10 January 2013

Dope Rings in Canada! Oh My!



Die with Me, Lady
Ronald Cocking
Toronto: Harlequin, 1953
224 pages
This review now appears, revised and rewritten, in my new book:
The Dusty Bookcase:
A Journey Through Canada's
Forgotten, Neglected, and Suppressed Writing
Available at the very best bookstores and through


9 comments:

  1. I just have one thing to say:

    "Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street"

    Knuckles G.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street. You can read my take on the book here. After sixty-plus years out-of-print it'll be back this April. More here.

      I know you won't be able to resist, Knuckles.

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  2. Too bad that went downhill so fast.

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    1. It's been a long time since I was so disappointed by a novel, John. The opening easily ranks as one of the best and most striking in post-war Canadian noir.

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  3. Fortunately, they're not re-printing it under the title "Sugar-Puss on Boulevard René Lévesque"

    Knuckles G.

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  4. To someone from Detroit, Toronto seems like a world-class city.

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    1. I think present-day Toronto and the Toronto of the 'fifties are in so very many respects polar opposites. It's now a better city, despite being saddled with a buffoon as mayor.

      Here's to Nathan Phillips!

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  5. I had the book on my short Harlequin reading list but not any more. Thanks for the save.

    Terrific picture of 50s Bay street. I was there last year and took a similar picture.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, dear. Can I encourage you to read the first two chapters? Thirteen pages of the finest Canadian post-war noir you could hope to find. Things start to go down in chapters three and four, before entering a tailspin in chapter five, the appropriately titled 'We Write Our Own Destinies, Mr. Morley'.

      Nice that Old City Hall still stands, surviving the best efforts of the Eaton family.

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