Golden Boy of Crime

Praise for Canadas Most Overrated Bank RobberStanding at the foot of the scantling . . . was a thick, freckle-faced man whose prison cap could not hide his flaming head. It was Red Ryan. Ernest HemingwayA malicious little bastard. Ryans childhood friendNorman Ryan is a vicious, dangerous and resourceful thief. Toronto police chief S. J. DicksonRyan is well liked in Kingston prison. A fine, handsome, clean-cut man, he stands out as a giant among the inmates. Athol Gow, Toronto StarWe narrowly escaped meeting him. If we had, we fear we might, like nearly everybody else, have succumbed to his fatal charm. J. V. MCAREE, The Globe and MailIm glad he is dead. Senator H. A. MullinsDubbed the Jesse James of Canada, Norman Red Ryan was infamous in the 1920s and 30s until he was gunned down in an attempted robbery in Sarnia, Ontario. Ernest Hemingway wrote about Ryans escape from Kingston Penitentiary for the Toronto Star, Morley Callaghan based a novel on him, and stories of Ryan and his daring crimes filled newspapers and airwaves. One of the first Canadians to be granted parole, he was held up by Prime Minister R. B. Bennett as a model of rehabilitation and became a regular guest at Toronto police picnics. All the while, however, Ryan continued a crime spree on the side. With skepticism, humour and an often scathing examination of his own profession, journalist Jim Brown tells the incredible story of Red Ryan, a larger-than-life criminal whose fame and legend were much encouraged by the media, leading to deadly results.