Book Description

Steal This Book: Red Ryan Would.

He returned from prison to a hero's welcome. He was hailed as a shining example of prison reform. Newspapers, politicians, and prison officials congratulated themselves on helping to obtain for him what they believed was a well-deserved early parole. Less than a year later, Red Ryan was gunned down attempting to rob a liquor store in Sarnia, Ontario.

Norman "Red" Ryan has been dubbed "The Jesse James of Canada." His crimes ranged from petty theft to murder, and his prison record included a daring escape from Kingston Penitentiary. Ryan pulled off violent robberies in Ontario, Quebec, and the United States before being sent to Kingston on a "life" sentence. But from the time the prison gates shut on Ryan, he was working on plans to engineer his early release.

Ryan befriended Father Kingsley, the prison's chaplain, and led Kingsley to believe he was a reformed man of God. He appealed to R.B. Bennett, Canada's prime minister, and convinced him his imprisonment was no longer necessary. And he used contacts at a Toronto newspaper to help sway the public into believing that Red Ryan was an ideal candidate for early parole. With church, state, and public opinion on his side, how could prison authorities deny his release?

As a free man, Red Ryan became a celebrity. Everywhere he went he was recognized, and was even given jobs that exploited his celebrity status. But it was all a veneer. Ryan's death shocked the public with the revelation that Red Ryan had never changed at all - he was always a criminal at heart.

More than six decades later, Peter McSherry has chronicled the life and wild career of this notorious figure in The Big Red Fox. Using letters, documents, and personal interviews with people who knew Ryan, McSherry details Red's rise and fall. At the heart of this book is a critical examination of the prison system and the media sensationalism that brought about the release of a dangerous criminal.

McSherry pulls no punches, and shows how those who sought Red Ryan's release were as responsible as Ryan himself in actions that led to the deaths of six people. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A totally engrossing read...
This is a phenomenal story. The author's 22-year passion of research results in a read that you don't want to put down. The fact that it is all based on reality makes it even more enthralling. This is a wild tale.

This would also be a useful read for anyone researching the history of the Canadian penal code and the 'ticket-of-leave' precursor to modern, more liberal ideas, about the potential for rehabiliation in criminals.

I'm very glad I got into this book - highly recommended.

Best True Crime Story Yet
The Big Red Fox is the story of Canada's most notorious bank robber.Also a fascinating look at the underworld.A behind the scenes look at how we are often manipulated by the media.A brilliant time capsule.And it's all true.This is a must read for all crime ,history or true story fans.Just could not put it down. ... Read more

Book Description

For many years, the CPR offered free return passage each summer for the employees of its magnificent hotels. The "Dominion" and the "Canadian", Canada's famous trains travelled west to the Banff Springs Hotel and to Chateau Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. In 1957, captivated by stories of lofty mountain peaks and clear blue lakes, eighteen-year old Roger Patillo from Belle River, Ontario, signed up and set out to experience the West for himself. One summer turned into seven and changed his life.

The stories of his adventures while at the world famous Chateau are both humorous and poignant. He draws from many friendships, among which are the Feuz brothers, the legendary Swiss guides, John Lynn the much loved pianist who presented nightly concerts in the lobby, Beef Woodworth, the Park Warden and Lawrence Grassi, the "keeper of O'Hara". The book recounts the author's time skiing, flyfishing, mountaineering and canoeing down the Bow River. While these stories are entertaining enough, it is in the sharing of the sometimes hilarious pranks and misadventures of the staff that keeps us smiling throughout. The steak roasts, the dances, the parties at Gables (the Bellhop's residence) and his special friends all come alive again as Patillo recalls in tale after tale, a more gentle time when maybe Lake Louise really was the best. ... Read more

Book Description

A memoir by an Italian Canadian woman who has lived in Canada since the 1920. This is part two of a bestselling autobiography, Breaking the mould. ... Read more