The Massey Murder

In February 1915, a member of one of Canada's wealthiest families was shot and killed on the front porch of his home in Toronto as he was returning from work. Carrie Davies, an 18-year-old domestic servant, quickly confessed. But who was the victim here? Charles "Bert" Massey, a scion of a famous family, or the frightened, perhaps mentally unstable Carrie, a penniless British immigrant? When the brilliant lawyer Hartley Dewart, QC, took on her case, his grudge against the powerful Masseys would fuel a dramatic trial that pitted the old order against the new, wealth and privilege against virtue and honest hard work. Set against a backdrop of the Great War in Europe and the changing faceof a nation, this sensational crime is brought to vivid life for the first time. (From HarperCollins Canada)

• Charlotte Gray on the worst interview she's ever done

In addition to her acclaimed career as a writer and historian, Gray was also a panellist on Canada Reads in 2013, defending Away by Jane Urquhart.

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Author interviews

Charlotte Gray on her biography of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill

25 years ago

Duration 15:24

Biographer Charlotte Gray discusses her new book on 19th-century immigrant sisters Moodie and Traill. Aired on CBC's Hot Type on Feb. 18, 2000.

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The Morning Edition - K-W7:01A conversation with author Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray's 'The Massey Murder' has been chosen as the region's One Book, One Community initiative, aimed at building community through reading.