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Red River Girl: The Life and Death of Tina Fontaine
NATIONAL BESTSELLERA gripping account of the unsolved death of an Indigenous teenager, and the detective determined to find her killer, set against the backdrop of a troubled city.On August 17, 2014, the body of fifteen-year old runaway Tina Fontaine was found in Winnipeg's Red River. It was wrapped in material and weighted down with rocks. Red River Girl is a gripping account of that murder investigation and the unusual police detective who pursued the killer with every legal means at his disposal. The book, like the movie Spotlight, will chronicle the behind-the-scenes stages of a lengthy and meticulously planned investigation. It reveals characters and social tensions that bring vivid life to a story that made national headlines.Award-winning BBC reporter and documentary maker Joanna Jolly delves into the troubled life of Tina Fontaine, the half-Ojibway, half-Cree murder victim, starting with her childhood on the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve. Tina's journey to the capital city is a harrowing one, culminating in drug abuse, sexual exploitation, and death. Aware of the reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Jolly has chronicled Tina Fontaine's life as a reminder that she was more than a statistic. Raised by her father, and then by her great-aunt, Tina was a good student. But the violent death of her father hit Tina hard. She ran away, was found and put into the care of Child and Family Services, which she also sought to escape from. That choice left her in danger.Red River Girl focuses not on the grisly event itself, but on the efforts to seek justice. In December 2015, the police charged Raymond Cormier, a drifter, with second-degree murder. Jolly's book will cover the trial, which resulted in an acquittal. The verdict caused dismay across the country. The book is not only a true crime story, but a portrait of a community where Indigenous women are disproportionately more likely to be hurt or killed. Jolly asks questions about how Indigenous women, sex workers, community leaders, and activists are fighting back to protect themselves and change perceptions. Most importantly, the book will chronicle whether Tina's family will find justice.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2019
78 people are currently reading
3252 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Jolly
3 books30 followersJoanna Jolly is a journalist and author living in the UK. She loved writing as a child and, after graduating with a degree in English Literature, became a journalist. Her work has taken her all over the world - including covering the vote on and transition to independence in East Timor, working as a correspondent in India and Nepal and reporting from Jerusalem, Washington DC, South Africa and Brussels. She has won several journalism awards and in 2016 was a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Joanna's work has often focused on violence against women and their struggle for justice. Red River Girl is her first book.
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February 17, 2020
The Red River Girl: The Life and Death of Tina Fontaine by Joanna Jolly is a 2019 Viking publication.
If this case got any media attention here in the US, I don’t recall it. This true crime case is centered around Tina Fontaine, an indigenous teenage girl, whose body was discovered in the Red River in Winnipeg, Canada. Searchers were looking for another person, they feared had died, when they found Tina’s body.
Tina’s case brought attention to the shocking number of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, when it made national headlines.
Here, journalist Joanna Jolly follows Tina’s case from the discovery of her body to the stunning trial of the man accused of murdering her. The primary focus of the book, however, is on the investigation, which eventually led to an arrest. There is also some focus on the Canadian system, many blame for having failed girls like Tina. The trial brings the case to a surreal close.
This is a very frustrating and sad book. As an American, I’m not at all familiar with Canadian laws, or their social system, but the core issues at play are very familiar, unfortunately.
The author did a terrific job of highlighting the challenges law enforcement faced and pointing a light of the various social and political issues that could no longer be shoved under the carpet.
The only downside to the author’s straightforward, journalistic style and approach, was that it didn’t leave much room for the reader to get to know Tina in a more personal way. Bringing the victim to life, might have driven the point home in a more forceful, emotional way, making it harder to forget this case and others like it.
The conclusion and outcome of the case was riveting and utterly gut punching! Although I knew ahead of time what the outcome would be, I still sat with my mouth hanging open trying to digest it all.
Overall, this is a very absorbing true crime book. For me, it was also a learning experience. The book is very effective, well researched and organized. True Crime enthusiast, no matter which country you hail from, should read this book!
4 stars
If this case got any media attention here in the US, I don’t recall it. This true crime case is centered around Tina Fontaine, an indigenous teenage girl, whose body was discovered in the Red River in Winnipeg, Canada. Searchers were looking for another person, they feared had died, when they found Tina’s body.
Tina’s case brought attention to the shocking number of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, when it made national headlines.
Here, journalist Joanna Jolly follows Tina’s case from the discovery of her body to the stunning trial of the man accused of murdering her. The primary focus of the book, however, is on the investigation, which eventually led to an arrest. There is also some focus on the Canadian system, many blame for having failed girls like Tina. The trial brings the case to a surreal close.
This is a very frustrating and sad book. As an American, I’m not at all familiar with Canadian laws, or their social system, but the core issues at play are very familiar, unfortunately.
The author did a terrific job of highlighting the challenges law enforcement faced and pointing a light of the various social and political issues that could no longer be shoved under the carpet.
The only downside to the author’s straightforward, journalistic style and approach, was that it didn’t leave much room for the reader to get to know Tina in a more personal way. Bringing the victim to life, might have driven the point home in a more forceful, emotional way, making it harder to forget this case and others like it.
The conclusion and outcome of the case was riveting and utterly gut punching! Although I knew ahead of time what the outcome would be, I still sat with my mouth hanging open trying to digest it all.
Overall, this is a very absorbing true crime book. For me, it was also a learning experience. The book is very effective, well researched and organized. True Crime enthusiast, no matter which country you hail from, should read this book!
4 stars
August 12, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Red River Girl in exchange for an honest review.
While the subtitle of the book is 'The Life And Death Of Tina Fontaine', I felt like Tina's story got lost within it, as the book almost entirely focuses on her killer, Raymond Cormier, and how the use of a Mr. Big sting lead to him being the prime suspect in the case, as well as how his trial ended in a shocking acquittal.
To write a book about Tina Fontaine that doesn't comprehensively discuss the Child Welfare workers and the police who so tragically failed Tina in life makes this book feel incomplete at best and like a total disservice to Tina at worst. These things are such huge factors into what happened to Tina, and I felt that the role that systemic racism plays into the all too common apathy toward and failures of young Indigenous boys and girls in this country should have been more of a focal point in telling this story.
Let us not forget that the same night she disappeared, police officers spoke to Tina, who was a passenger in a truck known to police for soliciting prostitution (and, in fact, had been stopped just a few hours earlier that night for that very thing), ran her name through their database, saw that she was marked as being missing and only fifteen years old and at high risk of sexual exploitation, and for some reason decided to let her go with that man. That fact in itself, and the institutional connotations that go with it, could take up an entire book alone. I personally felt that it was just too succinctly discussed in the book, whereas Raymond Cormier's bizarre life and interests, as well as lead investigator John O'Donovan's melancholic feelings on Tina's death were especially elaborated on. Absolutely unacceptable.
While the subtitle of the book is 'The Life And Death Of Tina Fontaine', I felt like Tina's story got lost within it, as the book almost entirely focuses on her killer, Raymond Cormier, and how the use of a Mr. Big sting lead to him being the prime suspect in the case, as well as how his trial ended in a shocking acquittal.
To write a book about Tina Fontaine that doesn't comprehensively discuss the Child Welfare workers and the police who so tragically failed Tina in life makes this book feel incomplete at best and like a total disservice to Tina at worst. These things are such huge factors into what happened to Tina, and I felt that the role that systemic racism plays into the all too common apathy toward and failures of young Indigenous boys and girls in this country should have been more of a focal point in telling this story.
