Book ~ "Dark Ambition: The Shocking Crime of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich" (2019) Ann Brocklehurst

From Goodreads ~ In 2013, Tim Bosma of Hamilton, Ontario, put his truck up for sale online and then disappeared during a test drive with two strangers. In the disappearance and the murder investigation that followed, he made headlines on over several weeks that spring. Weeks later, two men were arrested for Bosma's murder: a petty criminal with the Dickensian name of Mark Smich, and Dellen Millard, the good-looking heir of an aviation millionaire. 

Disturbingly there appeared to be no motive for the gruesome killing of Bosma, whose charred remains were found on Millard's farm. It seemed to be a cold-blooded "thrill kill" carried out by what some would deem a psychopath and his sidekick. Furthermore, the investigation of Bosma's death would eventually lead to the discovery of two other murders: the pair would be charged with the murder of Laura Babcock, Millard's former girlfriend, who disappeared in 2012, and Millard alone would be charged with the murder of his own father, Wayne Millard, whose death was previously ruled a suicide. 

Dark Ambition tells the true story of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich, two men from Ontario who were eventually convicted of multiple murders. The book focuses on how a guy from a prominent aviation family (Millard) and his sketchy drug dealing friend (Smich) ended up being cold-blooded killers. 

The story starts in 2013 when Tim Bosma, a regular guy and father from Hamilton, vanishes after taking two strangers on a test drive in his truck one evening. The truck and Tim are never seen again ... not until police uncover a horrifying trail that leads to Millard’s farm, where Tim’s remains were found incinerated in a piece of farm equipment called “The Eliminator.” As investigators dig deeper, they connect Millard and Smich to two other suspicious deaths ... Laura Babcock, Millard’s ex-girlfriend, who vanished in 2012, and Wayne Millard, Dellen’s father, whose death had originally been ruled a suicide in November 2012. 

It was a shocking story when Tim Bosma disappeared. His family didn't give up hope that he would come home but alas, he never did. The sad part is that it wasn't just about the plan to steal his truck ... it was also about the thrill of a kill. Millard could afford to buy anything he wanted but he and Smich went on "missions" to steal things like Bobcats, trailers, etc. Millard and Smich ended up getting consecutive life sentences for Bosma and Babcock's murders (so not eligible for parole for 50 years) plus Millard got a consecutive life sentence for the murder of his father so isn't eligible for parole until he's 103!

It was a hard book to read but interesting to learn more about what happened. I found it to be an interesting read, though confusing at times as the timelines bounced around a bit and it got a bit technical and detailed. It's obvious the author did a lot of research. There are some photographs at the end.