In what author Daniel Woodrell has dubbed “country noir,” Murmurs of the Dead examines the dark side of small town life in North America. This is an allegorical tale set in coastal British Columbia and explores a way of life that is slowly disappearing. It is also a parable about Canada and the external forces changing our culture. The central characters are reporters who gradually become aware of the history of smuggling, the frontier justice, and marijuana grow-ops as they unearth stories from the town’s shady past. Central to the story are unsolved murders of drug dealers, and when the young journalists discover the cover-up it increasingly appears to be the work of vigilantes. But how many townspeople were involved, and how were the murders kept secret so long?

Al MacLachlan was born and raised in England by Canadian parents, and came to Canada during high school years. He attended university in Montreal before studying journalism and film in Toronto, and has resided in BC since 1977. He has lived over much of BC working as a journalist and television producer including stints in Vanderhoof, Vernon, Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and the Fraser Valley. He currently lives on Vancouver Island.

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