Stephen R. Schneider, Iced: the story of organized crime in Canada

Abstract

The author is an associate professor of sociology and criminology at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada. His book seeks to dispel the myth of Canada as a law-abiding society devoid of the criminal violence associated with the country's southern neighbor. He certainly achieves this goal although, as he notes, Canada's violent entrepreneurs often have important connections, if not deep roots, in the United States: The Cotroni/Rizzuto "mafia" in Quebec is part of New York's Bonanno Family and the Hell's Angels, which has chapters throughout Canada, originated in California.Iced examines more than 400 years of criminal organizations ranging from Atlantic coast pirates and privateers (the distinction is often nonexistent), to the outlaws, bank robbers, and horse thieves of Canada's wild west, to modern organized crime. He provides a fascinating look at the connection between Canada's liquor industry and U.S. crime groups during the era of Prohibition. While information in the book is... Language: en