2020-12-23

Trio of local tales of crime, justice contained in Valley author’s new book

A must-read for anyone interested in real life drama rinsed in local history, Dean Jobb's latest work, Daring, Devious, & Deadly: True Tales of Crime and Justice From Nova Scotia's Past, contains a trio of compelling stories with a South Shore flavour.

The Skipper's Good Name, talks about how renowned Bluenose Captain Angus Walters took American magazine Cosmopolitan to task for comments published in 1946.

"The court file was still preserved in the Nova Scotia Archives which gave me rulings, transcripts and lots of detail," Jobb told LighthouseNOW about some of the research he embarked on to complete the 214-page text, which is published by Lawrencetown Beach-based Pottersfield Press.

The Kings County author also penned Mutiny on the Zero, which revealed the captain of a vessel found abandoned in the LaHave area in the 1860s was murdered.

Finally, Tell-Tale Chalk delves into the facts of a triple-murder near Lunenburg in 1791, which underlined challenges dispensing justice in a provincial legal system still finding its footing.

These stories, and a host of others, made the cut for Jobb, who is a former court and crime reporter, and tap into a unique historical package of narratives of court and law from across the province.

"It reminds us that human nature hasn't changed that much," Jobb told LighthouseNOW during a telephone chat. "Greed, jealousy, hatred, prejudice; all the ills of society today, existed then."

"The past always informs the present, and, I think by seeing how things were done in the past, I think we can get a better appreciation for what happens today or how things are done now."

Jobb developed his interest in writing crime-centric non-fiction during his journalism career, and pursued the facts of generations-old cases and unpacked nuggets of story-telling gold.

Did you hear about the murder at a voting station near Halifax during an election in the 1850s? The bank robbery in the city during a circus parade in the 1870s? Jobb did, and they're part of the book.

"I find they are a fascinating entry point or window on the past," he said. "There are a lot of stories coming out in the court room people may not have told otherwise."

"You see people at their worst, but you also see people at their best."

A sequel to this book is due out in the fall of 2021. Jobb's next work is also of the true crime variety, and will be released in June.

To learn more about his work and past titles, check out http://www.deanjobb.com on the internet.