Let us not forget that the same night she disappeared, police officers spoke to Tina, who was a passenger in a truck known to police for soliciting prostitution (and, in fact, had been stopped just a few hours earlier that night for that very thing), ran her name through their database, saw that she was marked as being missing and only fifteen years old and at high risk of sexual exploitation, and for some reason decided to let her go with that man. That fact in itself, and the institutional connotations that go with it, could take up an entire book alone. I personally felt that it was just too succinctly discussed in the book, whereas Raymond Cormier's bizarre life and interests, as well as lead investigator John O'Donovan's melancholic feelings on Tina's death were especially elaborated on. Absolutely unacceptable.
July 14, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
Journalist Joanna Jolly takes readers back to 2014 when the body of 15 year old Tina Fontaine was pulled from the Red River in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. The investigation into her death would spark a nationwide demand for the Canadian government to conduct an inquiry into the high number of missing and murdered cases involving indigenous women.
This book looks at the brief life of Tina Fontaine, the investigation into her death, and a full access look into the Canadian system.
With the recent findings of the national inquiry that the cases of missing and murdered women is in fact a "genocide," ( June 2019), books, such as, Red River Girl, could certainly help further understanding.
Goodreads Review 14/07/19
Publication Date 27/08/19
Journalist Joanna Jolly takes readers back to 2014 when the body of 15 year old Tina Fontaine was pulled from the Red River in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. The investigation into her death would spark a nationwide demand for the Canadian government to conduct an inquiry into the high number of missing and murdered cases involving indigenous women.
This book looks at the brief life of Tina Fontaine, the investigation into her death, and a full access look into the Canadian system.
With the recent findings of the national inquiry that the cases of missing and murdered women is in fact a "genocide," ( June 2019), books, such as, Red River Girl, could certainly help further understanding.
Goodreads Review 14/07/19
Publication Date 27/08/19
July 28, 2019
This is author Joanna Jolly’s debut book on the death of Tina Fontaine. Tina was a Canadian girl, one of a number of aboriginal females who had gone missing and later turned up dead in the Red River. It’s written about as part of a larger problem of sexual exploitation with so many aboriginal young females. But the focus is on this girl for the purposes of this book. There is a lot of pressure for the police to make some progress in the case, and it continues to grow. There are several suspects, and they are careful to take the time to rule them out correctly before focusing on the final one. All of that takes time. The final suspect turns out to be very slippery, and they have to go above and beyond to convince themselves and the Crown that it’s the correct person.
I found this to be an engaging true story of Tina Fontaine’s life and tragic killing. She was just beginning to test her wings in a larger city, and when allowed a bit of freedom took too much and got in over her head. I’d recommend it for true crime readers. It held my interest quite well, and I’d recommend it. A good first effort for Ms. Jolly. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Joanna Jolly, and the publisher.
Also found on my BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...
I found this to be an engaging true story of Tina Fontaine’s life and tragic killing. She was just beginning to test her wings in a larger city, and when allowed a bit of freedom took too much and got in over her head. I’d recommend it for true crime readers. It held my interest quite well, and I’d recommend it. A good first effort for Ms. Jolly. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Joanna Jolly, and the publisher.
Also found on my BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...
March 24, 2020
There are times that I like to go outside my comfort zone and read something with a little more grit. True crime tends to do that for me, even more so when the crime was committed in my hometown. I noticed this book at the library a while ago and when it was digitally released to me, I could not give up the opportunity to learn a little more about Tina Fontaine and the story around her murder. Joanna Jolly is a British reporter who took an interest in the case and travelled to Canada to explore the murder of this young teenage girl of Indigenous descent. Offering up some interesting backstory into the life of Tina Fontaine, Jolly tells the reader about her less than stellar upbringing, in which she was surrounded by addiction and abuse before being taken into the care of Child and Family Services. However, even when in foster care, Tina’s life was anything but simple, as she was drawn away from small-town Manitoba and into the lights of Winnipeg, where drugs, sex, and trouble awaited her on the streets. She fell into a crowd that accepted her but, at some point, crossed paths with Raymond ‘Frenchie’ Cormier. Jolly paints a picture of how this much older man served to provide Tina with drugs and a place to party, which might have led to something more. When Tina’s body was discovered submerged in the water and wrapped in a blanket, Winnipeg Homicide Detective Sergeant John O’Donovan traced a convoluted path to Cormier, who denied having anything to do with Tina’s death. Jolly builds the narrative around how Cormier seemed to check some of the necessary boxes, but his guaranteed role in the murder of this teen could not yet be solidified. Using the auspices of Cormier’s incarceration for another crime, O’Donovan and his colleagues wove an undercover web to lure Cormier into admitting things that only the killer might know, while keeping much of their intel from anyone else, including those who loved Tina and await news of her killer. As Jolly builds the story up, she documents how Raymond Cormier made a few significant errors in his admissions to undercover police and eventually stood trial. O’Donovan’s hard work cam out in court, permitting the jurors to sift through it and determine what to make of Raymond Cormier’s pleas of not guilty. Another life snuffed out long before it should have been, Tina Fontaine’s will surely be one remembered, if that is a small piece of vindication. Jolly ensures that this is one case many will remember, while scores of other missing and murdered indigenous women remain but statistics. Recommended to those who enjoy true crime stories, as well as the reader who wants a Canadian feel to the genre.
While I grew up in Winnipeg, the gateway to the Canadian Prairies, I left long before the case of Tina Fontaine found its way into the headlines. Still, it was interesting to take a stroll back as Joanna Jolly depicts the city and its darker parts throughout this piece. The cases of missing and murdered indigenous women is a plight on the Canadian justice system, as many have simply disappeared and nothing is done about it. Jolly not only shines a light on the case, but also shows how proactive Winnipeg Police were in trying to solve the crime, highlighting the work of Detective Sergeant O’Donovan, who is one of the three central characters of the book. Jolly weaves together a wonderful backstory about Tina Fontaine’s life, which might have been short but was full of excitement (albeit not always the positive kind). Her interaction with others varied from peaceful to highly confrontational, fuelled by a childhood where stability was nowhere to be found. Injecting Raymond Cormier into the mix, the narrative takes an interesting turn towards the seedier life of men seeking to use their age and connections to ply things from young women (and girls). While Jolly surely did not intend to make Cormier out to be a shining beacon of light, she painted him effectively as a slimy man whose antics were surely nefarious, even if they were not premeditated. Jolly offers up the story in a strong narrative and tries to keep things chronological as best she can, though some flashback moments are needed to substantiate parts of the story. With highly detailed chapters that explore the backstory, crime, and judicial process, Jolly paces things out so that the reader can enjoy the build-up before things finally come together. Surely not a piece that is uplifting in its truest sense, but one that shed light onto some of the hard work being done to help the ongoing stigma surrounding indigenous women in Canada. If only more could be done to find answers, rather that two sides pointing fingers.
Kudos, Madam Jolly, for telling this story and using all your abilities to make it one the reader can enjoy, not another statistic.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
While I grew up in Winnipeg, the gateway to the Canadian Prairies, I left long before the case of Tina Fontaine found its way into the headlines. Still, it was interesting to take a stroll back as Joanna Jolly depicts the city and its darker parts throughout this piece. The cases of missing and murdered indigenous women is a plight on the Canadian justice system, as many have simply disappeared and nothing is done about it. Jolly not only shines a light on the case, but also shows how proactive Winnipeg Police were in trying to solve the crime, highlighting the work of Detective Sergeant O’Donovan, who is one of the three central characters of the book. Jolly weaves together a wonderful backstory about Tina Fontaine’s life, which might have been short but was full of excitement (albeit not always the positive kind). Her interaction with others varied from peaceful to highly confrontational, fuelled by a childhood where stability was nowhere to be found. Injecting Raymond Cormier into the mix, the narrative takes an interesting turn towards the seedier life of men seeking to use their age and connections to ply things from young women (and girls). While Jolly surely did not intend to make Cormier out to be a shining beacon of light, she painted him effectively as a slimy man whose antics were surely nefarious, even if they were not premeditated. Jolly offers up the story in a strong narrative and tries to keep things chronological as best she can, though some flashback moments are needed to substantiate parts of the story. With highly detailed chapters that explore the backstory, crime, and judicial process, Jolly paces things out so that the reader can enjoy the build-up before things finally come together. Surely not a piece that is uplifting in its truest sense, but one that shed light onto some of the hard work being done to help the ongoing stigma surrounding indigenous women in Canada. If only more could be done to find answers, rather that two sides pointing fingers.
