book 51 – Cold Case Vancouver
This book is a collection of unsolved murder cases from Vancouver’s past, ranging from the 1940’s to 2005. The case stories provide an interesting look back on Vancouver’s somewhat sordid past, and remind the reader of how unsafe Vancouver was, particularly for women, children, immigrants and gay men. I did think the author tended to rush a bit through individual cases, leaving some gaps in the narrative that the reader is left to fill in for themselves. Also, because these are all unsolved cases, and are still considered open, Lazarus was unable to interview active police officers about the files, which could have enriched the content. Instead, she has to rely on newspaper reports, and interviews with friends and family of victims, and with retired detectives. While still making for interesting reading, the cases do miss something from the lack of first-hand police details.
Rating: Borrow it, particularly if you grew up in Vancouver.
