Tag: Non-fiction

Say Nothing

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Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Aug 10, 2022  

I should say something about Say Nothing.
I began this book last winter and have picked it back up a few times after and in between other reads, but after getting half-way through it I’m giving up.
Not that it’s bad by any means, just way too thick and slow for me. Loaded with tons of real-life drama about the Irish Republican Army, the story jumps around between a mother of ten who goes missing from her home, and various leaders and participants in the on-going struggles in Ireland.
Say nothing is a true story of murder and memory in Ireland, according to the book’s cover.
Read it if you dare.

Gas of Tank – Todd Ternovan with Matthew St. Amand

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Gas of Tank: A Canadian Law Enforcement Odyssey 1979 – 2019
by Matthew St. Amand, Todd Ternovan

Edmond Gagnon‘s Review – Jun 07, 2022  

Best book I’ve read in a long time.
You might call me bias because like the author, I’m a retired police officer and also an author. But with the help of Matthew St. Amand, former O.P.P. Constable Todd Ternovan offers an emotional and insightful view of what policing it really all about. It’s about people.
If you want an honest and accurate picture of what it’s like to work the front lines in law enforcement, this is a must-read. Many of Todd’s stories brought me back to moments in my own policing career – the good and the bad.
Our paths crossed at least once or twice during our respective careers, somewhere in between 1990 to 2009 but I didn’t really know the man. Reading this chronology of his career made me realize we shared a lot of the same work ethic. He’s done an amazing job on his first book and is obviously a great story teller. His use of witty and colorful metaphors had me laughing out loud. His dry and sometimes sarcastic sense of cop humor showed through.
I thought the title was weird at first, but as Ternovan says, it is befitting the surreal, upside-down and unbelievable experiences police officers face every day.

Horseplay – Norm Boucher

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Horseplay: My Time Undercover on the Granville Strip
by Norm Boucher
Edmond Gagnon‘s review May 05, 2021 

For his first true crime novel, I think retired police officer Norm Boucher hits the nail right on the head in recalling and writing about his personal experiences while working undercover in one of the worst heroin neighborhoods in Canada.

Being a retired police officer, with some experience working in narcotics, I was impressed how the rookie author checked all the boxes in putting together a book that gives an unadulterated view of what life is really like on the street within the heroin subculture.

Horseplay takes readers into the underbelly of society, revealing what went on behind the scenes in the early 80’s, in one particular area in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Chris Carter – Digging Up Our Past

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Chris Carter is a local historian who writes about the history of Essex and Kent Counties.  He reminds us of times and places long-forgotten, and teaches us about the history of our own communities. His readers re-discover our back roads, 200 year old cemeteries, a ghost town, forts, wineries, vegetable/fruit stands and many other amazing places and facts. 

Chris has at least thirteen different non-fiction titles that have earned him notoriety in local newspapers and gotten him a heritage award from the University of Windsor. Carter works with the Essex Tour Group and Heritage Village, offering tours of our county’s most historical sites.

Besides his self-published works, he does work for other historical groups and presses. If you’d like to meet Chris Carter and buy one of his books, come see him at The City Market, for the Essex County Authors Book Show, Saturday, December 12th, between 10am and 3pm.

Churchill’s Secret Agent – Max Ciampoli

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churchillChurchill’s Secret Agent: A Novel Based on a True Story 
by Max Ciampoli, Linda Ciampoli

 

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 12, 2018

 

Oh, sorry, I was sleeping. This is easily the most boring spy book I’ve ever tried to read. I say ‘tried’ because I gave up after 150 pages. I assumed the missions would get more exciting as the agent gained more experience, but it is not the case.
This book should be called, Churchill’s French Chef. The protagonist shares more about his daily meals than he does the dangers or intricacies of his missions. I guess that should be expected since he went on to become a chef after the war.
Not to take away from the important work that Max Ciampoli may have done during the war, I was totally disappointed in his book.