**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, theref**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, child endangerment, extreme violence, parental neglect, the sexual abuse of adults & children, psychological distress, racially motivated crime, & others.
For those unfamiliar with the Canadian landscape intimately looming between the tree line, one might find themselves shocked & surprised that violent crimes pollute our cities just as they do every other country in the world. For some reason, we have become comfortable with believing that certain parts of the world are absolved of human tendency; placed beyond the confines of behavioural extremities. However, this is simply, & sadly, not true. Canada is home to all forms of criminal activity. Within this reflected account, the author revisits seven (7) cases that he says haunt him still; cases that changed the rules of the game as he knew it.
First & foremost, I think that shedding light on the realities of society is important. I am a born & raised Canadian who is from the part of the country where these recollections take place. Much of what transpired within this book, both in the written word & in the actual matter, influenced my life even if indirectly. I am acutely aware of the reputation that my country holds both internationally & within the confines of our borders. For the most part, violent crimes such as the ones listed in this book, become well-known to the majority of Canadians through simple word of mouth.
Just as the ties between each of us in this country link our experiences through travel & relationships, so too do crimes. We are not immune to curiosity. Because there are different kinds of people living in Canada, the news is shared at a very rapid rate. In that same breath, I have found reading stories about the criminal activity that has transpired within my country to be, oftentimes, rather tedious. This is primarily because I have already amassed a lifetime of knowledge by simply sharing information—word of mouth—alongside my own research on the matter. When there was a manhunt across Canada, we quickly became aware.
Yet, within this text, we read about the recollections of a retired homicide detective who was able to uphold a seemingly naive view of Toronto, Canada, & people at large, even while working cases that highlighted the graphic extremes of human nature. This is my first point of contention with this story. I struggled quite heavily with this book because I have never held the naive point of view of the world that Ryan does. This is largely due to my life experiences & the availability of information.
It becomes rather impossible to ignore everything constantly happening in the world. Through social media, documentaries, literature, film, & trusty word of mouth, information & facts are splattered over every facet of our lives. At the age that I am writing this review, I have been acclimated to the obscure terrors that lie dormant within people as well as the brilliantly kind acts that may befall us. Therefore, I was faced with the realization that this book was not meant for people like me.
There is nothing wrong with believing in the best of people & society—I admire that trait quite strongly. There is also nothing wrong with holding a youthful naivety about the world. However, at what point are we purposefully ignorant due to our beliefs?
I found it difficult to believe that a homicide detective in Toronto would be flabbergasted that parents abuse their children beyond recognition & until they are dead. I found it difficult to believe that the author, after introducing one of the more graphic violent crimes involving a child, proceeded to list all the times they were shocked that bad things happened.
I reside at an impasse of being confused & simply concluding that this isn’t the style of book that would be recommended to a person with a great deal of exposure to life, shall we say. For those readers who are not acclimatized to the world, to human beings & their behaviours, & to the more gruesome side of our abilities, this book might read as something of a gentle introduction to the larger-scale occurrences that plague the world over.
On my side of the scale, I found the manner in which the subject matter was presented interesting in a disconnected fashion. Primarily, when Ryan was detailing a case involving the death of a seven-year-old (7) child by her guardians. When the two (2) biological children of the offenders were seen to be showing no physical signs of brutal violence (i.e. bruises, cuts, bumps) he claims that he felt relief because that meant that those children were safe.
This is atrociously ignorant. Setting aside the fact that the male caregiver in this instance—the boy’s father—was an alleged pedophile, how can you, as law enforcement, assume that a child is safe from the person who was directly linked to the death of another child? This instance made no sense to me & quite honestly, left a bad taste in my mouth. There is no world in which the indications of clear skin would mean that a child is safe in their home; a home where their parents brutally abused another child.
Regardless if these boys were beaten to pulps, they lived in a home where they would have been privy to witnessing the deliberate & quotidian abuse of another child. They are psychologically far from being in the clear & it is beyond ridiculous to think otherwise.
This leads me to my next qualm, though the information presented in this book gave a generous overview of the cases, there was nothing of detail that might surpass a genial addition of a casual opinion garnered thanks to a Google search of the case file. I can appreciate what Ryan might have been doing when trying to get these cases out of his psyche. However, there could have been a more intentional approach to this book. Where it stands, we read en mass about how emotionally distressed he became when being presented with cases that revealed the possible nature of the species, over & over again, whilst focusing little on the tangible aspects of the situations.
The rehashing of public opinion regarding the last case was not necessary. For those amongst us who were aware of the situation at the time, this information would have been known. If a reader is not amongst the first group, this section does nothing but add gossip into what is meant to be a more strict recounting of factual events & information. Should a reader long to know the gross way that the general public approaches criminal cases, they could type in the case information online & be faced with the rags themselves. All of this commentary sets aside the book from what it is. I thought that I might be going into a heavier account of some of the more gruesome cases. Instead, I read about a police officer & detective who went into a job blind to the truth which is particularly curious given this all takes place in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
I am glad for those folks who can view the world through rose-coloured glasses & keep the youthful splendour of the innocent. I wish that for all the children in this life. However, I could not fathom it coming from the mouth of an officer of the law. We cannot all afford to be so naive as to wonder that evil does reside in the hearts of species. How many people’s situations have been misunderstood because they were unfathomable?
