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Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada's North
The shocking crimes of teacher Ed Horne wrought lasting damage on Inuit communities in Canada’s Arctic.
In the 1970s, a young schoolteacher from British Columbia was becoming the darling of the Northwest Territories education department with his dynamic teaching style. He was learning to speak the local language, Inuktitut, something few outsiders did. He also claimed to be Indigenous — a claim that would later prove to be false. In truth, Edward Horne was a pedophile who sexually abused his male students.
From 1971 to 1985 Horne’s predations on Inuit boys would disrupt life in the communities where he worked — towns of close-knit families that would suffer the intergenerational trauma created by his abuse.
Journalist Kathleen Lippa, after years of research, examines the devastating impact Horne’s crimes had on individuals, families, and entire communities. Her compelling work lifts the veil of silence surrounding the Horne story once and for all.
In the 1970s, a young schoolteacher from British Columbia was becoming the darling of the Northwest Territories education department with his dynamic teaching style. He was learning to speak the local language, Inuktitut, something few outsiders did. He also claimed to be Indigenous — a claim that would later prove to be false. In truth, Edward Horne was a pedophile who sexually abused his male students.
From 1971 to 1985 Horne’s predations on Inuit boys would disrupt life in the communities where he worked — towns of close-knit families that would suffer the intergenerational trauma created by his abuse.
Journalist Kathleen Lippa, after years of research, examines the devastating impact Horne’s crimes had on individuals, families, and entire communities. Her compelling work lifts the veil of silence surrounding the Horne story once and for all.
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
280 pages, Paperback
Published March 4, 2025
6 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Lippa
1 book1 followerKathleen Lippa is an independent Canadian journalist. She divides her time between Ottawa and St. John's.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 6, 2025
I didnt mind this book at all it just seemed to drag on a little bit with all the legal proceedings. I also think it’s hard to believe that a person like Ed Horn was not locked up for life for all the damage that he cost and families ruined.
January 13, 2025
Highly recommended!
When Canada Reads holds its annual debate March 17-20, 2025 to determine the one book that all of Canada should read, I expect we will read five amazing books by five extremely talented authors. However, in my opinion, Arctic Predator is THE book that ALL of Canada should read when it publishes in February 2025.
Author Kathleen Lippa is the first to record the story of Edward Horne, a teacher who sexually abused scores of Inuit schoolboys beginning in the early 1970s in numerous communities throughout what is now known as the territory of Nunavut.
What astounds me about this story is that most people in Canada were probably unaware of Horne, his monstrous acts, and his journey through the court system because provincial media didn’t widely publish the information coming out of the north.
Lippa’s research is detailed, compelling, and surprising, especially because we are provided first hand recollections from Horne, his colleagues, and some of the survivors, given pseudonyms as protection by a publication ban.
My two biggest takeaways are the most painful to reconcile. First, as in every case of child sexual abuse we have read, the responsible adults in the sphere around the perpetrator and victims did NOTHING to step in as soon as there was a hint of a crime being committed. And, to their eternal shame, some defended Horne. Second, the trauma the victims have suffered over the course of decades, as well as the impact on their communities and culture cannot be understated. Suicide, alcoholism, and generational sexual abuse is Horne’s horrific legacy.
This is a difficult story to read, learn, and live with, but Lippa does a masterful job in bringing its darkness into the light. May we never again fail our children.
Thank you @river_street_writes for the ARC to read and review.
When Canada Reads holds its annual debate March 17-20, 2025 to determine the one book that all of Canada should read, I expect we will read five amazing books by five extremely talented authors. However, in my opinion, Arctic Predator is THE book that ALL of Canada should read when it publishes in February 2025.
Author Kathleen Lippa is the first to record the story of Edward Horne, a teacher who sexually abused scores of Inuit schoolboys beginning in the early 1970s in numerous communities throughout what is now known as the territory of Nunavut.
What astounds me about this story is that most people in Canada were probably unaware of Horne, his monstrous acts, and his journey through the court system because provincial media didn’t widely publish the information coming out of the north.
Lippa’s research is detailed, compelling, and surprising, especially because we are provided first hand recollections from Horne, his colleagues, and some of the survivors, given pseudonyms as protection by a publication ban.
My two biggest takeaways are the most painful to reconcile. First, as in every case of child sexual abuse we have read, the responsible adults in the sphere around the perpetrator and victims did NOTHING to step in as soon as there was a hint of a crime being committed. And, to their eternal shame, some defended Horne. Second, the trauma the victims have suffered over the course of decades, as well as the impact on their communities and culture cannot be understated. Suicide, alcoholism, and generational sexual abuse is Horne’s horrific legacy.
