, this book might be okay. Though aside from that I'm still disappointed in the lack of actual crime found in this book. Putting this one back on the shelf, and crossing a few others off my list.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history of Newfoundland crime, through numerous individual stories. Excellent in that each individual story stands on its own. Learned a lot of the hardships over time by the settlers since the 1700s. Not all stories are murders, lots of maritime insurance fraud etc.

[Marni · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting glimpse into murder and crime on 'The Rock' from about 1820 to the early 1900's.

[Literaryadventuresofthetarabun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis: The book covers true crime cases that took place in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Review: This book was so well written and researched. I found the title a bit misleading, I expected all the stories to be about murders that took place, it’s more of a mix of different crimes, and court cases. I enjoyed the court case aspect of the book; it was detailed and interesting. My family is from Newfoundland, and I love reading books about Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Harold Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misleading title.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look at crimes from Newfoundland, especially if you know the area. There are lots of short snippets of crimes from the past to keep a reader interested.