Anatomy of a Cover-Up The Truth about the RCMP and the Nova Scotia Massacres

FOLLOW-UP TO THE #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER 22 MURDERS

The truth about the deadliest criminal incident in Canadian history has remained untold—until now.

How does one tell a story that nobody involved is willing to talk about? 

Investigative journalist Paul Palango’s #1 national bestselling 22 Murders examined in forensic detail the shooting spree committed in April 2020 by Gabriel Wortman that began in tiny Portapique Bay, Nova Scotia, and ended thirteen hours later when Wortman was shot dead by RCMP officers. The episode left numerous serious questions in its wake—most especially why was the killer able to evade police in such limited geography for an entire night and much of the following morning? Theories emerged, in particular the likelihood that the killer or someone very close to him was acting as a police agent. Though Palango unearthed a treasure trove of evidence pointing to this possibility, the Mass Casualty Commission evaded all the big questions about the RCMP handling of the crime spree. To this day, no one has been held accountable.

In this new book, Palango continues to crack the case while also delving deeper into many of the big questions that 22 Murders asked not only about the RCMP’s relationship to the killer and his crimes, but also about the wall of secrecy and deceptions constructed by the RCMP and the criminal justice system. Drawing on his vast experience as an investigative reporter who'd found himself at the centre of many high-profile controversies over decades, he takes readers on an unprecedented journey through the sordid and largely unknown history of cover-ups in Canada, exposing new facts about each of them that may alter the public’s perception of what really happened. As Palango fearlessly undresses politicians, police and journalists, his tour-de-force of reportage reveals to the world how the stories we think we know are often a complete facade.

PAUL PALANGO is a veteran investigative journalist. He started his career at the Hamilton Spectator, his hometown newspaper. In 1977, he joined the Globe and Mail as a reporter, and between 1983 and his resignation in 1990, he served successively as its sports editor, Metro editor, and, eventually, national editor. During his tenure at the Globe, Palango’s reporters swept the Centre for Investigative Reporting Awards in five consecutive years. In 1989, he accepted the Michener Award on behalf of the Globe.