This is a difficult story to read, learn, and live with, but Lippa does a masterful job in bringing its darkness into the light. May we never again fail our children.
Thank you @river_street_writes for the ARC to read and review.
Read
April 4, 2025I read this book for context, as I work to support some of these Northern communities today.
I hope that the decision to publicize this information was made in consultation with the victims, and that this book honours the wishes of those impacted. I hope that the profits of this publication go toward further supporting these communities.
I hope that the decision to publicize this information was made in consultation with the victims, and that this book honours the wishes of those impacted. I hope that the profits of this publication go toward further supporting these communities.
January 23, 2025
I come at this book from a different perspective than many readers. I come from a place of being a victim and on good days a survivor. My situation is not unique unfortunately and I am well aware of the harm that comes from adults who abuse children. Journalist Kathleen Lippa has written an account of the crimes of not just one very horrible man but also of systemic failures that allowed this monster to continue offending.
Documenting the trail of destruction of lives caused by Ed Horne in northern Inuit communities, Lippa details the ways in which Horne groomed young children and destroyed their trust. In addition to Horne’s egregious behaviour, he chose victims who were at a disadvantage of the colonial systems put in place in the region. Horne spoke the local language with at least some proficiency, claimed indigeneity, moved from town to town, and was often responsible for his own oversight!
The far reaching consequences of abuse to his victims included alcoholism, relationship difficulties, depression and in many cases suicide, and becoming offenders themselves in some instances.
Horne pleaded guilty in two of the criminal cases and was also involved in civil cases. He served time but that time could never be adequate for his victims and the indirect victims (family members of the direct victims). I am relieved that for most of the victims they were spared the difficulty of giving evidence before a court although I know that prior to the guilty plea their story was scrutinized by police and Crown Counsel and the defence which in my experience was just as difficult.
Thank you to Kathleen Lippa for writing this story that I hope makes its way into the hands of many. For victims of sexual abuse in Canada (I can’t speak to other countries) please know there is no statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse. Charges can be laid at any time.
My appreciation to the author and @river_street_writes for offering this selection for my honest opinions prior to its publication date of February 4, 2025.
Documenting the trail of destruction of lives caused by Ed Horne in northern Inuit communities, Lippa details the ways in which Horne groomed young children and destroyed their trust. In addition to Horne’s egregious behaviour, he chose victims who were at a disadvantage of the colonial systems put in place in the region. Horne spoke the local language with at least some proficiency, claimed indigeneity, moved from town to town, and was often responsible for his own oversight!
The far reaching consequences of abuse to his victims included alcoholism, relationship difficulties, depression and in many cases suicide, and becoming offenders themselves in some instances.
Horne pleaded guilty in two of the criminal cases and was also involved in civil cases. He served time but that time could never be adequate for his victims and the indirect victims (family members of the direct victims). I am relieved that for most of the victims they were spared the difficulty of giving evidence before a court although I know that prior to the guilty plea their story was scrutinized by police and Crown Counsel and the defence which in my experience was just as difficult.
Thank you to Kathleen Lippa for writing this story that I hope makes its way into the hands of many. For victims of sexual abuse in Canada (I can’t speak to other countries) please know there is no statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse. Charges can be laid at any time.
My appreciation to the author and @river_street_writes for offering this selection for my honest opinions prior to its publication date of February 4, 2025.
February 8, 2025
An important contribution to our historical record and our literature.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.
May 19, 2025
I am drawn to moments in the writing process, especially with non-fiction and the research required for this work, when a writer can remember their first moment of encounter with the subject matter that will become a major focal point of their writing for a duration of time, without knowing.
For journalist and writer, Kathleen Lippa, this moment was a news story about the burning of a school portable in a back-issue of Nunavut News North newspaper that stood out for its emotional weight and imagery. Lippa had been studying back-issues of the newspaper to prepare for her new role in 2003 as editor. When she came across a story about people throwing rocks and sticks, as well as screaming at a school portable set on fire, a physical space where young boys had been abused for decades, this was a story that would not leave Lippa for decades.
The structure was almost an embodiment of the sexual predator himself, Edward Horne, Canada’s most unknown and notorious sexual child predator of Canada’s north in the 1970s and into the 1980s. One of the worst criminals in Canadian history, due to the nature of his crimes and duration, but also, one of the most unknown criminals reflecting the ongoing deep rift between media coverage between the north and south, and systemic failures of the country’s legal system. Lippa recalls, ““People were throwing rocks and sticks and screaming at the burning structure as if it embodied Horne, and I just thought there was something about the story,”…“I felt there was more to it.””
