I picked this up wanting to get a feel for the mystery, scandals
and dangerous criminals that are right here in my backyard. I'm not
normally a mystery novel reader but this book has a different feel
and comes across more as a documentary of facts than a story. I
liked that each of the tales didn't take too long to get through
and it was a great history lesson with most of the stories taking
place in the late 1800s/early 1900s. In a CSI-culture with modern
forensics in the forefront of the average person's mind it is a
breath of fresh air to see how crimes were solved without our
modern conveniences.
The writing was at times a little unclear and I'd have to re-read
sections to remember who was who and when events occurred. But all
in all, it was a quick, enjoyable and informative look at some of
Ontario's sordid past. McNicoll did a fine job of researching and
putting together this book.
My favourite was the story of Darcy McGee and I'll be looking at
Sparks St a little differently when I'm downtown again.