Author Robert Lundrigan shares journey and discusses newest novel

Spaniard’s Bay author Robert W. Lundrigan recently released his second book, The Bakeapple Marsh Murder.

 The self-published mystery novel, which released in April of this year, was inspired by—though not based on—two incidents in his family’s past.

The first was the disappearance of his fifth-generation great-grandfather in Labrador in 1884. Initially believed by all to have drowned, his body was discovered on a narrow pathway between two Labrador communities in 1897.

“Family folklore has it that his remains were identified by a belt that he had been wearing,” said Lundrigan.

The book was also inspired by the accidental shooting of his uncle-in-law in 1926 in Labrador. He died of gangrene, and his body had to be preserved in salt while it was brought home.

“So those things got me thinking about what might a mystery, what might a murder even, look like on the Labrador coast,” said Lundrigan. “So, I chose the 1950s as a timeframe, and I consulted with the RCMP and they put me on to some retired RCMP officers, one in particular who had served in Cartwright during the 1950s.”

He also consulted with his father’s cousin, Nigel Smith, who worked on coastal boats in Labrador his whole life.

“I used these individuals and other research to make this story as authentic as I could,” said Lundrigan.

In The Bakeapple Marsh Murder, a cranky fisherman who owns two boats in Labrador gets into a fight with his crew. The next morning, embarrassed and irritated, he refuses to go fishing with them and goes bakeapple-picking instead. Hearing ducks overhead, he raises his gun to shoot one. A shot does ring out, but it is the man himself who collapses and dies.

“And the rest of the mystery is what the book is about,” said Lundrigan.

The Bakeapple Marsh Murder can be purchased at various businesses, including: Clarke’s Country Corner in Upper Island Cove; Riverhead Irving in Harbour Grace; Powell’s Supermarket in Bay Roberts and Carbonear; Legge’s Restaurant in Heart’s Content; Cole’s in St. John’s and Corner Brook; Chapters in St. John’s; Mainly Mags in Gander; Summit Retreat in Steady Brook; and Jersey Room Craft Shop in Woody Point.

Lundrigan published The Bakeapple Marsh Murder independently, but said that Flanker Press wants to publish his next novel. Lundrigan has plans for two more books, one of which will be a fictionalized version of Coombs’ Days, a tragedy that occurred on February 3, 1868 when a terrible snowstorm struck unexpectedly and a number of residents from Upper Island Cove were killed. Victims included several members of the Coombs family, which is how the tragedy came to get its name.

“There were approximately 30 people who perished on the road between Heart’s Content and Harbour Grace,” said Lundrigan, who added that he will likely write about the tragedy form a Upper Island Cove point of view. He plans to create a fictional protagonist, but the rest of the characters will be based on real people involved with the incident.

Lundrigan says that, after doing more research for the book, he plans to begin writing the Coombs’ Day book in earnest in this fall. He hopes it will be out by fall 2027.

Originally from Upper Island Cove, Lundrigan currently lives in Spaniard’s Bay. Now retired, he held many jobs over the years, most often as an educator or civil servant. His first book, Love and War: The True Story of William and Edith Lundrigan, was published by Flanker Press in September 2023. It chronicles the lives and love story of his parents, William and Edith.

William, a resident of Upper Island Cove, served in the British Royal Navy during WWII. While overseas, he met Edith of Essex, England. The two fell and love and married, living in England for a few years before settling down in Newfoundland.

William stopped working when Lundrigan was a child, much to Lundrigan’s confusion. In his eyes, his father seemed fine, and his friends’ fathers were active in the workforce. Lundrigan admits he felt somewhat resentful about this when he was younger. However, as he got older, he began to notice patterns and wonder about his father’s mental state.

“He was quite normal in many ways,” said Lundrigan. “He was a great father, other than the fact that he wasn’t working, of course. He was a great father, cared for us, we were all close to him and so on. But in the 1990s I started to see evidence that he sort of withdrew from many of the things that he had been involved with in life.”

On Christmas of 2000, something happened that made everything click into place for Lundrigan. His nephews wanted to try out his new TV sound system by playing a war movie. Lundrigan warned his father beforehand, and William said it was fine. However, when the sound of torpedoes came from the speakers, William fell to his knees. He went outside, then had someone bring him and Edith home.

“It was then that the reality came smacking me completely in the face,” said Lundrigan. He realized his father was suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. After speaking to his mother on the topic, he learned that William suffered night terrors, and could not attend war memorial services because they were too emotional for him.

Lundrigan decided that, after he retired, he would write the story of his father and mother. He did just that. Lundrigan used the writings of his late parents, information from his siblings, and his own research to write Love and War.

After writing the book about his parents, Lundrigan decided to turn his hand to fiction, leading to The Bakeapple Marsh Murder.