The White Angel

This rich fictionalized take on the real-life 1924 murder of Scottish nanny Janet Smith, one of Vancouver’s most famous cold cases, is another feather in the cap of MacLachlan Gray (Not Quite Dead). Renamed Janet Stewart in the novel, the nanny is found shot in the head in her employer’s mansion. It’s obvious from the moment the Grey Point Police appear on scene that justice will not be served. Her death is immediately determined to either be a suicide, despite evidence to the contrary, or the fault of Chinese butler Wong Chi, unsurprising considering the rampant racism of the time. If not for one honest officer, Lance Corporal Hook, and journalist Ed McCurdy working together to get to the truth, the irregularities of the investigation, which later warranted inquiries, might never have come to light. While the politicization of Stewart’s murder echoes history, the novel adds nuanced layers. Supporting characters, such as Sparrow, an undertaker’s assistant, and Mildred, a hotel phone operator, exhibit a telling postwar aimlessness and cynicism. There’s wonderful dark humor, which Gray uses as a weapon against ruling-class political aspirations, clueless cops, and the shameful racism of the time. This is a highly entertaining work of fiction informed by hard truths. (Mar.)