Hey book friends!
We have some exciting news for you! We're having our second author night next week, Tuesday, June 16th, with local Cranbrook author, Keith Regular, who wrote the true crime book: Rough & Messy Justice.
Keith will begin the night with an overview of the story, followed by a reading, and a Q&A session with the audience.
Signed copies of Rough & Messy Justice will be available for purchase.
This is a free event, but we ask that you RSVP so we have an idea how many people will be attending. See you next week!
- AJ & Cheryl
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, June 16
Start Time: 6:00pm
Location: Papervale Books, 160 Deer Park Ave
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rough & Messy Justice vividly portrays the Rocky Mountains’Crowsnest Pass of 1920, a rugged region shaped by its mining economy and diverse culture. Against this dramatic backdrop, an armed CPR train robbery leads to a deadly shootout at the Bellevue Café between police officers and two Russian outlaws, wanted by the law in Montana. The story follows the thrilling manhunt for the escaped bandit and delves into a flawed trial rife with overt racism in the press, law enforcement cover-ups, and a biased judge and jury. Missteps by a lackluster defence counsel and confused witnesses result in the tragic hanging of an innocent man. This gripping true crime account not only recounts the robbery and trial but critically examines social and racial prejudice, systemic corruption, and the failures of Canada’s early justice system. By exposing these injustices, Rough & Messy Justice challenges traditional assumptions about fairness and equality under the law, offering an edge-of-your-seat exploration of historical crime and consequence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. W. Keith Regular holds a Master of Arts in History from the University of Calgary and a PhD from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Specializing in modern Indigenous and non-Indigenous social and economic relationships, his current research focuses on legal history and the dispensing of justice in the early 20th-century Canadian West, particularly in the Crowsnest Pass. He is also author of the book Neighbours and Networks: The Blood Tribe in the Southern Alberta Economy. Keith lives in Cranbrook, B.C.