Kudos, Madam Jolly, for telling this story and using all your abilities to make it one the reader can enjoy, not another statistic.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
October 29, 2019
In brief - Not an easy one to review for me. The overarching story of institutional racism needed telling and came across well. The individual case I'm less sure about.
In full
The basic idea of this book appealed to me a lot. Essentially it looks at the way native indigenous people and particularly women, have been treated in Canada. The other thread in this is the case of Tina Fontaine, an indigenous teenage girl, who went missing in 2014. The author had access to both the police and their case regarding Tina's disappearance. It was the case that finally brought a far deeper consciousness of the problem not only in the native community but also in the wider (and white) public. For me there was a feel of the Lawrence case in the UK in this.
Tina's case was handled mainly by Sergeant John O'Donovan. O'Donovan emigrated to Canada from Ireland at 28 and never intended to become a policeman. It felt to me that he was not part of the core establishment in some ways. Certainly there had been plenty of deaths of native people, particularly female and young, which the police had taken little interest in. This case bothered O'Donovan and it also raised awareness of the topic generally in the eyes of the public at large.
The book looks at the general treatment of indigenous females in some detail. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a long history of ignoring crimes against native women generally. Frequently the blame is simply placed on their "lifestyles" and not investigated. Given that these crimes include murder and rape it amazed me that there had not been far more outcry earlier.
Tina's murder was a sad story. Family issues coupled with teenage life and angst seem to have left her angry and vulnerable. The police find a credible suspect quite early on. However there is a lack of real evidence against him. Those who expect a satisfactory crime thriller will not find it in this. The whole police case is fraught with difficulties. Given that this is a real and powerful story at times it's sad that the police case is not the strongest.
On balance I'm very pleased I read this. The story needed telling. In my simple opinion Canadian society seems to have been disinterested in crimes against native women. This case appears to have changed that at least. I'd prefer not to give anything else away as others will find this a worthwhile read. Frankly I'm not quite sure how to rate this. Indeed I'm not sure who the target audience is. My feeling is that if the topic interests you then it should be a good read. It is a little detailed in places however I kept reading happily. A sad story but one that needed telling.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/non-fiction/re...
In full
The basic idea of this book appealed to me a lot. Essentially it looks at the way native indigenous people and particularly women, have been treated in Canada. The other thread in this is the case of Tina Fontaine, an indigenous teenage girl, who went missing in 2014. The author had access to both the police and their case regarding Tina's disappearance. It was the case that finally brought a far deeper consciousness of the problem not only in the native community but also in the wider (and white) public. For me there was a feel of the Lawrence case in the UK in this.
Tina's case was handled mainly by Sergeant John O'Donovan. O'Donovan emigrated to Canada from Ireland at 28 and never intended to become a policeman. It felt to me that he was not part of the core establishment in some ways. Certainly there had been plenty of deaths of native people, particularly female and young, which the police had taken little interest in. This case bothered O'Donovan and it also raised awareness of the topic generally in the eyes of the public at large.
The book looks at the general treatment of indigenous females in some detail. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a long history of ignoring crimes against native women generally. Frequently the blame is simply placed on their "lifestyles" and not investigated. Given that these crimes include murder and rape it amazed me that there had not been far more outcry earlier.
Tina's murder was a sad story. Family issues coupled with teenage life and angst seem to have left her angry and vulnerable. The police find a credible suspect quite early on. However there is a lack of real evidence against him. Those who expect a satisfactory crime thriller will not find it in this. The whole police case is fraught with difficulties. Given that this is a real and powerful story at times it's sad that the police case is not the strongest.
On balance I'm very pleased I read this. The story needed telling. In my simple opinion Canadian society seems to have been disinterested in crimes against native women. This case appears to have changed that at least. I'd prefer not to give anything else away as others will find this a worthwhile read. Frankly I'm not quite sure how to rate this. Indeed I'm not sure who the target audience is. My feeling is that if the topic interests you then it should be a good read. It is a little detailed in places however I kept reading happily. A sad story but one that needed telling.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/non-fiction/re...
April 20, 2019
4.5 stars.
Red River Girl: The Life and Death of Tina Fontaine tells the tragic true story of Tina Fontaine, a fifteen-year-old Indigenous girl whose body was found in Winnipeg’s Red River on August 17, 2014. The book focuses primarily on the murder investigation conducted by the Winnipeg Police Homicide Unit, led by Sgt. John O’Donovan, but it also provides a glimpse into Tina’s short life and broader Indigenous issues in Canada. Tina’s death and the case that ensued shocked and outraged many people across Canada, especially Indigenous communities, and was the breaking point that resulted in increased activism and calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women. The treatment of Indigenous people and the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada is not well-known around the world, as it goes against everything that Canada claims to stand for, and I sincerely hope that Red River Girl gains popularity and exposes the secret that Canada would rather keep quiet.
It has only been in the last few years that the magnitude of suffering experienced by Indigenous people in Canada has been recognized and acknowledged. Growing up in a small, rural town in Ontario, I was surrounded by people who held prejudiced and racist beliefs about Indigenous people, and I was never formally (or informally) taught about Indigenous history or culture. Research has found that children develop prejudices at an early age through socialization and exposure to misinformation about other cultures, and that prejudice is an inescapable consequence of living in a systematically racist society. Given this, it is no wonder that I developed my own prejudices against Indigenous people. When I started university, I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about Indigenous affairs in Canada, which has allowed me to challenge my prejudices (as well as the prejudices of those around me). Now, I consider myself fairly well-educated about Indigenous issues, so the broader background information provided in this book did not come as a surprise to me. While the author, Joanna Jolly, provided this information throughout the book, I would have liked a short chapter at the start that provided a more in-depth overview of Indigenous issues in Canada, especially considering that many readers may not have any previous knowledge of the subject. Tina’s case does not exist in a vacuum – it is the result of a legacy of violence, neglect, and wrongdoing perpetrated by the Canadian government against Indigenous peoples – and it is important to understand how these factors contributed to Tina’s death.
At first, I was a little unsure about the fact that Jolly is not Indigenous, as I would have liked to see an #OwnVoices account penned by an Indigenous author. However, from my perspective, Jolly provided a respectful portrayal of Tina’s case and Indigenous affairs in Canada, and did not insert her own opinion into the narrative. Red River Girl was well-written, well-researched, and compelling, and I was never overwhelmed by or bogged down in the details, which can often happen in true crime books. Although it is an incredibly sad and frustrating case which does not have a happy ending, I appreciated the comprehensive account of Tina’s case and the murder investigation. I hope this book inspires readers, especially if they are Canadian, to learn more about Indigenous issues and to speak up against prejudices and the way our institutions continue to fail the Indigenous population.
In summary, Red River Girl is an engaging and important true crime account of Tina Fontaine’s short life and tragic death, which shines a light on broader Indigenous issues in Canada. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for providing me with an eARC of Red River Girl in exchange for an honest review.
Red River Girl: The Life and Death of Tina Fontaine tells the tragic true story of Tina Fontaine, a fifteen-year-old Indigenous girl whose body was found in Winnipeg’s Red River on August 17, 2014. The book focuses primarily on the murder investigation conducted by the Winnipeg Police Homicide Unit, led by Sgt. John O’Donovan, but it also provides a glimpse into Tina’s short life and broader Indigenous issues in Canada. Tina’s death and the case that ensued shocked and outraged many people across Canada, especially Indigenous communities, and was the breaking point that resulted in increased activism and calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women. The treatment of Indigenous people and the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada is not well-known around the world, as it goes against everything that Canada claims to stand for, and I sincerely hope that Red River Girl gains popularity and exposes the secret that Canada would rather keep quiet.
