The man accused of the murder of Sarah Margaret (\u201cMaggie\u201d) Vail was respected Saint John architect John Monroe. Although married, he had an affair with Maggie which produced a child, much to John\u2019s chagrin. Maggie\u2019s and the child\u2019s badly decomposed remains were found about a year later on the Black River Road. It was obvious that Maggie was shot through the head, but how the child died remains a mystery. While John Munroe was eventually arrested for the murder, his standing in the community was such that no one, not even the press, wanted to (or could not) believe John Monroe had committed the crime. They even tried to convict another man whose character was more suspect. Newspaper editorials rallied to John Munroe\u2019s defence, based on his good character, his excellent deportment throughout the trial, and so on. Munroe\u2019s defence was counting on his fine character and community support to lead to his acquittal, making this the first case in Canadian legal history to use character as evidence, despite circumstantial evidence pointing to him alone as the murderer.<\/p>\n

As with her previous three books, Ms. Komar applies extensive research and her past medico-legal experience to construct an authoritative, factual and entertaining read. It is also quite educational, especially for those of us not so well versed in legal matters. For instance, in the present Canadian legal system, character as evidence is not supported since the courts consider everyone capable of murder and will not allow anyone to argue to the contrary. In the preface, Ms. Komar requests of the reader:<\/p>\n