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Blood in the Water

A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes

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Blood in the Water

Written by: Silver Donald Cameron
Narrated by: David Ferry
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER

WINNER of the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards' Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award

Shortlisted for the 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book

A brutal murder in a small Maritime fishing community raises urgent questions of right and wrong, and even the nature of good and evil, in this masterfully told true story.

In June 2013, three upstanding citizens of a small Cape Breton town cold-bloodedly murdered their neighbour, Phillip Boudreau, at sea. While out checking their lobster traps, two Landry cousins and skipper Dwayne Samson saw Boudreau in his boat, the Midnight Slider, about to vandalize their lobster traps. Like so many times before, Boudreau was about to cost them thousands of dollars out of their seasonal livelihood. One man took out a rifle and fired four shots at Boudreau and his boat. To finish the job, they rammed their own larger boat over the top of his speedboat. Boudreau's body was never found. Then they completed the day's fishing and went home to Petit de Grat on Isle Madame.

Boudreau was a Cape Breton original--an inventive small-time criminal who had terrorized and entertained Petit de Grat for two decades. He had been in prison for nearly half his adult life. He was funny and frightening, loathed, loved, and feared. One neighbour says he would "steal the beads off Christ's moccasins"--then give the booty away to someone in need. He would taunt his victims, and threaten them with arson if they reported him. He was accused of one attempted rape. Meanwhile the police and the Fisheries officers were frustrated, cowed, and hobbled by shrinking budgets. Boudreau seemed invincible, a miscreant who would plague the village forever.

Cameron, a resident of the area since 1971, argues that the Boudreau killing was a direct reaction to credible and dire threats that the authorities were powerless to neutralize. As many local people have said, if those fellows hadn't killed him, someone else would have. Like Say Nothing, The Perfect Storm, The Golden Spruce, and Into Thin Air, this book offers a dramatic narrative set in a unique, lovingly drawn setting, where a story about one small community has universal resonance. This is a story not about lobster, but about the grand themes of power and law, security and self-respect. It raises a disturbing question: Are there times when taking the law into your own hands is not only understandable but the responsible thing to do? Americas Canada Crime Murder True Crime Fishing Funny Scary
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This book was not entertaining to listen to, but interesting none the less. Good performance.

interesting but dry

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Enjoyed the story as a new blue noser. Author told the story in detail while adding some history of Cape Breton. Narrator did a really great job of different voices.

Little murder, little history

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Very informative, I enjoyed this book a lot, you will get a glimpse of the history of the community and the main subject of the book.

Must read!

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Interesting story and legal case, really quite tragic. It paints a picture of a lot that is wrong in our justice system. This small town was unsettled and ultimately traumatized whenever this man wasn’t in prison. The end result was inexcusable, yet perhaps…. inevitable? No, not inevitable, but how else could this have unfolded? I did enjoy the Nova Scotia and Cape Breton culture. Canadians should read this.

Interesting case

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This story did a wonderful job of explaining the historical context that forms the deep feel of this community.

A well-needed sensitive and balanced examination of the human experience and interactions that run up against formal systems of law and how they’re not always compatible. Making an easy “good guy vs bad guy” trope impossible, as it often is.

Narration was especially great. The use of language was so integral to the story that the proper use of accents, slang and dialects completely enhanced the story.

A compelling and human look behinds sensationalistic headline-making event

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