FOLLOW-UP TO THE #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER 22 MURDERS
The truth about the deadliest criminal incident in Canadian history has remained untold—until now.

How does one tell a story that nobody involved is willing to talk about?

Investigative journalist Paul Palango’s #1 national bestselling 22 Murders examined in forensic detail the shooting spree committed in April 2020 by Gabriel Wortman that began in tiny Portapique Bay, Nova Scotia, and ended thirteen hours later when Wortman was shot dead by RCMP officers. The episode left numerous serious questions in its wake—most especially why was the killer able to evade police in such limited geography for an entire night and much of the following morning? Theories emerged, in particular the likelihood that the killer or someone very close to him was acting as a police agent. Though Palango unearthed a treasure trove of evidence pointing to this possibility, the Mass Casualty Commission evaded all the big questions about the RCMP handling of the crime spree. To this day, no one has been held accountable.

In this new book, Palango continues to crack the case while also delving deeper into many of the big questions that 22 Murders asked not only about the RCMP’s relationship to the killer and his crimes, but also about the wall of secrecy and deceptions constructed by the RCMP and the criminal justice system. Drawing on his vast experience as an investigative reporter who'd found himself at the centre of many high-profile controversies over decades, he takes readers on an unprecedented journey through the sordid and largely unknown history of cover-ups in Canada, exposing new facts about each of them that may alter the public’s perception of what really happened. As Palango fearlessly undresses politicians, police and journalists, his tour-de-force of reportage reveals to the world how the stories we think we know are often a complete facade.

PAUL PALANGO was born in Hamilton, Ontario and earned a degree in journalism from Carleton University. He has worked at the Hamilton Spectator (1974-1976), covered the Toronto Blue Jays in their first season for the Toronto Sun (1977), and worked at the Globe and Mail from 1977 to 1990 as City Editor and National Editor—where he was responsible for the supervision of investigative journalism done by Globe reporters across the country. In 1989, on behalf of the Globe and its staff, he was selected to accept the Michener Award from then Governor-General Jeanne Sauve. After leaving the Globe, he worked as a freelancer, writing a city column for eye weekly magazine in Toronto for almost five years. In 1993, he began work as a fraud investigator for a leading forensic accounting firm, which allowed him to see the justice system from a unique perspective. In that capacity, he traveled extensively around North America investigating fraud, including an arson investigation in Saskatchewan, in which he helped the Mounties there focus on the likely perpetrator, who eventually was convicted and went to prison. He has worked on investigations for the Fifth Estate—including a case involving links between Hamilton mobsters and then Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps—as well as investigative journalist pieces for Saturday Night, MacLean’s, Elm Street, Canadian Business and Hamilton Magazine, among others. His books include, Above The Law (McClelland & Stewart) and The Last Guardians (McClelland & Stewart 1998).

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