Motley Crooks: Canadian Crime Stories from the Early 20th Century

This is Keith Landry’s fourth true Canadian crime story that brings to the present heinous crimes from Canada’s past. He has written the popular Allumette Island Massacre and Three Other Canadian Crime Stories, Dalpe’s Crime Chronicles and Murder Tales from the Archives.


Motley Crooks, Canadian Crimes Stories have five crime stories that occurred from the early to mid-20th century. The first is the story of a bank robbery in 1911 at the Bank of Montreal in New Westminster, British Columbia. A gang from the United States of America led by the notorious Australian Mac stole the single largest amount of money from a bank up to that time in Canada.


Fleeing back to the States, the robbers went their separate ways. The Bank of Montreal hired Pinkerton Detective Agency to find, apprehend, and bring to justice the bank robbers. The bank was also eager to retrieve the stolen money and gold.
The story reveals how Pinkerton tracked the robbers down and captured them. It is a compelling story that tells of the difficulty authorities had to get convictions once they jailed the crooks.


Gatineau Pointe, Quebec, 1927, a bank manager screams for help after his bank is robbed. It is over an hour before police arrive. The bank manager and village residents provide similar descriptions of the robbers and the getaway car. It stumped police who the robbers were. Find out the incredible twist the investigation takes.


Windsor, Ontario, 1927, the police arrest Dolly Quinton for assaulting a local policeman. A judge sentenced him to the Kingston penitentiary to do hard time. Upon his release, the despicable Dolly terrorizes Windsor police and citizens until his death in 1950.


John S Labatt of the Labatt’s Brewery family leaves his summer home for his office in London, Ontario. Kidnappers nab him on the way. Follow the historic crime detail from snatching Labatt to the capture of his kidnappers and their conviction.
The last story reveals how Harry Bronfman and his brothers grew their Seagram’s liquor manufacturing and distribution into the largest of its kind in the world. The story details Harry Bronfman’s activities in Saskatchewan in distilling and distributing liquor outside Saskatchewan to places as far away as Chicago and New York when the United States was under prohibition.