A newly published book about the murder of Rebecca Middleton claims Bermuda's racial inequities affected the investigation into her death.

The book 'Kill Me Once…Kill Me Twice: Murder on the Queen's Playground' was written by Bermuda resident Carol Shuman.

It examines the way the investigation was handled after the 17-year-old was raped, repeatedly stabbed and left for dead at Ferry Reach in 1996.

The Canadian teenager's brutal murder, and the fact that nobody was convicted for it, has been the focus of international headlines and documentaries over the years.

It's also been the focus of several judicial appeals including one from top human rights lawyer Cherie Booth QC.

Ms Booth, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, failed in her attempt to get Bermuda's Chief Justice to quash a prosecutor's decision not to reopen the case in 2007.

Dr Shuman said the book "gets to the root of what went wrong for the first time. It tells what happened".

The publisher AuthorHouse states: "This is a true story of murder, collusion, conspiracy, and cover-up designed to protect the secrets of privilege, and hide the poverty, violence and drugs that darken Bermuda's tranquil pastels, a third-world setting of mysterious beauty and international influence incongruent with its size."

It adds: "Emotions left over from long-standing racial inequities impact Becky's case from the moment of her slaughter — especially the hangings of two black men for the murders of five white men during those racially charged 1970s — a matter many still prefer not to discuss."

The book is Dr Shuman's first adult non-fiction book. It will be on sale locally shortly and can also be purchased at www.authorhouse.com.