It has only been in the last few years that the magnitude of suffering experienced by Indigenous people in Canada has been recognized and acknowledged. Growing up in a small, rural town in Ontario, I was surrounded by people who held prejudiced and racist beliefs about Indigenous people, and I was never formally (or informally) taught about Indigenous history or culture. Research has found that children develop prejudices at an early age through socialization and exposure to misinformation about other cultures, and that prejudice is an inescapable consequence of living in a systematically racist society. Given this, it is no wonder that I developed my own prejudices against Indigenous people. When I started university, I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about Indigenous affairs in Canada, which has allowed me to challenge my prejudices (as well as the prejudices of those around me). Now, I consider myself fairly well-educated about Indigenous issues, so the broader background information provided in this book did not come as a surprise to me. While the author, Joanna Jolly, provided this information throughout the book, I would have liked a short chapter at the start that provided a more in-depth overview of Indigenous issues in Canada, especially considering that many readers may not have any previous knowledge of the subject. Tina’s case does not exist in a vacuum – it is the result of a legacy of violence, neglect, and wrongdoing perpetrated by the Canadian government against Indigenous peoples – and it is important to understand how these factors contributed to Tina’s death.
At first, I was a little unsure about the fact that Jolly is not Indigenous, as I would have liked to see an #OwnVoices account penned by an Indigenous author. However, from my perspective, Jolly provided a respectful portrayal of Tina’s case and Indigenous affairs in Canada, and did not insert her own opinion into the narrative. Red River Girl was well-written, well-researched, and compelling, and I was never overwhelmed by or bogged down in the details, which can often happen in true crime books. Although it is an incredibly sad and frustrating case which does not have a happy ending, I appreciated the comprehensive account of Tina’s case and the murder investigation. I hope this book inspires readers, especially if they are Canadian, to learn more about Indigenous issues and to speak up against prejudices and the way our institutions continue to fail the Indigenous population.
In summary, Red River Girl is an engaging and important true crime account of Tina Fontaine’s short life and tragic death, which shines a light on broader Indigenous issues in Canada. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for providing me with an eARC of Red River Girl in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2019
This is a true crime story. We learn of the murder of fifteen year old indigenous schoolgirl, Tina Fontaine. This is mostly a police procedural that's trying to determine who killed this young schoolgirl. Vulnerable indigenous girls have been murdered with their cases being unsolved. Tina had been a victim and was not to be blamed for any off the violence she had inflicted on her. The man behind the investigation, Detective Sargeant O'Donoghue did a sterling job. Raymond Cromier was arrested for thr murder ut the court found him not guilty. Cromier always denied that he was responsible for Tina's murder. The case still remains unsolved.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and the author Joanna Jolly for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and the author Joanna Jolly for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2020
I could not put this book down. When the body of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found in the Red River in Winnipeg, Canada. A spotlight shone on Homicide Detective O'Donovan and brought with it the glare of the issue regarding hundreds of missing, murdered, exploited and abused Indigenous women.
The author focused the book on a long and difficult investigation and did an amazing job. Few people outside of law enforcement can understand how difficult and frustrating an investigation can be, Joanna Jolly does a fantastic, step by step, narrative into the investigation of a murder that did not have a lot of clues to lead the Winnipeg PD to the perpetrator, to gather enough information, to bring charges and final take the case to trial. Sadly, the man charged was found not guilty.
Read this book to learn how law enforcement works from start to finish. Reads this book to understand all the information does not necessarily come easy. Read this book to get an understanding of the active racism, the implied racism, the systemic racism. These are all things that work against the victims, the police charged with investigating, and the families of victims.
The author focused the book on a long and difficult investigation and did an amazing job. Few people outside of law enforcement can understand how difficult and frustrating an investigation can be, Joanna Jolly does a fantastic, step by step, narrative into the investigation of a murder that did not have a lot of clues to lead the Winnipeg PD to the perpetrator, to gather enough information, to bring charges and final take the case to trial. Sadly, the man charged was found not guilty.
Read this book to learn how law enforcement works from start to finish. Reads this book to understand all the information does not necessarily come easy. Read this book to get an understanding of the active racism, the implied racism, the systemic racism. These are all things that work against the victims, the police charged with investigating, and the families of victims.
April 25, 2019
While Red River Girl by Joanna Jolly has the main focus on the disappearance and murder of fifteen-year-old Tina Fontaine, the book is much broader than that. Tina Fontaine was a fifteen-year-old Indigenous girl in Canada, that like of so many other young women, found herself on city streets only to be exploited, abused and murdered.
Joanna Jolly not only provides an in-depth history of Tina Fontaine and those surrounding her, but also details the plight of the many Indigenous women of Canada that are too quick to be forgotten, or worse, ignored, in their existence and mistreatment. She also describes in detail the long, in-depth and creative investigation of what happened before and after Tina Fontaine's clothed corpse was found in the Red River in a knotted up duvet, weighted down with rocks.
All around, Red River Girl is a sad and distressing story, but one that is important to tell. Jolly's book is an excellent portrayal of what is often described as a "police procedural" while at the same time being more than that. The book avoids becoming a moralistic polemic while detailing the terrible indifference too many people have toward Indigenous people and is told in a well-researched, "just the facts" manner that enthralls the reader to carry on through the book even though the outcome of the investigation and trial of the suspect is revealed to the reader just a few pages into the prologue.
Highly recommended to those that enjoy in-depth, historical true crime books where each character, whether villainous or heroic, is researched, examined and detailed.
An ARC of this book was provided by Net Galley for review.
Joanna Jolly not only provides an in-depth history of Tina Fontaine and those surrounding her, but also details the plight of the many Indigenous women of Canada that are too quick to be forgotten, or worse, ignored, in their existence and mistreatment. She also describes in detail the long, in-depth and creative investigation of what happened before and after Tina Fontaine's clothed corpse was found in the Red River in a knotted up duvet, weighted down with rocks.
All around, Red River Girl is a sad and distressing story, but one that is important to tell. Jolly's book is an excellent portrayal of what is often described as a "police procedural" while at the same time being more than that. The book avoids becoming a moralistic polemic while detailing the terrible indifference too many people have toward Indigenous people and is told in a well-researched, "just the facts" manner that enthralls the reader to carry on through the book even though the outcome of the investigation and trial of the suspect is revealed to the reader just a few pages into the prologue.
Highly recommended to those that enjoy in-depth, historical true crime books where each character, whether villainous or heroic, is researched, examined and detailed.
An ARC of this book was provided by Net Galley for review.
December 26, 2024
This was an excellent non- fiction about the death of a young Indigenous girl in Winnipeg, Canada. The book details the incredible hard work of the police to find and convict the killer. Since this case was completely new to me, I didn’t know how it would end. The book highlights how large groups of people are victimized by society and predators.
October 15, 2019
3.5 rounded down
Joanna Jolly's debut draws attention to a societal issue which is gradually gaining more press: the murder of Indigenous girls and woman in Canada. Red River Girl takes its title from the Winnipeg river in which 14-year-old Tina Fontaine's body was found in August 2014.
Tina was raised over 100km from Winnipeg, on the Sagkeeng First Nation. The book tracks Tina's life from birth to her last known movements in the days before her death, going some way to examine how Tina went from being a teenager growing up in a loving family to one who ended up involved in drugs and the sex trade. It also details the deaths of other First Nations women in Canada, culminating in Justin Trudeau's independent inquiry into violence against and murder off Indigenous women in 2017.
