Hunting Halifax : In Search of History, Mystery and Murder

by Steven Edwin Laffoley

“I was walking into an air-conditioned Halifax tavern on a hot summer afternoon in search of a dark mystery. I was on the trail of a cold-case murder—a murder case 150 years cold. Clearly, I needed a beer.” So beings the strange and surprising adventure of Hunting Halifax , the true tale of writer Steven Edwin Laffoley as he investigates the mean streets and narrow alleys of historic Halifax, Nova Scotia, in search of clues to a murder, a mystery and a black hole in history. In the early hours of September 8, 1853, in the shadow of Citadel Hill, a sailor with a crushed skull lies slumped against the staircase of a notorious tavern on Barrack Street. The death is said to be an accident—a fall from a window—until two tavern prostitutes tell Nova Scotia’s famous son, Joseph Howe, that it was murder. Prepared to do what it takes to find justice for the murdered sailor, the author sleeps in old graveyards, drinks in rough taverns, concerses in trendy coffee shops, pokes about staid Province House, ponders Victorian Age philosophy, and somehow just manages to avoid arrest. Humorous and engaging, Hunting Halifax is an entertaining tale of history, mystery and murder.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Pamela Perrin]

A great read. The author brings you along on his journey of getting the bottom of an interesting story, while learning many historical facts about Halifax.

[Ron]

I primarily read non fiction but once in a while I will pick up a mystery if it has good character development and can project a unique sense of place. This book managed to fill all three bills. It is an account of the author’s quest to find the truth behind a murder that occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early 1850’s
It’s a great combination of history, mystery and contemporary narrative. I have visited Halifax several times and the author was able to transport me to the streets of the old port as it is today and as it was then. This is a great book that just may inspire you to take a trip to the Maritimes and visit Halifax.