The Notorious Bacon Brothers: Inside Gang Warfare on Vancouver Streets

by Jerry Langton

A searing look at one of Canada's most dangerous gangsGang violence is nothing new to Vancouver, but the brutality of the Bacon Brothers--Jonathan, Jarrod, and Jamie--has become legendary. "The Notorious Bacon Brothers" follows the chaotic rise of these three gangland figures to the pinnacle of Vancouver's lucrative drug trade. Chronicling not only the Bacon Brothers themselves, but also the gangs they infiltrated on their way to the top, and the catastrophic wave of violence they brought to the streets of Vancouver, the book explores how the bothers' adeptness at making and breaking allegiances and propensity for violence is now being replicated by gangs across Canada.

With one Bacon brother dead and the other two behind bars, a power vacuum has developed for control of the drug trade in the Greater Vancouver area. The result has been full on war among the Hells Angels, Red Scorpions, UN Gang, and Independent Soldiers, as they fight to take the position once occupied by the Bacon Brothers--a lasting legacy to their place in Canada's gang history.Presents an incisive look at the violent lives of the Bacon Brothers, some of Canada's most notorious criminalsShows how the Bacon Brothers set a new precedence for gang violence that is being mimicked throughout the countryExplores how the void left by the Brothers has spurred on increasing violent gang warfare on the streets of Vancouver

Hard-hitting and insightful, "The Notorious Bacon Brothers" is a powerful look at the seedy underbelly of contemporary Canadian organized crime.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Canada, Biography, Crime

272 pages, ebook

First published January 25, 2013

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Notorious Bacon Brothers chronicles the origin and growth of gangs in Canada's third largest city. The biker gang the Hells Angels has always been the reigning leader among Canadian gangs and it still holds that top spot on the West Coast though there are numerous other gangs some of whom are affiliated with the Angels. The Canadian courts are soft on crime which could be why drug dealers are so plentiful. There is a case in this book of a notorious dealer who has gotten away with years of crime unscathed. Since he was known to be selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs to Americans the U.S. Government were hot on his trail. He however knew enough to never cross the border which by the way was only yards from his Canadian home. He would holiday in Mexico where he would make deals with the cartels there. On one such trip to Mexico a security guard who realized who he was searching but had no legal authority to hold him took action. When the gangster who was certain all had gone well in Mexico was on his flight back to Vancouver strapped into his seat, the pilot made an announcement that the plane would have to make an unscheduled landing in Los Angeles. When the plane landed the FBI boarded the plane and got their man. I wish the violent drug wars would end but they may never end because there is so much money to be made and so many people willing to buy illegal drugs.

[Katy W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of flaws and yet I still couldn't put it down. It was a bit too much like an inventory of criminals and the amount of detail on each made it difficult to keep straight but it was still interesting to say the least. The storytelling could be improved upon and I'm not sure this book would have held my interest had it not been about my city in particular but... Yeah. Still very compelling.

[Grazyna Nawrocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when the Bacon brothers, and shootouts in public where on the news. Once my roommate came from a restaurant in Downtown shaken, because he was running from the bullets, although he had nothing to do with gangs. Reading about this in the book was fascinating. There was not very much about the brothers themselves, but a lot of background information. The author gives insight to how gangs operated, and brings history alive.

[Georgiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's an interesting story in here somewhere, but the writing is poor and the editing worse. There were way too many typos, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes, plus the style was at best jumpy and at worst totally disorganized. Add to all that some really crass comments - I never did figure out why it was necessary to describe one woman as "probably surgically enhanced" - and I find myself wondering why I bothered to finish it. Oh well.

[Peter Thurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you grew up in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland in the 90's and 2000's, you've probably run into someone who knows the notorious Bacon Brothers. I had the distinct 'pleasure' of being on W.J. Mouat's wrestling team with Jarrod and Jonathan Bacon in the late '90s, with their father David serving as a parent coach. Jonathan was a pretty nice kid, but Jarrod was a bully. This book, while not the best writing I've ever read, tells the inside story of the gang wars that cost so many young lives in the early 2000's, focusing on the Bacon Brothers role in the violence. It's such a surreal read, because I know so many names, faces, and places, and yet it's just like reading any other true crime book focused on organized crime, particularly ones focused on the Hell's Angels.

