The Monster of Twenty Mile Pond

by Bill Rowe

Bill McGill, a lawyer living in St. John’s, has been asking himself this same question for more than twenty years, since the day he saw—or thought he saw—something large and monstrous rise up out of the water and pluck a hapless seagull from the air. Today the memory resurfaces as his niece, Esme, finds herself on the wrong side of the law and charged with murder—one that took place on the shores of that very same pond.

With solid evidence against her, and a dogged prosecutor bent on making an example of the young woman, Esme’s fate is sealed. But her uncle refuses to give up hope. Bill McGill must return to the scene of the crime—and the scene of his own long-ago nightmare vision—and learn the truth about what lurks beneath the waves of Twenty Mile Pond.

The Monster of Twenty Mile Pond is Bill Rowe’s eighth book. Two of his books, Danny Williams: The War with Ottawa and The Premiers Joey and Frank: Greed, Power, and Lust, have appeared on the Globe and Mail bestsellers lists.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2014

About the author

William Neil "Bill" Rowe, QC is a former politician, lawyer, broadcaster, and writer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He is married to Penelope Ayre Rowe of St. John's, who is a member of the Order of Canada. They have a son, Dorian, a daughter, Toby, and three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot for this story was a bit improbable, but I guess it was meant to be a horror/fantasy, which is not my favorite genre. You can tell the author is a former lawyer because the legal approach to a suspected crime figured large in the story. What appealed to me most was the authenticity of his descriptions of living in St. John's , Newfoundland. I love the people and the place, so getting to visit through the pages of his book was a true delight.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read involving the legal fallout of a death caused by a giant squid wrongly attributed to a lawyer's niece. The niece had purchased illegal drugs from the victim shortly before his mysterious accident on the secluded shore of Windsor Lake, a large pond west of St. John's that is the city's watershed. The book follows the lawyer's quest for the truth about the monster in the pond.
The funny bits include an interview with a pretentious biology professor emeritus at Memorial University.

[Randy Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good read it just wasn't what I would call a horror story which from the cover and how it was described would lead one to believe that it was. To me this story was more for very young teens. This was the first book I've read by this author so it most likely was my mistake believing it was a horror story and the author most likely meant it for young teens.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, and a quick read. Set in St. John’s, Newfoundland, it's about a lawyer who tries to save his niece and daughter from a murder charge by positing the existence of a giant squid in the “pond”, something he saw himself 20 years before.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not a book to be to serious about, but to pick up, sit by a fire and have fun!

[Harold Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poses this question: Can a man owe his happiness to a monster?