- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Dundurn (April 30 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1550026720
- ISBN-13: 978-1550026726
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.6 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#50,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12 in Books > Nonfiction > Government > Intelligence
- #90 in Books > Nonfiction > True Accounts > Murder & Mayhem
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"This is a courageous and shocking book." (Ged Martin British Journal of Canadian Studies )
Product Description
Although they committed separate crimes, Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin met their deaths on the same scaffold at Toronto's Don Jail on December 11, 1962. They were the last two people executed in Canada, but surprisingly little was known about them until now. This is the first book to uncover the lives and deaths of Turpin, a Canadian criminal, and Lucas, a Detroit gangster. The result of more than five years of research, The Last to Die is based on original interviews, hidden documents, trial transcripts, and newspaper accounts.
Featuring crime scene photos and never-before-published documents, this riveting book also reveals the heroic efforts of lawyer Ross MacKay, who defended both men, and Chaplain Cyril Everitt, who remained with them to the end. What actually happened the night of the hangings is shrouded by myth and rumour. This book finally confirms the truth and reveals the gruesome mistake that cost Arthur Lucas not only his life but also his head.
Inside This Book
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding true crime book!,
This review is from: The Last to Die: Ronald Turpin, Arthur Lucas, and the End of Capital Punishment in Canada (Paperback)
The Last to Die is the best true crime book I've read in a long time. Rich in detail, what makes it unique is that the author (Robert J. Hoshowsky) details the awful childhoods of Turpin and Lucas, and traces their lives all the way to the end at Toronto's Don Jail on Dec. 11, 1962. The author combines material from dozens of original interviews, court transcripts, and secret fils to create a wondeful atmosphere that is vivid and creative at the same time. What makes The Last to Die stand apart from other recent true crime books is how he traces the fate of all persons involved, not just the killers and their victims. This untold story would make a terrific film!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great, easy and informative read,
By KCeede "Karen" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last to Die: Ronald Turpin, Arthur Lucas, and the End of Capital Punishment in Canada (Paperback)
Mr. Hoshowsky has done a wonderful job with his book The Last to Die. I was born in the late 1980s, and am not old enough to remember Canada having the death penalty. This book combines True Crime with history, and puts it all in the perspective of Canada in the 1960s; all the crooks, con men, drug dealers, killers and cops you'd likely meet if you lived in Toronto in 1962, the year the last hangings happened.I like to read a lot of True Crime books, but this one is really different. The author lets the story unfold as it actually happened, and more and more details are filled is as you go along. This should be required reading in my high school's law class!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking book on a controversial subject,
By Sean Sleeman (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last to Die: Ronald Turpin, Arthur Lucas, and the End of Capital Punishment in Canada (Paperback)
Of all the books I've read on the death penalty, this ranks among the best. A lot of books on 'the ultimate punishment' are one-sided, either for or against the state-sanctioned taking of a human life. The Last to Die: Ronald Turpin, Arthur Lucas, and the End of Capital Punishment in Canada, does not take sides, which is a remarkable challenge for any writer.Instead of raging on either side of the death-penalty debate, Robert J. Hoshowsky cleverly tells the story of the last two men hanged in Canada (a country which kept the death penalty on the law books for 14 more years after the hangings of Turpin and Lucas). It is a powerful work by an experienced storyteller. Robert J. Hoshowsky has managed to blend skilfully-researched fact with fast-paced, atmospheric writing, pulling out details which leaves the reader bewildered that these two men had to die. This is not a book that you will read over and over again.
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