I'll never forget having to walk through the 'gauntlet' of Jarrod Bacon and his smoke pot/pit buddies on my way home from school. They were obnoxious and regularly mean. I wasn't very good at wrestling, so Jarrod would taunt me as I walked through the smoke. I would sometimes walk a different way home if I didn't want to have to deal with them that day.

Such a strange read...

[Toby Mustill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really depends on how you want to read a book. It is excellent at explaining the gangster landscape in the 2000’s/early 2010’s. It’s not sensationalized which may lose some people. I got a bit lost in the connections between individuals and gangs and affiliations, however it may appear that so did the individuals involved. Worth a read if you’re from BC or if you have an interest in the gang landscape of B.C.

[Peanut Butter Jelly Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so fascinating lmao
a very detailed account of gang warfare in BC (and not just in the lower mainland! this one goes into detail about stuff going on in the chapters in the okanagan, central interior etc) up until the bacon brothers, and the writing was quite compelling as well. Langton's commentary is sometimes a bit judgmental and perhaps with a somewhat outdated social view, but well, you can't deny it's entertaining.

[Joel Samuel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish the book. Langton's writing is very unorganized. Misleading title as well. 100 pages in and I still knew very little about the Bacon Brothers.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have seen a few documentaries on the gang wars in B.C and specifically the Bacon Brothers and was interested why three, middle-class boys would end up joining a gang and selling drugs. I thought this book would delve into that and examine the brother's upbringing, family, education, etc. The book has the "Bacon Brothers" in the title but definitely does not focus on them. In fact, they are only mentioned a handful of times; the book focuses on the gang problems in BC and many of the main players. Having said that, I still enhjoyed the book and learned a lot about the sophistication of the Hell's Angels organization and how involved they are in every aspect of the drug trade, probably throughout Canada. The book is an easy read and keeps your attention until the end.

[Scott Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Langton is a relatively well-known organized crime writer, having spent many years chasing after the Hell's Angels, the Mexican Gangs and others. This latest in his writings is a fairly good picture of the rapidly-changing face of criminal organization that is currently underway with the growth of non-ethnically based street gangs, striving for bigger profits and infamy. The inevitable violence outlined in this book however really portrays the declining value of human life amongst these groups.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy of this book has 258 pages instead of the listed 272 pages.

1st Read: October 7, 2016 - October 10, 2016

I'd never heard of the Bacon brothers prior to receiving this book. It was a book that kept my interest and was remotely interesting, considering it is a subject I've never really enjoyed reading about. I felt that the title was a almost misleading, as the book deals and speaks more about the Hell's Angels more than they do the Bacon brothers. I probably won't be keeping this one.

[Dave Tolnai · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book for sure, but not particularly well written or organized. There are mountains of information dispensed, but little flow. The author jumps all over. Year to year. Gangster to gangster. It's tough to follow. I thought it would all come together in the end with how it related to the bacon brothers...but I'm still pretty confused.

[Brenda B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating, quick read into the world of organized crime in Vancouver. The book needs an editor, as it basically becomes of laundry list of bad guys, rather than a well-crafted story about them (and not particularly well-written). Nevertheless, an eye-opener into the last decade of the Bacon Brothers and their ilk.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book however some significant factual errors are present. Still an interesting read for anyone who can get their hands on this book. It was removed from bookshelves in Canada due to the author violating court imposed publication bans. I highly doubt any of the information revealed in the book would impact any trial.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's scary to think that this sort of thing goes on in my country. We always know it's there but I've never seen any indication. This book brings it all to light. Great writing, lots of details and fascinating!

[Shelley Lanki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read...Had no idea that all of this was going on right under my nose!!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting in-depth look at a very local situation.

[Dorothy Lloyd]

Boring

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book about the gangs around Vancouver. Who knew?