Kathryn Miles

From 1845-1852, as Phytophthora infestans rotted Ireland's potatoes, hundreds of thousands died of starvation or on the "coffin ships" to Canada and America. However, "Jeanie" never lost a single passenger. Her story is the Irish Famine experience as it was meant to be told. In All Standing you encounter: Daniel Reilly of County Kerry, who, with his wife Margaret, their son Robert, and newborn Nicholas were among the 193 passengers on Jeanie's maiden voyage. John Munn, the shipbuilder of the show more Jeanie Johnston and popular philanthropist. Nicholas Donovan, an opportunist with a scheme to sell grain in exchange for Irish immigrants. George Douglas, the overwhelmed doctor who checked in the sick and dying at Grose Île. Capt. James Attridge, who ran a clean ship with a regulated schedule and a disciplined, sober crew - and Dr. Richard Blennerhassett, an enlightened physician who answered only to the needs of his patients, not politics. The latter two especially, would be hailed as heroes by the passengers and earned Jeanie's reputation as a "lucky" ship.

I respect the fact that Miles does not hold back their criticism of the British government at the time of the Irish Famine. They are scathing, and rightfully so. But Miles focuses on Trevelyan and Earl Grey's notorious handling of the famine perhaps too much. I would've preferred to learn more about the passengers. After Daniel disappears from the narrative, Miles checks in on the Reilly family throughout from the perspective of his son Nicholas. But these brief cutaways should've been an epilogue. The Jeanie made several voyages after all, so this would've been an opportunity for intimate insight into others' experiences. Ones that didn't end in tragedy. However, Miles successfully reminds the reader that there are always faces behind statistics and that's what's most important. show less

Fieldnotes:
Shenandoah National Park, 1996

2 Experienced Outdoorswomen
1 Golden Retriever Mix
1 Backcountry Camping Site
Unsolved Double Murder

1 Unlikely Suspect
1 Potential Other Suspect
Inadequate DNA Testing
Understaffing
Hate Crime Legislation

The Short Version:
I generally find myself unsatisfied by True Crime, especially those around unsolved cases. Generally, these are unsettling and if a potential suspect is flagged, I can't help but be concerned about libel and consequences of armchair show more detectives ruining peoples' lives based on their own pet theories. Miles does present an alternative suspect in the case, and her reasoning is fairly convincing - but, of course, we only have the information she chooses to present on those points.
UPDATE: The FBI has now marked this case as resolved as DNA evidence linked these murders to a known suspect (neither the initial nor Miles' suspect).

I found this story overall less frustrating because of its wider and also more personal focus - it is about Julie Williams and Lollie Winans as a couple and outdoorswomen - as real people, but it also is a memoir of how the author approached and reacted to the case, how she linked it to her own experiences with assault and the outdoors and the emotional toll the reporting took on her and her relationships. It is the story of understaffed and inadequately policed national parks, politically influenced prosecutions, public relations, overlooked evidence, and the fear women and marginalized communities feel that keeps them from embracing "The Great Outdoors". An interesting discussion - and seems somewhat less ghoulish than many true crime works. show less

Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles is a 2022 Algonquin Books publication.

This is very good examination, not only of the double murder of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, but of other murders in our National Parks and the implications of crimes against women, possible hate crimes, and the process of the investigations, which led to what is most likely an erroneous suspect, and resulted in an unsolved double murder case.

This is a different approach show more to true crime, as the author doesn’t just outline the case, investigations, etc., in the traditional manner we normally find in true crime books. This book also doubles as a commentary about how women are often the targets of crimes in a wilderness environment. The study includes the possibility that some of these crimes might be motivated by hate, especially considering that Julie and Lollie were a lesbian couple.

Based on the evidence presented here, the one and only suspect for the investigators, is most likely not the doer. There is, though, some strong evidence that the real murderer was a known sexual deviant, but has since died by suicide.

Miles's findings weren’t welcomed by those who worked the case, as it would indicate they got it wrong or didn’t to a very good job with the investigation.

It would appear that women- from all walks of life- are at risk when in a wilderness environment- not from wildlife or the forces of nature, but from human predators.

Sadly, some women will forego or give up entirely on enjoying the full, invigorating pleasures of our National Parks because they don’t feel safe.

This is a recurring theme in the book, but at times, the author tended to spend more time on this topic than was absolutely necessary and I would have preferred to have more balance with the criminal elements, which I feel are required for any true crime book.

While backpacking and ‘roughing it’ in the wilderness is a place one might feel they could let their guard down and be more aware of the natural surroundings, such as wildlife, and survival measures, sadly, there is no place women, no matter their sexuality or race, can fully relax against the possibility of an attack, sexual or otherwise, especially considering that men are usually the predominant population in this specific landscape.

Overall, this book has been yet another example of shoddy, tunnel vision like investigations, and is also a study of crimes against women, while examining the challenges of solving crimes committed in National Parks or wilderness areas.

True crime readers will want to check this out. It is not only a riveting crime saga- it is as thought provoking as it is disturbing.

4 stars show less

Told with the sweep and drive of a novel, All Standing is the true tale of a particular "coffin ship", as those sailing ships transporting families fleeing (or sent from) the great Irish famine of the early eighteen hundreds for Canada were called. The Jeanie Johnston's claim to fame was that she never lost a passenger, at a time when typhus and cholera, storms at sea and crowded, inhumane accommodations both during the crossing and upon arrival were claiming tragic numbers of lives on show more similar ships. This unmatched success and the reasons for it are the framework Kathryn Miles uses to give us a unique and gritty view of a shameful period of British (and Irish) history. Miles also follows, in a series of flash-aheads inserted at intervals, the experience of one such transported family after their arrival in Canada and subsequent migration to America; a very effective and imaginative way to further personalize the story. As someone descended from Irish immigrants to Canada during that same period, I learned a lot about what my ancestors might have experienced, while at the same time enjoying a very engaging and well-told narrative. Highly recommended! show less