FINALIST FOR TORONTO BOOK AWARDS

The inside story of the grassroots fight to have a suicide barrier erected on Toronto’s “bridge of death.”

Most Torontonians have no idea their city once hosted the second most popular suicide magnet in North America, behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Since its completion in 1918, more than four hundred people jumped to their death from the Bloor Viaduct, which spans the cavernous Don Valley.

That number might still be rising if not for the tireless efforts of a group of volunteers, led by two citizens, who fought City Hall for years to get a suicide barrier erected. Not only did they win, they saved numerous lives and brought to light valuable research on how barriers actually lower suicide numbers overall. The resulting barrier — The Luminous Veil — has been praised for its ingenious and inspiring design.

The Suicide Magnet tells how the battle was won, and explores the ongoing efforts to help those suffering from mental health challenges.

After years working in homicide, retired Toronto detective Steve Ryan reflects on six cases he will never forget.

Retired detective Steve Ryan worked in Toronto’s homicide squad for over a decade. For Ryan, the stories of Toronto’s most infamous crimes were more than just a headline read over morning coffee — they were his everyday life.

After investigating over one hundred homicides, Ryan can never forget the tragedies and the victims, even after his retirement from the police force. In The Ghosts That Haunt Me, he reflects on six of the many cases that greatly impacted him — seven people whose lives were senselessly taken — and that he still thinks about nearly every day. While the stories are hard to tell for Ryan, they were harder to live through. Yet somewhere between the crimes and the heartache is a glimmer of hope that good eventually does prevail and that healing can come after grief.

Before it was known as Ontario’s cottage country, Muskoka’s resorts made it one of Canada’s most popular vacation destinations.

Try to imagine Muskoka without its iconic resorts: Windermere House, with its white towers looking out over Lake Rosseau; Deerhurst, with its tradition of warm hospitality dating back more than a century; or JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa, reaching new heights of elegance. You can’t do it. Muskoka’s resorts are so thoroughly woven into the tapestry of the region’s character that they are inseparable from it and are as quintessential as the Canadian Shield’s granite rock formations and crystalline lakes.

What few people realize is these resorts represent a mere fraction of the summer hotels that existed in the area at one time. Today, resorts are a disappearing breed; most have long since vanished. At various points in history, there were well over a hundred resorts — large and small, opulent and rustic — active in Muskoka. All had their unique charm and character.

Pack your bags and embark on a series of memorable vacations at some of Muskoka’s most captivating historic resorts with Andrew Hind, one of the area’s most engaging writers.

Relive the glory days of the Montreal Expos.

In his eleventh book on the Montreal Expos, Danny Gallagher presents more events from the baseball team’s storied history, including Ty Cline’s appearance as the first Expo on a Topps baseball card, Andre Dawson’s remarkable 1983 season, and Charlie O’Brien’s transformation of the catcher’s mask.

These vignettes from Expos history are framed by a penetrating look at centre fielder Willie Davis, whose career featured brilliant play and erratic behaviour. Through interviews with Davis’s family and others, Gallagher paints a more balanced picture of the life of this exceptional player, both on and off the diamond.

Exploring Toronto’s history through its vibrant restaurant scene.

From taverns to tea rooms, from soda fountains to sushi bars, and everything in between, Toronto’s dining trends in days gone by say a lot about the history of this city.

Beginning from the early days in the Town of York, where eateries had to serve also as houses of worship, to today’s trendy restaurants created by newcomers and outside influences, Dining Out: Toronto’s Lost Restaurants vividly describes many of the fine restaurants we never knew existed and which had a profound impact on the city and the people who called it home.

Dining Out: Toronto’s Lost Restaurants shows readers that, although the locales where we eat out have changed through the years, the quest for good food and good company continues to define this city.