What Kills Good Men: A Novel

An Arthur Ellis Award Shortlisted Title for Best First Novel. “A layered, complex mystery novel, teeming with a gallery of memorable characters.” —Atlantic Books Today

On an October night in 1899 the body of a well-regarded city councilman is found floating under a Halifax wharf.

Detective Inspector Culligan Baxter embarks on an investigation that leads from the waterfront, through the city’s streets, and out into the surrounding countryside. Aided by the young but surprisingly astute Kenny Squire and an odd assortment of barkeeps, petty thieves, and prostitutes, Baxter’s sleuthing takes him into the station’s back files and along a path of connections and corruption, linking some of the city’s most prominent businessmen.

From the well-to-do parlors to the seedy taverns to the public spaces that still dominate the city’s downtown today, author David Hood has created a vivid portrait of late-Victorian Halifax. With pointed observations on human behavior and on the changing character of his hometown, Detective Baxter conducts a sardonic inquiry into morality, justice, and the space in between.

An Atlantic Book Award Nominee

“The interplay between the seasoned detective, his superiors, his cronies and contacts, and the smart young rookie who works with him adds to the story which attempts to negotiate a manageable line between justice and morality.” —SaltWire