Although he started out to write an article for the Scarlet and Gold Les Holmes soon realized the full story went well beyond the scope of a single article. Les approached me to co-operate with his research phase and ultimately I was drawn into the project as Les uncovered information about Kettles and Forsythe that I was unaware of.

There had been much misinformation around about the police handling of the case, especially regarding the issue of surveillance. It got personal for me when my actions were misrepresented and I had to hire a lawyer to gain a retraction from CBC on their treatment of the issue. The case was an international story and I believe that an accurate and complete account should be given.

As development of the manuscript progressed it was important that Kettles early efforts be recognized along with those of Forsythe.

Because of the guilty plea at the trial, a very brief coroner's report, and the fact that the RCMP review is not a public document, it is only fitting that criminology students, policemen, and members of the general public who remain interested in the case - all should have an opportunity to know the facts.

The book deals with aspects of RCMP procedure and traditions that should always be open to review. I stress the need for co-ordination. The book also details the folly of major transfers at the command level. It also depicts the problems that can arise without proper teamwork and adequate communication. Many of the issues including the frustration of staff shortages are meaningful today. I hope the book makes a positive contribution to policing in Canada.  

 I had great respect for Bruce Northorp and once I decided to pursue this book I knew that Bruce was the only person who could adequately provide detail on key elements of the investigation. The lack of a trial and no public RCMP record prevented the case from being properly accessible to students of policing and justice.

Ultimately I became aware that there were some people impacted by the original investigation who had never had their story told. Darryl Kettles, Les Forsythe, Randy Ludlow and a host of others have lived with clouds and darkness in their lives for almost 20 years because nobody told their story.

I never intended my investigation to go so far and never imagined how much it would uncover. It is a story full of truth and I only hope that the truth works to ultimately accomplish positive things.

 Heritage House first planned to publish Where Shadows Linger a year ago but Les Holme's continuing investigation of the human story of Darryl Kettles, Les Forsythe, Randy Ludlow and others made publication of the complete story impossible until now.

We share with the authors complete respect and sensitivity toward the victims' families and their loss in 1981 and do hope that all media personnel accept that the story cannot be told without some reference to the events as they unfolded. We also wish to give no recognition to any solicitations to comment on the book by Clifford Olson. Nothing that he could say would either add to or take away from the content of the book. We prefer that he be ignored.

This book deals with one of the most important police investigations in recent history and we take pride in pursuing the opportunity to develop a complete story that can provide a candid and complete case history for criminologists in North America and elsewhere.

It is hoped that this book and many of the underlying policing issues discussed within will aid the current plight of the RCMP to gain adequate funding and address the problematic operational elements that Les Holmes and Bruce Northorp identify in their book.

Ultimately, once read we believe that Where Shadows Linger will speak for itself.