Peter Edwards (1)Reseñas

Uncertain about how much to trust governments and their agencies in Canada? Read this. Ignorant about the even-handedness of 'justice' in Canada? Read this. Doubt the patience and forbearance of First Nations peoples in Canada? Read this.

No shortage of detail on organized crime in Canada. The reader has to wade through disorganized presentation of facts and charactors.

Unrepentant is a biography of Lorne Campbell but also a behind the scenes look at motorcycle clubs in Canada. While I found the book to be an interesting read, it definitely feels like the author is too close to the subject and paints him a bit too cleanly. While Lorne caused mayhem throughout the book I cannot ever recall him inflicting damage on non-bikers or innocents, which while possible seems highly unlikely. Given Lorne's upbringing, I would understand more regretful behavior a bit and it would make the book seem less whitewashed.

That all being said, I do recommend it as a great behind the scenes look into a world very few will ever experience.

I received this book for free and my review is based on an uncorrected proof.

I am a sucker for spy story, particularly if that spy story is true. Throw in a Canadian connection and you’ve got my attention. I’m pleased to add Delusion: The True Story of Victorian Superspy Henri Le Caron by Peter Edwards to my collection. The story and the craft don’t disappoint:

The story is one that is not taught in any school history books I was ever exposed to, which is a shame because if interesting history like this was taught in school there wouldn’t be so many people who shudder at the thought of picking up anything history-related. The superspy in question is Thomas Beach, British by birth. His adopted name is Henri Le Caron and he ends up in the United States spying for both the British and the Canadians as he infiltrates Irish revolutionary groups to the highest levels. There are plots to invade Canada and trade it to the British for Ireland, the development of terrorist methods recognizable from the current news, betrayal, adultery, alcoholic prime ministers, double agents, and more.

Peter Edwards does an excellent job of both research and translating that research into an interesting read. Edwards chose not to create dialogue for the book so as not to invent what any of these people would say. This choice works very well because the snippets of writing from newspaper reports and personal papers that he uses to give each of the people a voice better than imagined dialogue. The research into the times as well as the individuals helps solidify the world in which Henri Le Caron was operating.

Each chapter starts with a quote which shows up at some point in the chapter. The quotes are well chosen and I’ve started a new chapter more than once because of them.

" … he was the last person in the world you would take for a deep conspirator, and a constructor of murder. —Henri Le Caron describes a future American ambassador"

This book has a lot of footnotes, which are collected at the back of the book. I found this a bit distracting as I had to flip to the back of the book each time I wanted to see what factoid Edwards had provided or what source a startling fact had come from. I would have preferred to have them at the bottom of each page so that I could either read or ignore them as I went along instead of paging to the back (something I rarely do because I lose my place in the book). This is a small complaint—I’m sure there are readers out there who prefer this arrangement, but I’m just not one of them

This was an interesting read and I learned a lot of about the intertwined history of Canada, the United States, Ireland, and Britain. It will appeal to anyone who likes true spy stories, intrigue between nations, or the just an interesting read.

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