Overall the book makes for a compelling read, however there were a few aspects that let it down slightly for me. I would have liked to have known more about Tina herself, as the only real perspective we get on her life is from her great aunt and an ex-boyfriend. I also found the sections on the accused, Raymond Cormier, to be bit protracted, but with no other key suspects I understand why the book focused on him.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Joanna Jolly's debut draws attention to a societal issue which is gradually gaining more press: the murder of Indigenous girls and woman in Canada. Red River Girl takes its title from the Winnipeg river in which 14-year-old Tina Fontaine's body was found in August 2014.
Tina was raised over 100km from Winnipeg, on the Sagkeeng First Nation. The book tracks Tina's life from birth to her last known movements in the days before her death, going some way to examine how Tina went from being a teenager growing up in a loving family to one who ended up involved in drugs and the sex trade. It also details the deaths of other First Nations women in Canada, culminating in Justin Trudeau's independent inquiry into violence against and murder off Indigenous women in 2017.
Overall the book makes for a compelling read, however there were a few aspects that let it down slightly for me. I would have liked to have known more about Tina herself, as the only real perspective we get on her life is from her great aunt and an ex-boyfriend. I also found the sections on the accused, Raymond Cormier, to be bit protracted, but with no other key suspects I understand why the book focused on him.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
December 9, 2019
For a book with "the life and death of Tina Fontaine" on the cover, it barely talks about her life. It focuses much more on the cop in charge of her homicide case.
I know it's pretty standard for true crime to focus on the investigation and trial, but considering the sensitive subject matter and what it says on the cover of the book, I was disappointed. I wish more focus had been given to Tina's life, rather than the pretty small section at the beginning.
My actual frustration, though, is the heavy focus on O'Donovan himself, and anecdotes from his life. The negligence exhibited by the Winnipeg police force played such a huge role in Tina's death, and the Canadian police and justice system overall is extremely complicit in crimes against indigenous peoples and communities across the country. Having the main narrative in the book be from the perspective of a "good cop" seemed tonedeaf to me, and I really couldn't care less about how hard it was for him, or how he felt bad when people said the police were responsible for her death, or how he was too nervous to go to the trial. Overall it felt like a very "not all cops" approach, and I would've found it frustrating in general, but the police system let Tina die.
Also on the topic of the police narrative, the portion about the Mr. Big sting was so long, for seemingly no reason. So much could've been cut out while leaving in the big revelations about Cormier. It felt very Police Thriller, and again, it felt tonedeaf in a story like Tina's. I guess I should've expected it from a book like this, but I'm still disappointed.
I think the author does really care about this case, but ultimately I didn't think the book was a good reflection of that.
I know it's pretty standard for true crime to focus on the investigation and trial, but considering the sensitive subject matter and what it says on the cover of the book, I was disappointed. I wish more focus had been given to Tina's life, rather than the pretty small section at the beginning.
My actual frustration, though, is the heavy focus on O'Donovan himself, and anecdotes from his life. The negligence exhibited by the Winnipeg police force played such a huge role in Tina's death, and the Canadian police and justice system overall is extremely complicit in crimes against indigenous peoples and communities across the country. Having the main narrative in the book be from the perspective of a "good cop" seemed tonedeaf to me, and I really couldn't care less about how hard it was for him, or how he felt bad when people said the police were responsible for her death, or how he was too nervous to go to the trial. Overall it felt like a very "not all cops" approach, and I would've found it frustrating in general, but the police system let Tina die.
Also on the topic of the police narrative, the portion about the Mr. Big sting was so long, for seemingly no reason. So much could've been cut out while leaving in the big revelations about Cormier. It felt very Police Thriller, and again, it felt tonedeaf in a story like Tina's. I guess I should've expected it from a book like this, but I'm still disappointed.
I think the author does really care about this case, but ultimately I didn't think the book was a good reflection of that.
September 29, 2019
Tragic true story .
Each year, Canadian women are murderd or disappear never to be seen again. Some end up in a river that runs through the heart of Winnipeg. Red river Girl is the account of the unsolved death of an indigenous teenager, and the detective determined to find her killer, set against the backdrop of a troubled city.
on 17th August 2014, the body of fifteen year old runaway Tina Fontaine was found weighed down in the Red River in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. Her death caused an outcry across Canada.
BBC reporter and documentary maker Joanna Jolly has done a really good story reconstructing Tina's life from her childhood on the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve to her difficult teenage years. The killer was charged with second-degree murder.
Each year, Canadian women are murderd or disappear never to be seen again. Some end up in a river that runs through the heart of Winnipeg. Red river Girl is the account of the unsolved death of an indigenous teenager, and the detective determined to find her killer, set against the backdrop of a troubled city.
on 17th August 2014, the body of fifteen year old runaway Tina Fontaine was found weighed down in the Red River in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. Her death caused an outcry across Canada.
BBC reporter and documentary maker Joanna Jolly has done a really good story reconstructing Tina's life from her childhood on the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve to her difficult teenage years. The killer was charged with second-degree murder.
April 10, 2020
Jolly is clearly a talented journalist and she put a lot of work in to compiling the timeline for Tina’s last days as well as the investigation by Winnipeg Police Services. However, I would not recommend this book for any reason other than how NOT to write about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Quick content warning for dehumanizing First Nations children. Jolly describes Tina’s autopsy in graphic detail. It was grossly disrespectful and completely unnecessary. It very much felt like Jolly was describing an object and not a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL who had been murdered.
In addition, Jolly provides very little context for Tina’s tragic murder, such as the over representation of Indigenous youth in CFS nor murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. As the National Inquiry into MMIW was announced during the course of the investigation into Tina’s death and Jolly had unprecedented access to the detectives on the case, there could have been a really interesting and necessary conversation on police and their role in this issue. She also glosses over the role that the police played in Tina’s death.
This really reads like it came from police media services than a piece of investigative journalism.
Quick content warning for dehumanizing First Nations children. Jolly describes Tina’s autopsy in graphic detail. It was grossly disrespectful and completely unnecessary. It very much felt like Jolly was describing an object and not a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL who had been murdered.
In addition, Jolly provides very little context for Tina’s tragic murder, such as the over representation of Indigenous youth in CFS nor murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. As the National Inquiry into MMIW was announced during the course of the investigation into Tina’s death and Jolly had unprecedented access to the detectives on the case, there could have been a really interesting and necessary conversation on police and their role in this issue. She also glosses over the role that the police played in Tina’s death.
This really reads like it came from police media services than a piece of investigative journalism.
November 12, 2023
This investigative look into the murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine reads like a crime novel. It is extremely well written and researched and shines a light on the appalling treatment of indigenous women in Canada and elsewhere. As a resident of Manitoba, I was a little defensive at her portrayal of Winnipeg at first, but then I realized that the Winnipeg that Tina Fontaine lived in is not the Winnipeg I live in. But it is the sad and terrible reality for so many. Everyone should read this book. And then everyone should stand up and do something to change things. It’s devastating that they were not able to get a confession out of Cormier. I think it’s pretty clear that he’s guilty after reading the book. This one is a definite five star for me.
June 8, 2019
My review can be found inside: https://youtu.be/_b-KACYIfHI
I received an ARC kindly from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I received an ARC kindly from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
September 14, 2019
As proud as I am to be Canadian, there are many things I wish I could change. There are even things that make me ashamed of my country and one of those things is how Indigenous people have historically been treated. Even more horrifying is that although it is finally improving, at least in some areas, Indigenous people still face an unconsciounable amount of racial discrimination to this very day. This racism and discrimination is not limited to Canada, and is a Continent-Wide issue.
The reason I bring up racism is because it is definitely a factor of Tina Fontaine's disappearance and murder as chronicled in RED RIVER GIRL.
