I Got a Name: The Murder of Krystal Senyk
by Eliza Robertson & Myles Dolphin
SYNOPSIS –A vivid and meticulous true-crime story that exposes the deep fractures in a system that repeatedly fails to protect women, while tracking the once-cold trail of a murderer still at large.
Krystal Senyk was the kind of friend everybody wants: a reliable confidant, a handywoman of all trades, and an infectious creative with an adventurous spirit. Most importantly, she was tough as nails. So when her best friend needed support to leave her abusive husband, Ronald Bax, Krystal leapt into action.
But soon Krystal became the new outlet for Bax’s rage. He terrorized and intimidated her for months on end, and finally issued a chilling warning to her and his ex-wife: the hunt is on. Krystal was scared but she was smart: she reached out to the RCMP for a police escort home. The officer brushed her off.
Bax’s threat had been all too real. At 29 years old, the woman who seemed invincible—who was a beloved sister, daughter, and friend—was shot and killed at her home in the Yukon. Ronald Bax disappeared without a trace.
Three decades later, Eliza Robertson has re-opened the case. In compelling, vibrant prose, she works tirelessly to piece together Krystal’s story, retracing the dire failings of Canadian law enforcement and Bax’s last steps. I Got a Name uses one woman’s tragic story to boldly interrogate themes of gender-based violence and the pervasive issues that plague our society. In this riveting true-crime story about victimhood, power, and control, Robertson examines the broken system in place, and asks: if it isn’t looking out for the vulnerable, the threatened, the hunted—who among us is it protecting?
MY THOUGHTS – This was an engrossing read with depth about a killing in the Yukon of Canada. Krystal was just helping her good friend to get away from her abusive husband, when he turned his anger on her. Ron Bax blamed Krystal for his wife leaving him and taking the kids. What follows is a look at the broken system and sad lack of results in the case, as the killer was never caught.

PUBLISHER – Hamish Hamilton – 256 pages
PUBLICATION DATE – May 23rd, 2023
MY RATING – 4/5 STARS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
Eliza K. Robertson is a Canadian writer.[1]
She studied creative writing and political science at the University of Victoria and graduated with an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia in 2012, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing. Eliza was a joint winner of the 2013 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and has been longlisted twice for the prestigious Writers’ Trust / McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. She was a Journey Prize finalist in 2013 for “My Sister Sang”.