One of Murdoch Robertson's law school classmates, now a senior partner at a prestigious law firm in Vancouver, asked him "How could you stand practicing 40 years in a small town?" He replied, "Lots of work, lots of time for family, good friends and a murder trial now and then to keep the adrenaline flowing."
A Touch of Murder, Now and Then tells of the clients whose cases ruffled the feathers of the community patrons, and those clients who found a special place in his memory. He revisits the area's most colourful characters, including a man who puts a home perm in his beard to look more respectable for the jury. Small-town law means divorce hearings one day, acting for the Crown the next, and acting as defence the next. Recreational halls in logging camps have become makeshift courtrooms.
'Doch''s recollections, while filled with excitement and suspense, are personal and show the human side of Canada's criminal justice system.