Author Joanna Jolly has researched Tina Fontaine's life from childhood up to, and even after her death. I believe that Joanna Jolly's experience as not only a journalist and author, but also as a documentary film maker has culminated in a book that must be read. She does not shy away from disclosing the horror that Tina experienced in her short fifteen years of life. Not does she gloss over the cultural stigma Tina lived with every day of her life.
This book not only highlights the life and death of Tina Fontaine, it also highlights the excellent investigative skills shown by the dogged police detective who pulled out all the stops to find Tina's killer and to bring him to justice. However, that was not to be.
When killer Raymond Cormier's trial ended up with him being acquitted, people across Canada (myself included) were both outraged and dismayed. The only positive that came from that trial was the spotlight that was shone on the horrific epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
If you care about the truth, if you care about our Indigenous population, if you want to be more informed regarding Indigenous homelessness, as well as other related topics, you need to buy a copy of this book.
I rate RED RIVER GIRL as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*** Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
The reason I bring up racism is because it is definitely a factor of Tina Fontaine's disappearance and murder as chronicled in RED RIVER GIRL.
Author Joanna Jolly has researched Tina Fontaine's life from childhood up to, and even after her death. I believe that Joanna Jolly's experience as not only a journalist and author, but also as a documentary film maker has culminated in a book that must be read. She does not shy away from disclosing the horror that Tina experienced in her short fifteen years of life. Not does she gloss over the cultural stigma Tina lived with every day of her life.
This book not only highlights the life and death of Tina Fontaine, it also highlights the excellent investigative skills shown by the dogged police detective who pulled out all the stops to find Tina's killer and to bring him to justice. However, that was not to be.
When killer Raymond Cormier's trial ended up with him being acquitted, people across Canada (myself included) were both outraged and dismayed. The only positive that came from that trial was the spotlight that was shone on the horrific epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
If you care about the truth, if you care about our Indigenous population, if you want to be more informed regarding Indigenous homelessness, as well as other related topics, you need to buy a copy of this book.
I rate RED RIVER GIRL as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*** Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
March 7, 2020
A haunting story of a runaway Indigenous girl who was found murdered in Winnipeg.
My love of true crime, my previous work experience with 911 handling calls on Indigenous reserves and my familiarity with Winnipeg made this a book easy for me to empathise with. The conditions and cycles of abuse that these young girls experience daily is truly heartbreaking and hard to break away from.
I enjoyed the point of view from the sergeant and the police officers. Especially homicide detective O’Donovan.
This is a book that is eye opening and an important read for the native stigma in our everyday culture.
My love of true crime, my previous work experience with 911 handling calls on Indigenous reserves and my familiarity with Winnipeg made this a book easy for me to empathise with. The conditions and cycles of abuse that these young girls experience daily is truly heartbreaking and hard to break away from.
I enjoyed the point of view from the sergeant and the police officers. Especially homicide detective O’Donovan.
This is a book that is eye opening and an important read for the native stigma in our everyday culture.
June 19, 2021
A heart breaking story but a necessary one. This book was well written and flowed easily. I highly recommend it.
May 19, 2024
I listened to the audiobook of this book. I wish I hadn’t. Penelope Rawlins is a terrible narrator. She couldn’t pronounce city names and provinces properly, which frequently broke up the flow (“uun-tarr-ee-oh” for Ontario was dreadful). The most annoying was Penelope attempt to ‘voice act’ the dialogue in the book. It was insulting that every unhoused or transient suspect was impersonated with a dull, low, stupid sounding voice. Her impersonations of young girls’ dialogue was truly cringe-worthy. Yet police officers were voiced-acted with polite/educated voices. The audio production sounded like it had no producer to correct numerous mispronunciations and reign in the truly terrible voice acting. 1 star for that.
The subject of Joanna Jolly’s collection of true crime details are important for the need for attention to the out-of-control volume of murders of Canadian Indigenous women and children. At times, they are details that felt like filler and not really important details. It was clear that the Winnipeg Police were inept and wasted a lot of time using tactics illegal in many other countries like the UK and ‘Merica. And for no positive result. 5 stars.
1 star narration + 5 star content importance = 3.5 stars (marked on a curve). Read the book instead.
The subject of Joanna Jolly’s collection of true crime details are important for the need for attention to the out-of-control volume of murders of Canadian Indigenous women and children. At times, they are details that felt like filler and not really important details. It was clear that the Winnipeg Police were inept and wasted a lot of time using tactics illegal in many other countries like the UK and ‘Merica. And for no positive result. 5 stars.
1 star narration + 5 star content importance = 3.5 stars (marked on a curve). Read the book instead.
September 6, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Journalist Joanna Jolly takes us inside the investigation into the death of Tina Fontaine, and the subsequent trial of her accused killer, Raymond Cormier.
Her body found in the Red River in Winnipeg in 2014, Tina Fontaine became a symbol and a rallying cry for a national into inquiry missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.
Joanna Jolly is not Canadian, and even admits to not having very much knowledge of the internal issues Canada faces. But I do not say this as a criticism. In fact, I think her being non-Canadian actually helps her give as unbiased of a depiction of this case and what it represents at large.
I read this book as a white, born-and-raised Canadian, my own cultural heritage firmly planted at the intersection of my country's colonizers: French and British. I have no knowledge of any Indigenous heritage in my family, and grew up largely oblivious to the plight of First Nations, despite living less than an hour from a reserve. My view of First Nations issues was almost entirely conjecture and, until I got to university, hadn't been challenged or been interested in challenging that view. I believe I suffered from what most Canadians suffer from: a totally ignorant view of their own country. Several classes I took in university certainly gave that view a tune-up. By the time I got to reading this book, I'd like to think that I've reached a point where I'm not nearly as ignorant as I used to be.
Even Ms Jolly admits that her own views of Canada were of the stereotypical variety: beer-drinking, hockey-loving friendly folk, living peacefully within a mosaic of multiculturalism, a veritable role model of peace for the world. As she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Tina's death, it is clear that her own views of Canada are challenged.
While this book at times was exhaustive in its details, this was such a complex matter, that one can't really fault her for that. And despite some parts focussing firmly on the prime suspect, Mr Cormier, I never got the sense that Tina was lost in the investigation, or this book. This book was about Tina, and was for Tina.
I can't speak to the experiences of Indigenous women simply because I am not one. But I do think that this book should be required reading for all non-Indigenous Canadians.
Journalist Joanna Jolly takes us inside the investigation into the death of Tina Fontaine, and the subsequent trial of her accused killer, Raymond Cormier.
Her body found in the Red River in Winnipeg in 2014, Tina Fontaine became a symbol and a rallying cry for a national into inquiry missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.
Joanna Jolly is not Canadian, and even admits to not having very much knowledge of the internal issues Canada faces. But I do not say this as a criticism. In fact, I think her being non-Canadian actually helps her give as unbiased of a depiction of this case and what it represents at large.
I read this book as a white, born-and-raised Canadian, my own cultural heritage firmly planted at the intersection of my country's colonizers: French and British. I have no knowledge of any Indigenous heritage in my family, and grew up largely oblivious to the plight of First Nations, despite living less than an hour from a reserve. My view of First Nations issues was almost entirely conjecture and, until I got to university, hadn't been challenged or been interested in challenging that view. I believe I suffered from what most Canadians suffer from: a totally ignorant view of their own country. Several classes I took in university certainly gave that view a tune-up. By the time I got to reading this book, I'd like to think that I've reached a point where I'm not nearly as ignorant as I used to be.
Even Ms Jolly admits that her own views of Canada were of the stereotypical variety: beer-drinking, hockey-loving friendly folk, living peacefully within a mosaic of multiculturalism, a veritable role model of peace for the world. As she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Tina's death, it is clear that her own views of Canada are challenged.
