Former chief justice pens a crime page-turner
McLachlin uses her 36-year career on the bench to spin a compelling yarn
We know Beverley McLachlin as a pioneer — the first woman to serve as Canada’s chief justice. But now we’ll know her for something else entirely: gripping crime fiction.
The retired Supreme Court judge and part-time Vancouver resident has embarked on an encore career as a crime novelist. And what a career it’s looking like it’ll be.
McLachlin’s debut Full Disclosure has just hit shelves, putting her 36 years on the bench to use as an astute novelist.
The murder mystery follows bold, brash criminal defence lawyer Jilly Truitt as she embarks on the case of a lifetime: defending the husband of a beloved high society philanthropist. Laura St. John Trussardi has been found dead in her home, and her wealthy, inscrutable husband Vincent Trussardi has been charged. He’s adamant that he’s innocent, but the evidence seems to tell a different story.
As Truitt attempts to uncover the truth, she’s taken all over Vancouver, from the imposing Holy Rosary Cathedral and the cosy haunt Bishop’s to the posh Wedgewood Hotel and the gritty blocks of East Hastings. In the process, she’s forced to confront her own past growing up in the foster care system.
Assisted by a colourful cast of legal types, and thwarted by her former mentor, the cunning prosecutor Cy Kenge, Truitt pushes herself to her limit, risking all for justice. But will she push too far?
Full Disclosure is a well-crafted page-turner in the vein of international bestsellers like Sarah Vaughan’s Anatomy of a Scandal, and is packed with courtroom drama, intrigue, plot twists, and fascinating details about our criminal justice system. Written in an accessible voice, with a fast-moving narrative, this is beach, cabin and airplane reading at its best.
McLachlin — who counts P.D. James and William Deverell among her favourite thriller authors — began this novel almost 40 years ago, and only returned to it recently.
But it likely won’t be long before we get a second from her. We’ll no doubt hear from Jilly Truitt again soon, as she’s well-suited to a series, and readers are likely to demand it.
The leap from judge to author — though long-awaited — proves a graceful one.