{"product_id":"the-white-angel-9781771622103","title":"The White Angel","description":"\u003cp\u003eVancouver is in an uproar over the death by gunshot of a Scottish nanny, Janet Stewart. An almost deliberately ham-handed police investigation has Constable Hook suspecting a cover-up. The powerful United Council of Scottish Societies is demanding an inquiry. The killing has become a political issue with an election not far away.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe city is buzzing with rumours. Miss Stewart's fellow nannies have accused the Chinese houseboy of murder, capitalizing on a wave of anti-Chinese propaganda led by the Asian Exclusion League and enthusiastically supported by the sensational press--not to mention the Ku Klux Klan, which has taken up residence in upperclass Shaughnessy. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe White Angel\u003c\/em\u003e is a work of fiction inspired by the cold case of Janet Smith, who, on July 26, 1924, was found dead in her employer's posh Shaughnessy Heights mansion. A dubious investigation led to the even more dubious conclusion that Smith died by suicide. After a public outcry, the case was re-examined and it was decided that Smith was in fact murdered; but no one was ever convicted, though suspects abounded--from an infatuated Chinese houseboy to a drug-smuggling ring, devil-worshippers from the United States, or perhaps even the Prince of Wales. For Vancouver, the killing created a situation analogous to lifting a large flat rock to expose the creatures hiding underneath. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn exploration of true crime through a literary lens, \u003cem\u003eThe White Angel\u003c\/em\u003e draws an artful portrait of Vancouver in 1924 in all its opium-hazed, smog-choked, rain-soaked glory--accurate, insightful and darkly droll.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGray, John MacLachlan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn M\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eac\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLachlan Gray\u003c\/strong\u003e is a multi-talented artist. As a playwright, composer and theatre director, he has created many acclaimed productions, most notably \u003cem\u003eBilly Bishop Goes to War\u003c\/em\u003e (1978), which won the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, was produced on and off Broadway, and was released as a feature film in 2011. As a writer, Gray has authored several books, fiction and non-fiction, including a series of mystery-thrillers: \u003cem\u003eA Gift For The Little Master\u003c\/em\u003e (Random House, 2000), \u003cem\u003eThe Fiend in Human\u003c\/em\u003e (St. Martins\/Random House, 2004), \u003cem\u003eWhite Stone Day\u003c\/em\u003e (Minotaur Books, 2005) and \u003cem\u003eNot Quite Dead\u003c\/em\u003e (Minotaur Books, 2007). He is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He lives in Vancouver, BC.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Douglas \u0026 McIntyre","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50873969213714,"sku":"9781771622103","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d8b742ec-f88d-455d-8734-7b0647015771.jpg?v=1737977057","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-white-angel-9781771622103","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}