January 26, 2021Reviews
Missing from the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System That Failed Toronto’s Queer Community
by Justin Ling
McClelland & Stewart, 304 pages
Just what are the police for? With recent calls for their defunding (whatever that may mean) it’s a question that’s become a political football. And by the evidence of these two new Canadian true crime books, it’s one worth deeper consideration.
The Toronto police took a lot of fire for their handling of the serial killings that took place in the city’s gay village from 2010 to 2017, which ended in Bruce McArthur pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of eight men. Even before McArthur’s apprehension, however, the police had been hit with allegations of racism and victim-blaming during their investigation, poor communication with the LGBTQ community, and running a generally slack operation.