If you are in the market for a gentle approach to rather horrific events, this is the book for you. With everything said, I know to whom I would recommend this book & I am certain that there is a great audience out there for the content & the approach of the subject matter. It just so happens that I am not among them. Overall, I hope that the families of these cases were consulted before writing about them, given that their full government names were written & the locations described in mounting detail. I hope that the surviving loved ones of the victims of these crimes are doused in waves of reprieve—though I acknowledge that this is an ambitious hope quite impossible to believe & achieve.
Thank you to Edelweiss+, Dundurn Press, & Steve Ryan for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
To state that this book was phenomenal would be an understatement.
Betz-Hamilton leads the reader through the gripping retelling of her troubled childhTo state that this book was phenomenal would be an understatement.
Betz-Hamilton leads the reader through the gripping retelling of her troubled childhood in a home that saw her encouraged to hide behind closed curtains, mail pilled high from the purchases racked up by an unknown assailant — the identity thief.
I will not hide from you the weight that this story carries; it is incredibly sad. As one works their way through the history of the ruin which was the family home, it does not escape one how utterly trapped young Betz-Hamilton must have felt, knowing that the two people who were set to protect her from the world, never found the words to explain that danger that lurks in the mind; ambitions of perverse inclinations are just as malevolent as the ones that circle communities, from which she was kept at bay.
My great thanks go to the author for having the courage & wit to piece together a tragic story. I cannot begin to fathom how one is expected to rebuild a life that one was never given the chance to enjoy, to begin with. The writing style employed in this book was beautiful. I read through this book in record time; every chapter left me desirous to solve the mystery.
I would encourage this book to be read. It’s a breathtakingly sad story but one which requests the reader to pause in their attempt to comprehend actions, neglect & relationships.
True stories can be tragic. Life can be mysterious & overwhelmingly difficult to understand....more
In 1943 Sir Harry Oakes was murdered. The mystery circling the gold mining titan’s death became known as the crime of the century.
As part of this storIn 1943 Sir Harry Oakes was murdered. The mystery circling the gold mining titan’s death became known as the crime of the century.
As part of this story takes place in Ontario, Canada, I felt the pull to read it. The story was well-researched & well-laid out. Gray very obviously put a great deal of effort into finding the relevant information & dictating it to the reader. That being said, I did not love this book because the subject matter was dry.
Reading about locations that were familiar to me should have left me feeling some form of nostalgia yet, I was eager to move past those parts in the hope of coming across a section that would be more thrilling. That was my own mistake. This is not to say that Canadian history is not interesting, to me or generally, but the facts of Harry’s timeline in Northern Ontario lingering in the back & forth of his struggles became redundant & was overall slow-moving. I acknowledge that this most certainly reflects the reality of the matter. The man was digging holes with a hand-held shovel so, I’m not sure what else I expected.
As much as I wanted to appreciate Harry Oakes, I never quite came to the point where I felt any empathy for him. Maybe if I understood how much the gold rush(es) played a toll on people and their livelihoods, I might have learnt to appreciate why he put all his eggs in that single basket. Not to knock him and his labour but, I just couldn’t connect with him and therefore felt disconnected from his life story.
Gray does a very good job detailing Harry’s life and offering the reader as much information as available to her. My opinions are in no way a reflection of her writing or general abilities....more
It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on thIt is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on sexual abuse, physical abuse, racially motivated crimes, & others.
McDiarmid has written a concise account of a number of cases of murdered & missing Indigenous women & girls from the location of Highway 16 which joins British Columbia to Albert, in Canada. The strip of highway is a popular route amongst commuting vehicles & has found itself renamed the Highway of Tears due to the high number of deaths & disappearances linked to the area.
Should you be a person who is already familiar with the events transpiring on Highway 16 or someone who is informed of the horrific treatment which befalls Indigenous Peoples in Canada, this book will not present any new information. I found myself already aware of much of what was presented: histories, events, cases, causes & legislations.
That being said, the information and the stories presented in this book remain important to be made aware of. If you have not studied or spent time researching this topic I would suggest choosing this book as your way of introducing yourself to the subject matter. This book compiled many intriguing realities & details which allowed for a smooth transition between chapters & people.
I would encourage everyone to host space on their shelves for this book....more
In 2017 the bodies of Barry & Honey Sherman were found in their Toronto home. The details surrounding their murders & the intrigue that seeped into thIn 2017 the bodies of Barry & Honey Sherman were found in their Toronto home. The details surrounding their murders & the intrigue that seeped into their reputable social presence have left a community shocked & family members empty-handed.
As a Canadian myself, one who was raised in the Southern Ontario region in which this case took place, I felt it important to read this book. I didn't want to read about bloody murder because, at the end of the day, these were real people & I think it uncouth to seek a thrill at the expense of others, mainly those who have been unjustly extradited from this life.
That being said, I found that Donovan was able to present the information surrounding the case in a clear & conscience fashion without droning on about the minute details that the gore would have left on the scene. The lives of Barry & Honey were written about in a neutral but respectful fashion so that the reader might become familiar with who they were as individuals in their community.
At no point did I feel as though the couple was romanticized. They were normal people who had both negative & positive aspects to their characters & what befell them was in every way tragic & cruel.
I will admit that some factors of the book were redundant. I understand that this was done for the benefit of the reader who was consuming a lot of information in a short stint, which did not take away from me feeling a tinge of irritation.
Should you not have been aware of this case, of Barry & Honey, the Toronto wealth, or anything else, this is still a book worth reading....more
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