The Big Red Fox: The Incredible Story of Norman Red Ryan, Canada's Most Notorious Criminal

By Peter McSherry

Book Overview

Short-listed for the 2000 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-Fiction

Norman "Red" Ryan was a notorious bank robber, safecracker, and killer. He escaped from Kingston Penitentiary twice - first by force, and then years later by gulling the credulous into believing that he was "reformed." The dupes of Ryan's second emancipation included the prison's Roman Catholic chaplain, several nationally prominent citizens, the country's largest newspaper, and, ultimately, R.B. Bennett, the prime minister of Canada, who made the mistake of arranging a "political parole" for Ryan.

Six people - three of them innocent victims - died as a result of Red Ryan's freedom. Dubbed "the Jesse James of Canada" and "Canada's most notorious criminal," Ryan had compiled a record of nineteen convictions for crimes of theft and violence, and had been in nine shooting affrays with police and citizens. He was a "lifer" in an era when "life" meant just that. Yet he got out of Kingston after just eleven and a half years and returned to Toronto, the city of his birth, amid fanfare befitting a national hero. His death in a liquor store robbery in Sarnia on May 23, 1936, just ten months after his release, was a huge jolt to Canada, and especially Toronto.

How could such an obvious threat to society be paroled from prison as a paragon of reform? This question is central to The Big Red Fox. The answer lies not with Ryan himself - not even the cunning and deceitful Red Ryan could have hoodwinked his way out of a life sentence - but with those who helped him, and who benefited from his release.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550023241
• ISBN13: 9781550023244
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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.