Steve Ryan, a veteran of the Toronto homicide squad, tells the tales of six murder investigations among the many that have stuck with him from his time on the force.
I enjoy true crime, and morbid as it is, I really enjoy true crime memoirs – there’s something very visceral about it, when the writer can bring their firsthand viewpoint to the table. And Steve Ryan does it well, with a sympathy and care toward the victims and their families that is badly missed in a lot of true crime.
In the book, Ryan recounts how he came to join the police force, then takes the reader through six cases that spanned his career. Each tale was succinct and well-told, threaded through with just the right amount of personal introspection without detracting from the main subject. I felt the stories were sensitively told and liked learning about how the cases, some seemingly without leads, were tackled.
I did wish sometimes that we saw the personal investigation of Ryan more in the stories – it’s more prominent in the latter cases, but in the first few he plays more of a background role which takes away a little from the immediacy. However, he really hits his stride as the book goes on.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and will look out for more by this author. Be warned, though, that this is quite intense reading.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
