The Reluctant Virgin
Murder in 1950s Toronto
by
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About the Book
In every decade, deeds are committed in dark places that are unknown to those who tread life’s well-lit paths. Even so, as a new era dawns in Toronto of the 1950s, no one suspects that a serial killer is about to unleash a fury on the quiet residential avenues and in the forested river valleys. On Labour Day weekend in 1951, just as thirteen-year-old Tom Hudson is ready to begin high school, a sadistic killer strikes. A female member of the school’s staff is brutally murdered in the secluded darkness of the Humber Valley, and the police suspect another teacher has committed the crime. After detectives Gerry Thomson and Jim Peersen are assigned to the case, another innocent victim is murdered. As the investigation heats up, Tom and his friends attempt to go about their normal lives—developing as teenagers do—but it is not long before they become unwittingly caught up with the mystery behind the brutal killings. As the killer’s rage intensifies, everyone fears another murder lies in the shadows. Now it is up to two detectives and a group of curious teenagers to find a psychopath hell-bent on seeking revenge—before further violence occurs.
About the Author
Doug Taylor has researched, studied, and taught the history of Toronto for several decades. He was a member of the faculty of Lakeshore Teachers’ College (York University) and the Ontario Teacher Education College. Now retired, he lives in Toronto. This is his seventh novel.