On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison
Oct 2025 · Dundurn
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224
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About this ebook
Finalist, 2026 Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book (Crime Writers of Canada)
Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons struggling to keep inmates inside and escapees desperate to get out.
A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from in a vain attempt to foment a mass breakout; a murderer on the run who veered from folk hero to persona non grata after killing a police dog; a fugitive from the United States who was seized in Canada after being featured on America’s Most Wanted; a repeat escapee who shot himself, preferring death to recapture; a serial killer on the prowl in a small community — these are just a few of the felons whose prison break escapades continue to enthrall and terrify.
Along with probing the origins, structure, and shortcomings of a variety of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts — sometimes successful, occasionally deadly — of masterminds, tricksters, scoundrels, and innocents to claw their way to freedom.
Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons struggling to keep inmates inside and escapees desperate to get out.
A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from in a vain attempt to foment a mass breakout; a murderer on the run who veered from folk hero to persona non grata after killing a police dog; a fugitive from the United States who was seized in Canada after being featured on America’s Most Wanted; a repeat escapee who shot himself, preferring death to recapture; a serial killer on the prowl in a small community — these are just a few of the felons whose prison break escapades continue to enthrall and terrify.
Along with probing the origins, structure, and shortcomings of a variety of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts — sometimes successful, occasionally deadly — of masterminds, tricksters, scoundrels, and innocents to claw their way to freedom.
Finalist, 2026 Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book (Crime Writers of Canada)
Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons struggling to keep inmates inside and escapees desperate to get out.
A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from in a ...
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About the author
Lorna Poplak is a writer, editor, and researcher with a fascination for the dark side of history. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Toronto.
Lorna Poplak is a writer, editor, and researcher with a fascination for the dark side of history. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Toronto.
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