Books by Hélèna Katz

Justice Miscarried: Inside Wrongful Convictions in Canada Published 2011 Buy the book

Former bank manager Ronald Dalton never got to watch his three young children grow up. In 1989 he was convicted for a crime that never happened. His wife, Brenda, was later ruled to have choked to death on breakfast cereal not strangled as a pathologist had initially claimed. Behind the proud facade of Canada's criminal justice system lie the shattered lives of the people unjustly caught within its web. Justice Miscarried tells the heart-wrenching stories of twelve innocent Canadians, including David Milgaard, Donald Marshall, Guy Paul Morin, Clayton Johnson, William Mullins-Johnson, and Thomas Sophonow, who were wrongly convicted and the errors in the nation's justice system that changed their lives forever.

Reviews:
"It is difficult to be unmoved by Katz's stories."

— The Winnipeg Free Press
   (2011-08-27)

Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America Published 2010 Buy the book

This book tells the stories of 40 unsolved murders and disappearances over a period of 160 years. Along the way, Katz traces the evolution of criminal investigation techniques and technology.

Gang Wars: Blood and Guts on the Streets of Early New York Published 2005 Buy the book

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the streets of New York were overrun with a succession of brutal gangs. For nearly 100 years, these gangs terrorized Lower Manhattan, doling out violence with bludgeons, pistols, fists, and teeth. Whether members of the city's early gangs were striving for power, out for revenge, or seeking riches, their activities almost always resulted in bloody warfare and horrific loss of life.

The Mad Trapper: The Incredible Tale of a Famous Canadian Manhunt Published 2004 Buy the book

This is the incredible story of Canada’s largest manhunt. Hundreds of men spent 7 weeks tracking the elusive Albert Johnson for 240 kilometres across the frozen North. By the time he was caught and killed, he had seriously wounded two of his pursuers and murdered a third one. The identity of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, remains a mystery to this day.

Review:
"A tense, terse account of one of the strangest manhunts in Canadian history, set in some of the most difficult terrain imaginable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Knuckle-gripping action in a white, Arctic hell. The story unfolds with cinematic clarity; you can practically see the frozen breath of the dog sled teams as the police pursue their elusive quarry. A recommended read for true-crime fans."

— Nate Hendley
   (Toronto, ON)

Contributor

Frommers Far & Wide: A Weekly Guide to Canada’s Best Travel Experiences Published 2011 Buy the book

Prose to Go: Tales from a Private List Published 2011 Buy the book