While this book at times was exhaustive in its details, this was such a complex matter, that one can't really fault her for that. And despite some parts focussing firmly on the prime suspect, Mr Cormier, I never got the sense that Tina was lost in the investigation, or this book. This book was about Tina, and was for Tina.
I can't speak to the experiences of Indigenous women simply because I am not one. But I do think that this book should be required reading for all non-Indigenous Canadians.
October 18, 2019
A very detailed look into the investigation of the murder of Tina Fontaine. It gives great depth and detail into the 16-months worth of work and the obsessive pursuit by John O'Donovan and the Winnipeg Police Homicide unit to find and convict Tina's killer. O'Donovan was convinced that Raymond Cormier was her killer and worked obsessively on this case. Unable to get a confession and the evidence they so painstakingly gathered was not enough and Cormier was acquitted.
This is a very comprehensive look at Tina's life, O'Donovan's life, the community and life of the North End of Winnipeg. It takes a deep dive into the unnerving number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada and weaves in some of the broader Indigenous issues as well.
This is a very comprehensive look at Tina's life, O'Donovan's life, the community and life of the North End of Winnipeg. It takes a deep dive into the unnerving number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada and weaves in some of the broader Indigenous issues as well.
August 22, 2019
A lot of Canadians were puzzled by one of the conclusions in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG). The inquiry found that the tragic number of women involved amounted to an act of genocide. A new book by British journalist Joanna Jolly helps us understand the truth behind the inquiry’s conclusions.
Red River Girl tells the story of Tina Fontaine, a 15-year-old Indigenous woman murdered in Winnipeg in 2014. Although a man was charged with her murder in 2015, he was acquitted by a jury in February 2018. Jolly presents Fontaine’s story almost as a police procedural. Most of her sources are connected to the Winnipeg police. She also untangles the somewhat scattered, often incoherent and sometimes self-serving memories of people who knew Fontaine in the last few months of her young life.
Make no mistake about it. Fontaine’s story was searingly tragic. She was born in the Sagkeeng First Nation, about 120 km north-east of Winnipeg and raised there by a great-aunt. Her mother was largely absent from her life. Her father was beaten to death when she was 12. Her school work began to suffer as a result and by the time she was 15 she was a frequent runaway. She ran to the city in attempts to reconnect with her mother. This brought her into contact with the predators who feed on Winnipeg's inner city poverty.
It is fair to say that the most positive times for Fontaine were when she managed to connect with the stable elders of her community and was able to feel the language and culture that ought to have been hers. These moments were always thwarted by the men who fed her growing drug addiction and, despite her young age, lured her into the sex trade.
Worse still was the failure of the child protection system to shield her from the dangers of life on Winnipeg’s streets. On one occasion, within days of her death, she was a passenger in a pickup truck stopped by police at about five o’clock in the morning. The two constables failed to wonder why a young Indigenous woman was in the truck at that hour. They did not follow up on a missing person alert circulated earlier that night. They arrested the driver for minor traffic offenses and allowed Fontaine to walk away.
On many occasions when workers from Children and Family Services (CFS) did have Fontaine in their care, they would leave her in a downtown hotel room. This teenage runaway, picked up on a missing person report, was left unsupervised. She was able to walk out unnoticed at any time, and the drug dealers who had her in their clutches could wander the hotel corridors unimpeded. Of all the things CFS managed to do, protecting Tina Fontaine did not make it onto the list.
Jolly does a good job of reporting the details of Fontaine’s life and the unsuccessful search for her killer. She also makes it clear that Fontaine’s life and death were not unusual. Her tragedy was not unique. She was neither the first nor the last Indigenous woman to go missing and to be murdered. The RCMP estimate that nearly 1,200 had been murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada puts the number at closer to 4,000 over 40 years. In any event, Jolly writes, while Indigenous women make up only four per cent of Canada’s female population, almost half of all women murdered are Indigenous.
Tina Fontaine’s murder was one of the straws that broke the camel’s back. It galvanized Canada’s Indigenous community and captured national attention. Six months later, the federal government set up a national inquiry to gather the truth about this epidemic of violence.
The executive summary of the National Inquiry's final report states:
“Racist colonial attitudes justified Canada’s policies of assimilation, which sought to eliminate First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples as distinct peoples and communities. (…) The result has been that many Indigenous people have grown up normalized to violence, while Canadian society shows an appalling apathy to addressing the issue. The National Inquiry … finds that this amounts to genocide.”
If you want to understand the roots of the ongoing assault on the Indigenous population of our country, get a copy of Red River Girl. Then go online and get a copy of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Then read them and weep.
(Red River Girl is published by Penguin Random House Canada with a release date of 27 August 2019. An advance review copy was made available through NetGalley.com. #RedRiverGirl #NetGalley)
Red River Girl tells the story of Tina Fontaine, a 15-year-old Indigenous woman murdered in Winnipeg in 2014. Although a man was charged with her murder in 2015, he was acquitted by a jury in February 2018. Jolly presents Fontaine’s story almost as a police procedural. Most of her sources are connected to the Winnipeg police. She also untangles the somewhat scattered, often incoherent and sometimes self-serving memories of people who knew Fontaine in the last few months of her young life.
Make no mistake about it. Fontaine’s story was searingly tragic. She was born in the Sagkeeng First Nation, about 120 km north-east of Winnipeg and raised there by a great-aunt. Her mother was largely absent from her life. Her father was beaten to death when she was 12. Her school work began to suffer as a result and by the time she was 15 she was a frequent runaway. She ran to the city in attempts to reconnect with her mother. This brought her into contact with the predators who feed on Winnipeg's inner city poverty.
It is fair to say that the most positive times for Fontaine were when she managed to connect with the stable elders of her community and was able to feel the language and culture that ought to have been hers. These moments were always thwarted by the men who fed her growing drug addiction and, despite her young age, lured her into the sex trade.
Worse still was the failure of the child protection system to shield her from the dangers of life on Winnipeg’s streets. On one occasion, within days of her death, she was a passenger in a pickup truck stopped by police at about five o’clock in the morning. The two constables failed to wonder why a young Indigenous woman was in the truck at that hour. They did not follow up on a missing person alert circulated earlier that night. They arrested the driver for minor traffic offenses and allowed Fontaine to walk away.
On many occasions when workers from Children and Family Services (CFS) did have Fontaine in their care, they would leave her in a downtown hotel room. This teenage runaway, picked up on a missing person report, was left unsupervised. She was able to walk out unnoticed at any time, and the drug dealers who had her in their clutches could wander the hotel corridors unimpeded. Of all the things CFS managed to do, protecting Tina Fontaine did not make it onto the list.
Jolly does a good job of reporting the details of Fontaine’s life and the unsuccessful search for her killer. She also makes it clear that Fontaine’s life and death were not unusual. Her tragedy was not unique. She was neither the first nor the last Indigenous woman to go missing and to be murdered. The RCMP estimate that nearly 1,200 had been murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada puts the number at closer to 4,000 over 40 years. In any event, Jolly writes, while Indigenous women make up only four per cent of Canada’s female population, almost half of all women murdered are Indigenous.
Tina Fontaine’s murder was one of the straws that broke the camel’s back. It galvanized Canada’s Indigenous community and captured national attention. Six months later, the federal government set up a national inquiry to gather the truth about this epidemic of violence.
The executive summary of the National Inquiry's final report states:
“Racist colonial attitudes justified Canada’s policies of assimilation, which sought to eliminate First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples as distinct peoples and communities. (…) The result has been that many Indigenous people have grown up normalized to violence, while Canadian society shows an appalling apathy to addressing the issue. The National Inquiry … finds that this amounts to genocide.”
