The death of a family member is never an easy thing to cope with, but what about a murder? What about the murder of your son and grandson? I’m sure that I’m not the only person who thinks, Oh, how tragic! or How terrible for that family! I have no doubt that if I came across a story about a crazy, pregnant surgeon who killed her baby’s daddy, my jaw would drop with surprise. When I started reading David Bagby’s book, Dance with the Devil, that is what happened. There was an immediate connection of empathy, and I could directly put myself into the Bagby’s shoes. As the reader, I was experiencing the same confusion, frustration, and the rage that the Bagby’s felt.

The trial to get Shirley Turner removed from Canada and extradited back to the United States was long and troublesome. Not only for the Bagbys, but for the reader as well. I never could see myself getting so involved into a serious non-fiction book such as this one, but I dove in head first with no regrets. The author wants to provoke outrage and he certainly accomplishes it. The Bagbys were in Newfoundland fighting for custody of their grandson and justice for their son’s murder for approximately two years. It was long and full of heartache, and even in the end, it didn’t turn out the way anyone would want it to. This heart-wrenching book shows the multiple problems that surrounded Doctor Shirley Turner. She was a psychologically unstable woman who should have been treated or served time for the crime that she had committed. An actual quote from Turner is, “I’m not evil, just sick.” The Bagbys had to watch as Turner walked around pregnant, then holding their grandson, and hating every moment of it. Would the thought of suicide churn in your head if this was the situation you were in?

Dance with the Devil will pull you in psychologically creating a whirlwind of emotions in yourself. It is intricately woven between the law system and the actual lives of the people involved. David Bagby has a way of writing so you are immediately put right at their side in the court house, with Zachary (their grandson), and at the scene of their son’s murder. It’s a gripping read, and will glue you to your seat until you’ve read it cover to cover.