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Daring, Devious & Deadly: True Tales of Crime and Justice from Nova Scotia’s Past
A rogues’ gallery of murderers and pirates, plus a pair of brazen bank robbers and a fraud artist who fooled Halifax's elite. A supporting cast that includes a wise-cracking Cape Breton judge, legendary journalist-turned-politician Joseph Howe, circus showman P.T. Barnum and future prime minister John Thompson. Daring, Devious & Deadly is a collection of fifteen true tales of crime and justice that spans more than one hundred and fifty years of Nova Scotia’s history, from a triple murder in 1791 at a farm near Lunenburg to 1947, when Angus Walters, skipper of the racing schooner Bluenose, was attacked in the pages of an American magazine.
The cases are drawn from communities across the province, from Sydney and Amherst to the provincial capital of Halifax, from the rugged coast of the Eastern Shore to the historic town of Annapolis Royal. Filled with surprising twists and courtroom drama, these stories of greed, murder and vengeance offer a window on the past. They showcase advances in investigative techniques and forensic science that revolutionized policing, the legal system and the search for justice. But justice can be far from blind. Religious hatred, partisan rivalry, social status, ethnicity or political corruption sometimes invaded the courtroom, threatening to upset the delicate balance between guilt and innocence. Was justice done in each of these cases? You be the judge.
The cases are drawn from communities across the province, from Sydney and Amherst to the provincial capital of Halifax, from the rugged coast of the Eastern Shore to the historic town of Annapolis Royal. Filled with surprising twists and courtroom drama, these stories of greed, murder and vengeance offer a window on the past. They showcase advances in investigative techniques and forensic science that revolutionized policing, the legal system and the search for justice. But justice can be far from blind. Religious hatred, partisan rivalry, social status, ethnicity or political corruption sometimes invaded the courtroom, threatening to upset the delicate balance between guilt and innocence. Was justice done in each of these cases? You be the judge.
- GenresHistory
214 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
3 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Dean Jobb
33 books245 followers"Jobb's true crime stories are not to be missed" – CrimeReads
I specialize in true crime and I'm drawn to overlooked or forgotten stories. My new book, A Gentleman and a Thief, coming in June 2024, tells the incredible story of Arthur Barry, one of the world’s most successful jewel thieves, who charmed the elite of 1920s New York, brazenly swiped gems worth millions of dollars from their posh country estates, and outfoxed the police and private detectives on his trail.
My previous books include The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream , winner of the inaugural CrimeCon CLUE Award for Best True Crime Book of 2021 and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. It recreates Scotland Yard's hunt for a Victorian Era serial killer who murdered at least ten people in Britain, the U.S. and Canada. Empire of Deception, the rollicking tale of Chicago con man Leo Koretz and his amazing 1920s oil swindle, was the Chicago Writers Association's Nonfiction Book of the Year. Esquire proclaimed it one of the best biographies of all time.
I'm also the author of The Acadian Saga: A People's Story of Exile and Triumph , which chronicles the expulsion of French-speaking Acadians from Eastern Canada more than two centuries ago and the founding of Louisiana’s Cajun culture.
My books have won the Crime Writers of Canada Award for best true crime book and I have been a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize, Canada's top award for nonfiction.
My true crime column "Stranger Than Fiction" appears in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and I write book reviews and features for The Irish Times, CrimeReads, the Washington Independent Review of Books and other major publications. I'm a professor at the University of King’s College in Halifax and teach in the King's MFA in Creative Nonfiction program.
I specialize in true crime and I'm drawn to overlooked or forgotten stories. My new book, A Gentleman and a Thief, coming in June 2024, tells the incredible story of Arthur Barry, one of the world’s most successful jewel thieves, who charmed the elite of 1920s New York, brazenly swiped gems worth millions of dollars from their posh country estates, and outfoxed the police and private detectives on his trail.
My previous books include The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream , winner of the inaugural CrimeCon CLUE Award for Best True Crime Book of 2021 and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. It recreates Scotland Yard's hunt for a Victorian Era serial killer who murdered at least ten people in Britain, the U.S. and Canada. Empire of Deception, the rollicking tale of Chicago con man Leo Koretz and his amazing 1920s oil swindle, was the Chicago Writers Association's Nonfiction Book of the Year. Esquire proclaimed it one of the best biographies of all time.
I'm also the author of The Acadian Saga: A People's Story of Exile and Triumph , which chronicles the expulsion of French-speaking Acadians from Eastern Canada more than two centuries ago and the founding of Louisiana’s Cajun culture.
My books have won the Crime Writers of Canada Award for best true crime book and I have been a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize, Canada's top award for nonfiction.
My true crime column "Stranger Than Fiction" appears in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and I write book reviews and features for The Irish Times, CrimeReads, the Washington Independent Review of Books and other major publications. I'm a professor at the University of King’s College in Halifax and teach in the King's MFA in Creative Nonfiction program.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 26, 2020
I picked this book up on a whim at a local store, thinking that it might make a good gift for any one a number of people I know. I ended up keeping it because I couldn't resist reading it, and I have no regrets. This was an engrossing read, made up of several easily digestible stories. It was all too easy to finish one and think "Ok, maybe just one more."
June 22, 2021
Wonderful to see all these cases collected together. Makes a great resource.
Read somewhere one time - forget where - that Doyle, the River Philip Murderer, was buried in Minudie, Nova Scotia- why there, I don't know. Supposedly the locals were afraid he would rise from the dead and murder them in THEIR beds, so his grave was opened to reassure them that he was still in it. True or not, who knows?
Read somewhere one time - forget where - that Doyle, the River Philip Murderer, was buried in Minudie, Nova Scotia- why there, I don't know. Supposedly the locals were afraid he would rise from the dead and murder them in THEIR beds, so his grave was opened to reassure them that he was still in it. True or not, who knows?
October 14, 2020
As we've come to except from Jobb, Daring, Devious & Deadly is an engaging and delightfully readable combination of well-researched true crime stories told with the flair and ability of a seasoned journalist. Highly recommended to lovers of Nova Scotian history, tales of daring criminals, and those who love to be taken back in time by rich-detailed world-building.
February 24, 2021
Great collection of crime and trials - includes criminal libel, bank embezzlement, bank robbery, mutiny and murder, death when political parties fight (so timely here in USA), ship explosion, and hotel fire.
December 23, 2023
An interesting read of historical Nova Scotian crimes. Fascinating to watch some repeat characters like Joseph Howe who appeared in many different pieces. I did however find myself regularly flipping back to earlier in the story to re-read passages to follow the case or figure out characters because I was confused.
August 9, 2023
I always appreciate reading local history, and Dean Jobb does an excellent job telling these exciting stories of Nova Scotia’s past.
I hope that he writes another book like Empire of Deception - that was one of my favourites!
I hope that he writes another book like Empire of Deception - that was one of my favourites!
October 11, 2020
A facinating collection of crime stories and court cases from the early days of Nova Scotia. Complete with a who's who of famous people and events from the Halifax Explosion, to Joseph Howe, to the Bluenose to future Prime Minister John Thompson. Robbery, fraud, murder and piracy paint a portrait of a crude justice system trying its best to prosecute a series of astonishing crimes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews