The Whisky King is …
“A superb work of historical non-fiction.”
— The Globe and Mail
— The Globe and Mail
“An intoxicating Prohibition-era cocktail of rum-running,
mob hits, drug smuggling and police corruption.”
— Dean Jobb, author of Empire of Deception
“An illuminating, disturbing and well-paced read.”
— Rosemary Sullivan, author of Stalin’s Daughter
“A tall Canadian crime tale that just happens to be true.”
— Charles Foran, author of Mordecai: The Life & Times
And named to the GLOBE 100 list of 2017’s BEST BOOKS
For more information about The Whisky King, go here.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, two Italian men arrived in Canada during waves of immigration. One, Rocco Perri, from southern Italy, rose from being a petty criminal on the streets of Toronto to running the most prominent bootlegging operation of the Prohibition era, taking over Hamilton and leading one of the region’s most influential crime syndicates. Perri was feared by his enemies and loved by the press. So great was his celebrity following the murder of his first wife and business partner, Bessie Starkman, a crowd of 30,000 thronged in the streets of Hamilton for her funeral.
Perri’s businesses—which included alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution—kept him under constant police surveillance. He caught the interest of one man in particular: Frank Zaneth, the other arrival from Italy. Zaneth, from the Italian north, joined the RCMP as an unlikely recruit and became its first undercover operative. His skills and determination took him on assignment across the country, but he was dogged in his pursuit of Rocco Perri and worked for his arrest until the day Perri was last seen, in 1944, when he disappeared without a trace.
Filled with original research and masterful storytelling, The Whisky King is a riveting portrayal of a notorious Canadian crime figure and the man who tried to bring him in.
Perri’s businesses—which included alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution—kept him under constant police surveillance. He caught the interest of one man in particular: Frank Zaneth, the other arrival from Italy. Zaneth, from the Italian north, joined the RCMP as an unlikely recruit and became its first undercover operative. His skills and determination took him on assignment across the country, but he was dogged in his pursuit of Rocco Perri and worked for his arrest until the day Perri was last seen, in 1944, when he disappeared without a trace.
Filled with original research and masterful storytelling, The Whisky King is a riveting portrayal of a notorious Canadian crime figure and the man who tried to bring him in.
Upcoming Events
The Whisky King publicity tour will take Trevor to the following cities:
Durham — The Writer’s Club of Durham — February 10, 2018
Hamilton — Head of the Lake Historical Society — March 16, 2018
Halton, Ont — The Canadian Club — March 22, 2018
Oakville — The Probus Club of Oakville — April 19, 2018