{{Infobox book | author = Paul Palango | pub_date = 12 April 2022 | publisher = Random House Canada | isbn = 9781039001275 | image = 22 Murders book cover.jpeg }} {{Short description|2022 non-fiction book by Paul Palango}}
'''''22 Murders: Investigating the Massacre, Cover-up, and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia''''' is a 2022 non-fiction book by Canadian writer Paul Palango. The book documents the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks and critiques the police response to the two day incident.
== Production == The book is written by Nova Scotia-based writer and former journalist and editor Paul Palango.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-05 |title=Orangeville resident helps investigative journalist uncover alleged coverup by RCMP in 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting |url=https://citizen.on.ca/orangeville-resident-helps-investigative-journalist-uncover-alleged-coverup-by-rcmp-in-2020-nova-scotia-mass-shooting/ |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=Orangeville Citizen |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Johnston |first=Douglas J. |date=2022-05-14 |title=RCMP’s many shortcomings chronicled in account of N.S. massacre |language=en-CA |work=Winnipeg Free Press |url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/justice-denied-576498482.html |access-date=2022-06-12}}</ref> Palango has written three previous books critical of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)<ref name=":0" /> and prior to publishing ''22 Murders'', he wrote several articles on the attacks, that were published in ''Maclean's'', ''Halifax Examiner'', and ''Frank''.<ref name=":0" />
The book was written following Palango's receipt of information from a concerned Orangeville resident who had been listening to the police communication via a radio scanner at the time of the attacks.<ref name=":0" />
The book was published by Random House on April 12, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=The bestselling books in Canada for the week ending May 4, 2022 |url=https://www.toronto.com/things-to-do/books-and-authors/the-bestselling-books-in-canada-for-the-week-ending-may-4-2022/article_8dac505f-46c1-5a23-ba8e-fffef9a7d016.html |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=Toronto |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
== Synopsis == The book documents the police response to Gabriel Wortman killing 22 people on the 18th and 19th April 2020, in Portapique.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Palango |first=Paul |date=2022-04-14 |title=Excerpt: How Lillian Campbell Hyslop became Gabriel Wortman's 17th victim in N.S. killing spree |language=en |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/excerpt-how-lillian-campbell-hyslop-became-gabriel-wortmans-17th-victim-in-n-s-killing-spree |access-date=2022-06-12}}</ref> Palango presents the actions of authorities in a critical light, highlighting his perceptions of their failures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Airdrie Public Library Staff |date=24 April 2022 |title=APL Book Page: April |url=https://www.airdrietoday.com/community/apl-book-page-april-5287091 |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=AirdrieToday.com |language=en}}</ref> He is critical of both the immediate response to the killings and the subsequent investigation, which he describes as a "cover up".<ref name=":1" /> Criticism is levied at the RCMP for using Twitter rather than the phone-based Alert Ready system to warn nearby communities.<ref name=":1" /> Palango is also critical of the RCMP for not setting up roadblocks, and for their choice to seek assistance from a neighbouring provincial police force some hours away rather than the most proximate municipal police forces.<ref name=":1" />
== Critical reception == The book was the third most popular non-fiction Canadian book in May 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-18 |title=The bestselling books in Canada for the week ending May 18, 2022 |language=en-CA |work=The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2022/05/18/the-bestselling-books-in-canada-for-the-week-ending-may-18-2022.html |access-date=2022-06-12 |issn=0319-0781}}</ref> Lawyer and writer Douglas J. Johnston, writing in the ''Winnipeg Free Press'', praises Palango's research and analysis but also notes that the criticisms of the police are "largely circumstantial and conjectural".<ref name=":1" />
==See also== *Literature of Nova Scotia
== References == {{reflist}}{{Authority control}}
Category:2022 non-fiction books Category:Non-fiction books about crime Category:Current affairs books Category:Books about Nova Scotia