Search -
The Big Red Fox: The Incredible Story of Norman 'Red' Ryan, Canada's Most Notorious Criminal
The Big Red Fox The Incredible Story of Norman 'Red' Ryan Canada's Most Notorious Criminal Author:Peter McSherry Steal This Book: Red Ryan Would. He returned from prison to a hero's welcome. He was hailed as a shining example of prison reform. Newspapers, politicians, and prison officials congratulated themselves on helping to obtain for him what they believed was a well-deserved early parole. Less than a year later, Red Ryan was gunned down attempting to... more » rob a liquor store in Sarnia, Ontario. Norman "Red" Ryan has been dubbed "The Jesse James of Canada." His crimes ranged from petty theft to murder, and his prison record included a daring escape from Kingston Penitentiary. Ryan pulled off violent robberies in Ontario, Quebec, and the United States before being sent to Kingston on a "life" sentence. But from the time the prison gates shut on Ryan, he was working on plans to engineer his early release. Ryan befriended Father Kingsley, the prison's chaplain, and led Kingsley to believe he was a reformed man of God. He appealed to R.B. Bennett, Canada's prime minister, and convinced him his imprisonment was no longer necessary. And he used contacts at a Toronto newspaper to help sway the public into believing that Red Ryan was an ideal candidate for early parole. With church, state, and public opinion on his side, how could prison authorities deny his release? As a free man, Red Ryan became a celebrity. Everywhere he went he was recognized, and was even given jobs that exploited his celebrity status. But it was all a veneer. Ryan's death shocked the public with the revelation that Red Ryan had never changed at all - he was always a criminal at heart. More than six decades later, Peter McSherry has chronicled the life and wild career of this notorious figure in The Big Red Fox. Using letters, documents, and personal interviews with people who knew Ryan, McSherry details Red's rise and fall. At the heart of this book is a critical examination of the prison system and the media sensationalism that brought about the release of a dangerous criminal. McSherry pulls no punches, and shows how those who sought Red Ryan's release were as responsible as Ryan himself in actions that led to the deaths of six people.« less