Eve Lazarus

The fascinating story of a sensational murder, set against a Mad Men-esque backdrop of '60s-era sensibilities.

An Astonishing True Story of Adultery, Arsenic, and a Charismatic Killer

Murder by Milkshake

Heralded internationally as "Canada's Sherlock Holmes," John Vance was an innovative and groundbreaking forensic investigator. Over 42 years beginning in the 1930s, Vance helped police detectives in British Columbia to determine murder from suicide as well as solve hit-and-runs, safecrackings, and some of the most sensational murder cases of the twentieth century.

The Story of Inspector Vance, A Pioneer Forensics Investigator

Blood, Sweat and Fear

History books typically show Vancouver as a pioneer city built on forestry, fisheries, and tourism, but behind the snow-capped mountains and rain forests, the Vancouver of the first half of the 20th century was a seething mass of corruption. The top job at the Vancouver Police Department was a revolving door with the average tenure for a police chief of just four years.In those early years, Detective Joe Ricci's beat was the opium dens and gambling joints of Chinatown, while LurancyHarris-the first female cop in Canada-patrolled the high-end brothels of Alexander Street. Later, proceeds from rum running produced some of the city's iconic buildings, cops became robbers, and the city reeled from a series of unsolved murders.But Vancouver is more than bookies, brothels, and bootleggers-the city also produced legendary women, world-class entertainers and ground-breaking architecture.Sensational Vancouver is a fully illustrated popular history book about Vancouver's famous and infamous, the ordinary and the extraordinary, filtered through the houses in which they lived. Sensational Vancouver covers legendary women including Elsie MacGill, Phyllis Munday, Nellie Yip Quong and Joy Kogawa; high-end brothels, unsolved murders, and the homes and buildings of artists, architects and entertainers including Frederick Varley, Arthur Erickson, Bryan Adams, and Michael Bublé.Includes a Walking Tour map of historic Strathcona and Chinatown.Praise for At Home with History:"You might call her the Sherlock Holmes of home history. Lazarus's stories bring Vancouver's past back to life." -the Outlook"A mix of old black-and-white street-scene photos, jovial stories, and unique neighbourhood profiles, the book crushes the idea that Vancouver is a city without history." -The Georgia Straight"...exceptional incidents in ordinary houses and ordinary people in exceptional houses." -The Vancouver Sun"Lazarus reveals the hidden stories of a number of Vancouver's heritage homes, setting each within the larger context of its neighbourhood ... bootleggers rub shoulders with financiers, prostitutes with police, murderers with mayors." -The Vancouver Courier

Sensational Vancouver

The follow-up to Eve Lazarus's successful 'At Home with History: The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver's Heritage Homes', 'Sensational Victoria' gives us a glimpse into aspects of Victoria rarely talked about in the tourist brochures or flowery garden guidebooks. 'Sensational Victoria' covers legendary women, including Emily Carr, Nellie McClung, Gwen Cash, Sylvia Holland, and Myfanwy Pavelic; prominent madams and their brothels; murders in the capital-five ranging from 1898 to 1992; and, the homes of limners (painters of ornamental decoration), writers, and entertainers, including Herbert Siebner, Elza Mayhew, Pat Martin Bates, Robin Skelton, Carole Sabiston, Bruce Hutchison, Alice Munro, David Foster, Spoony Sundher, and Nell Shipman. Lavishly illustrated throughout with archival and contemporary photographs, 'Sensational Victoria' is a must-read for both history buffs and regular visitors to The Garden City."This has already been a stellar year for books about local history. If you're still looking for a gift, there are more than a dozen top-quality choices on the shelves, from books on Victoria City Hall and the University of Victoria to ones on the Japanese community and Government Street. This late arrival, 'Sensational Victoria', is one of the year's best."- 'Times Colonist (Victoria)'

Bright Lights, Red Lights, Murders, Ghosts & Gardens

Sensational Victoria

The untold story behind some of Vancouver's notorious unsolved murder cases. Finalist, Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award (BC Book Prizes) While Vancouver is much loved by tourists and locals alike for its spectacular natural scenery and diverse culture, behind that facade lurks a violent past. Cold Case Vancouver takes a look at the city's disreputable side by revisiting some of its infamous cold murder cases from 1944 to 1996. There are literally hundreds of murders that remain unsolved in Vancouver, some dating back decades; their victims are now essentially invisible, forgotten by everyone except family and friends. Sometimes their cases are looked at again with a fresh set of eyes and the benefit of new technologies; sometimes they are even solved. Most often, however, the crimes remain a mystery, consigned to the city's dark history. Part history book, part crime story, Cold Case Vancouver delves into 50 years of some of Vancouver's most baffling unsolved murders. In 1953, in what became known as the "Babes in the Woods" story, two little boys were found murdered in Stanley Park and remain unidentified to this day. In 1975, a 22-year-old country singer just back from Nashville was murdered, just as she was on the verge of an amazing career. Ten years later, Jimmy and Lily Ming were kidnapped from their Strathcona home and found murdered six weeks later. And there's the 1994 disappearance of Nick Masee, a retired banker with connections to the renegade Vancouver Stock Exchange who, along with his wife Lisa, were taken from their home, their bodies never found. Meticulously researched, giving insight into police procedures and forensics, and including new interviews with those connected to the original cases, Cold Case Vancouver is a fascinating look at Vancouver's criminal past. Includes numerous B&W images.

The City's Most Baffling Unsolved Murders

Cold Case Vancouver

Cold Case Vancouver delves into fifty years of some of Vancouver's most baffling unsolved murders. In 1953, two little boys were found murdered in the city's storied Stanley Park, and who remain unidentified to this day. In 1975, a country singer was murdered just as she was on the verge of an amazing career. And in 1994, Nick Masee, a retired banker with connections to the renegade Vancouver Stock Exchange, disappeared along with his wife Lisa, their bodies never found. Cold Case Vancouver is an intriguing whodunit for true-crime aficionados and armchair detectives. Eve Lazarus's previous books include Sensational Vancouver.

Eve Lazarus

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