If you want to understand the roots of the ongoing assault on the Indigenous population of our country, get a copy of Red River Girl. Then go online and get a copy of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Then read them and weep.
(Red River Girl is published by Penguin Random House Canada with a release date of 27 August 2019. An advance review copy was made available through NetGalley.com. #RedRiverGirl #NetGalley)
June 18, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me an ARC of this heartbreaking book in exchange for an honest review.
Living in the United States, I was not aware of the recent murder and discovery of Tina Fontaine, a 15 year old Indigenous teenager from Manitoba Canada. On the morning of August 17, 2014 Tina’s body was found wrapped in a duvet and submerged in the muddy waters of Winnipeg’s Red River. She had been reported as missing for 6 weeks. BBC reporter JoAnna Jolly has written a compelling, extensive, and detailed account of Tina’s early family life, the obstacles she faced as a child born to addict parents, her encounters with child welfare services and the tragic last weeks of her life. This story was gut wrenching and a crash course on Canada’s systematic failure and neglect of the Indigenous people of the region. Continuing with her research, Jolly chronicles the year long extensive murder investigation and ultimate arrest. It was fascinating to get such a behind the scenes look at the police probe and eventual court proceedings. I literally could not put this book down. My heart broke for the travesty that befell Tina and the other young girls like her.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, nonfiction, women’s rights and policy making/ politics.
My only quibble; at times the book got bogged down in too much background information.
Living in the United States, I was not aware of the recent murder and discovery of Tina Fontaine, a 15 year old Indigenous teenager from Manitoba Canada. On the morning of August 17, 2014 Tina’s body was found wrapped in a duvet and submerged in the muddy waters of Winnipeg’s Red River. She had been reported as missing for 6 weeks. BBC reporter JoAnna Jolly has written a compelling, extensive, and detailed account of Tina’s early family life, the obstacles she faced as a child born to addict parents, her encounters with child welfare services and the tragic last weeks of her life. This story was gut wrenching and a crash course on Canada’s systematic failure and neglect of the Indigenous people of the region. Continuing with her research, Jolly chronicles the year long extensive murder investigation and ultimate arrest. It was fascinating to get such a behind the scenes look at the police probe and eventual court proceedings. I literally could not put this book down. My heart broke for the travesty that befell Tina and the other young girls like her.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, nonfiction, women’s rights and policy making/ politics.
My only quibble; at times the book got bogged down in too much background information.
August 28, 2023
Tina Fontaine, a fifteen-year-old Aboriginal girl was found in the Red River in Canada and identified by a tattoo. Indigenous females have been murdered at an astounding rate up north in the land of hockey and Molson Ale.
Sergeant John O’Donovan, an Irish immigrant worked the case from the start and called the murder victim, "a mere child." Others were not as sympathetic, blaming her high-risk lifestyle as a prostitute and drug dealer as being the reason for her death.
Tina's mother was pregnant at thirteen and the teenage mom was also a drug addict and hooker who was incapable of caring for her children. She abused her daughter who lived with relatives when she ran away and turned to prostitution and drug dependence. Marijuana, cocaine, meth and prescription drugs caused an overdose and hospitalization shortly before her death. An autopsy could not establish the cause of her demise. Decomposition after a few days in the Red River made for a difficult postmortem.
Raymond Courmier was a petty thief and meth addict who was the last person seen with Fontaine and the tenacious Sergeant O'Donovan pursued Ray with little sleep during the investigation.
The murder trial finishes the book and it is a good read.
Sergeant John O’Donovan, an Irish immigrant worked the case from the start and called the murder victim, "a mere child." Others were not as sympathetic, blaming her high-risk lifestyle as a prostitute and drug dealer as being the reason for her death.
Tina's mother was pregnant at thirteen and the teenage mom was also a drug addict and hooker who was incapable of caring for her children. She abused her daughter who lived with relatives when she ran away and turned to prostitution and drug dependence. Marijuana, cocaine, meth and prescription drugs caused an overdose and hospitalization shortly before her death. An autopsy could not establish the cause of her demise. Decomposition after a few days in the Red River made for a difficult postmortem.
Raymond Courmier was a petty thief and meth addict who was the last person seen with Fontaine and the tenacious Sergeant O'Donovan pursued Ray with little sleep during the investigation.
The murder trial finishes the book and it is a good read.
November 23, 2023
This was a hard read since it is the true story of a Manitoba teenager and the tragic way the systems that were built to protect her failed her at every corner.
It is a common story in Manitoba and across Canada unfortunately but Tina Fontaine became a name we all know and recognize unlike so many of her relatives that have had similar stories.
I found it interesting that this book was written by BBC
Journalist instead of someone local.
I found it very well written and the author does a good job of painting the picture of what her life was like and how they pieced together the last week of her life. They go through how the investigation followed the evidence and the challenges they faced with the many unreliable witnesses they had to rely on. It also follows the trial.
I think it is a good book to read to learn more about missing and murdered indigenous women and how Canada has failed them and continues failing them in so many ways.
It is a common story in Manitoba and across Canada unfortunately but Tina Fontaine became a name we all know and recognize unlike so many of her relatives that have had similar stories.
I found it interesting that this book was written by BBC
Journalist instead of someone local.
I found it very well written and the author does a good job of painting the picture of what her life was like and how they pieced together the last week of her life. They go through how the investigation followed the evidence and the challenges they faced with the many unreliable witnesses they had to rely on. It also follows the trial.
I think it is a good book to read to learn more about missing and murdered indigenous women and how Canada has failed them and continues failing them in so many ways.
April 19, 2019
Red River Girl, a true story about a 15 yr old Indigenous girl, named Tina Fontaine, who was found by chance, dead in the Red River in Winnipeg, Canada on Aug 17, 2014. Not only does this book delve into the personal details of Tina's family, and life, which was so sad, but the lives of the Indigenous people of Canada. It was an eye opening book for me, as I had no idea of the suffering/racism the Indigenous people, endured, and still do. The women are especially treated horribly, and are sadly victims of many sexual assaults.
The Book was written by BBC Reporter, Joanna Jolly, who does an outstanding job in telling the story of Tina, her case, and the lives of the native people, bringing much needed attention to the heartbreaking lives these people have lived. Thanks so much @Netgalley @Penguin Random House, and of course, Joanna Jolly, for the chance to read this heartbreaking, but very informative book.
The Book was written by BBC Reporter, Joanna Jolly, who does an outstanding job in telling the story of Tina, her case, and the lives of the native people, bringing much needed attention to the heartbreaking lives these people have lived. Thanks so much @Netgalley @Penguin Random House, and of course, Joanna Jolly, for the chance to read this heartbreaking, but very informative book.
April 18, 2019
This is such a heartbreaking true crime story of Tina Fontaine. It was hard to put down the book, I read it straight through.
As I was reading it, you could tell that the homicide department in Winnipeg expanded a LOT of man power and money trying to catch her killer. Yet, I was left wondering if perhaps they had narrowed their search too soon.
I was shocked at how many murders her poor family had endured before Tina's.
This was a good true crime book that really explores the ways in which the police tried to get a conviction in this case.
As I was reading it, you could tell that the homicide department in Winnipeg expanded a LOT of man power and money trying to catch her killer. Yet, I was left wondering if perhaps they had narrowed their search too soon.
I was shocked at how many murders her poor family had endured before Tina's.
This was a good true crime book that really explores the ways in which the police tried to get a conviction in this case.
August 31, 2020
This book was incredibly tough to read as Indigenous woman. The system failed Tina Fontaine and she slipped through the cracks. Family members, social workers, police officers, and even nurses failed to protect the fifteen year old indigenous girl. She was just a baby and she deserved justice. Joanna Jolly weaves her life and death, the investigation, and the aftermath together beautifully. I think this book is a good starting place for people to understand violence against Indigenous women and girls, and racism in Canada.
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