Hotel From Hell: The 108 Mile Murders

by Lisa Pearl Pugh

What Happens in the Cariboo, Stays in the Cariboo—Until Now!

Local teacher, former coroner, and first time-author, Lisa Pearl Pugh’s new novel promises to reveal some of the Cariboo’s sordid past!

Hotel From Hell: The 108 Mile Murders is a work of historical fiction that brings to life the well-known Cariboo legend of Gold Rush serial killers, Agnes and Jim McVee. The couple, with the help of their son-in-law, Al Riley, supposedly ran the 108 Mile Hotel for owner William Walker from 1875 to 1885. The McVees abducted girls heading to Barkerville, and then sold them to miners, madams, and gamblers. After the transactions took place, the McVees would shoot the buyers, keep the girls, and dump their victims’ bodies in the small lakes around the hotel. Agnes and Jim stashed their gold in caches around the property and sold their victims’ horses in the Kamloops area.

Although their story of murder, greed, abductions, and white slavery cannot be fully validated, many facts remain. One of the most compelling facts is that buried gold has been found along the old Cariboo Wagon Road very near the property. In 1924, a local rancher found a cache worth $2,500, one mile from the original roadhouse foundations. Then in the 1960’s, Block Brothers Realty developed the 108 Mile as a residential community, and unearthed $6,000 in nuggets while constructing the 108 Mile airstrip. Estimates have put the McVees’ caches at between $100,000 to $150,000 dollars, equating to around $1,000,000 dollars today, but only a fraction of this ill-gotten treasure has ever been unearthed.

Pugh weaves the real-life story of the McVees with her two main fictitious characters, a morally conscious, Victorian-era schoolteacher and a rough and ready Barkerville miner. Each chapter flips back and forth between the two characters to tell the plot from their dual viewpoints. This is a travelling story, and delivers cameos of famous BC historical figures, as well as, tidbits of real BC history. The reader is taken along for the ride with prim schoolmarm, Constance Neat, and her adventurous companion, Liam MacDonald as they try to uncover the whereabouts of their missing siblings who were last seen near the 108 Mile Hotel.

Hotel From Hell aims to teach about the past in a thrilling way. The story also intends to look at the racism and sexism of that Victorian period through the eyes of the main female character who is sensitive to the plight of women, the Metis, and First Nations people who were impacted by the Gold Rush. The main character’s inner struggle centers on the dictates of European Victorian propriety and why she shouldn’t keep those Victorian values in the face of new freedoms and world-views exposed to her through the Gold Rush.

Pugh’s version sticks closely to the original legend and Hotel From Hell: The 108 Mile Murders holds an appeal for those who are interested in BC Gold Rush history, Cariboo history, Barkerville, and the events that led to the creation of our province. The story will also appeal to lovers of true crime and murder mysteries.

Website: www.lisapearlpugh.com Facebook: “Lisa Pearl Pugh”

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2016

Reviews

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out to be not exactly as I had expected, though that did not take away from the delicately researched storyline presented. While the 'Hotel from Hell' clearly describes the 108 Mile roadhouse of the South Cariboo in the late 19th Century - the tale depicted by Lisa Pearl Pugh also includes life in that time period itself, including its still Victorian values where women are concerned and, of course, the gold rush.
The author adeptly incorporates people who actually lived through the happenings with fictional characters that truly come to life on the page. She describes life as it most probably occurred every day and includes reference points along the way, documenting facts blended with the story from her two main characters' point of view n a manner that could actually have happened.
Actual history combined with suspense makes for a very interesting read indeed.

[Lori Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I thought it was, but i found it to be a really good and enjoyable read. Lots of plot twists! The editing could’ve been done better though.

[Jeneen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book. I wish the ending of the book wasn’t so rush.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was going to be a non-fiction account of the roadhouse managers, but it was a fictional account of two people who dealt with their own family issues and found each other, ultimately encountering the murderers. Mildly entertaining if just wanting a gist of the situation; editing and story flow could have been smoother.

[Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish. Loosely based on a few facts but mostly made up. The part I couldn’t handle was the spelling, editing, and repeats. It was horrible. Too bad too as the idea could have been a good one. Hard to ignore all the mistakes as an avid reader.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has many factional pieces to it. I just wish the ending was not so rushed The last 5 pages could have been 7-8 pages instead . The author did a lot of description then just rushed through the ending that could have had some great fiction to it

[Cassia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every of it, could not put it down. Takes quite a dark turn near the end but nevertheless still an amazing read! As someone who spent their summers in the Cariboo growing up and has driven through 108 Mile House hundreds of times this book made me pay better attention to the small town when driving through!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history was good and the story was interesting. There was some typos and some scenes I felt would have been interesting to go more into depth but overall I enjoyed it.