And what began as a moment of encounter became over 20 years’ worth of writing, researching, interviewing and re-connecting the pieces of a story that has caused immense inter-generational trauma and left a deep wound in Canada’s arctic. The investigative non-fiction text, a True Crime piece that grew from this writing and researching is “Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North,” published on February 25, 2025 by Dundurn Press.
Edward Thorne, a young schoolteacher and later principal from British Columbia began committing crimes of child sexual abuse amongst his students from 1971 until 1985. These crimes rocked the most vulnerable communities of Canada’s arctic resulting in lasting damage for generations. Charismatic and perceived as a stellar educator, Thorne had seduced the educational system going undetected and unquestioned as he jumped from one community to the next abusing children and young men. Speaking Inuktitut and providing educational resources for the northern boards in the local language, Horne was revered for his athletic programs, high attendance and sliding amongst communities proclaiming a Mohawk native identity. It would take years for the man’s crimes to catch up to him. Disrupting the communities of Sanikiluaq, Apex, Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Grise Fiord and Cape Dorset (now Kinngait), Thorne had assaulted, violated and documented his abuses of male students.
Lippa works through Horne’s abuses in detail providing a contextual narrative of victim and family testimony, interviews with Horne’s co-workers, and transcripts from court proceedings. Lippa even sat down with Horne himself to carry out interviews of the events after she had written the manuscript from a survivor input first. Her work surfaces the systemic failures of the time that enabled a man like Horne to continue to perpetuate such abuses amongst arctic communities undetected and without punishment.
Kathleen Lippa is a Canadian freelance journalist, writer and photographer. Her work in Arctic Predator was integral to the arctic communities because of her experience living in the north herself. Lippa has worked out of Yellowknife and served as Bureau Chief in Iqaluit, Nunavut. After living for some time in Iqaluit, she settled in Ottawa and St. John’s. Born in Toronto and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, she studied to become a professional dancer before switching careers to journalism. Lippa has worked at different newspapers throughout her career like The Express (St. John’s) where she won a Canadian Community Newspaper Association award, The Hanover Post (Ontario), 24 Hours (Toronto) and the Calgary Sun. Arctic Predator is her first non-fiction work.
Lippa is explicit in the ethical perimeters of integrating testimony and interview notes into the overarching narrative. “The people that talked to me, as difficult as it was, they ultimately understood that the only way that things can improve or get better is if people know the truth and it’s not hidden anymore.” This was not an easy book to write, and to spend two decades, on and off, with the subject matter of this text, as well as meeting Horne in person, reflects the dedication that Lippa has to the writing and to the people she serves.
Arctic Predator has been received with complex emotional responses. One reviewer deemed that Arctic Predator should be a book that all Canadians read, much like in a reading space like Canada Reads. Other readers worked through the text for context to understand to support Northern communities today. Another reader hoped that “the decision to publicize this information was made in consultation with the victims, and that this book honours the wishes of those impacted. I hope that the profits of this publication go toward further supporting these communities.” Previous colleagues of Horne spoke out that the book showed both “Ed the man, or Ed, the convicted sex offender.” An uncomfortable, but necessary book for Canadians, one reviewer pointed out that Horne never re-offended, but that does not excuse him from the abuses he committed and the pain he caused. “The pedophile, Horne, is detestable. He reminded me of Ted Bundy in terms of narcissism, his belief that he's a special genius, and his failure to take any real responsibility for the damage he caused. He should have been in prison for 30+ years,” one reviewer stated.
A story of an Arctic Predator is not an easy or comfortable read to work through, the narrative fixed around the behaviour of a man, from a position of domination and abused authority, despite the care to braid through victim voice and testimony, I was left with residue of a pedophile that sought to dominate and take control of the story. I did not like that.
As a teacher, there were times I wanted to put the book down, and many times I needed to sit in silence after reading periods. I hope for a day in the process of a communal receiving of this text into the public that a victim takes hold of the narrative and rises up to regain control and shift focus to a reclamation of identity and surviving, without the presence of Horne’s voice. If that can be done, and if I am not projecting my own wants onto the events.
Lippa began the book with an image of a burning portable and ended with an experience of a survivor facing pain and healing in a similar space. The image of a man crying in the corner of another portable classroom where he was abused, then telling Lippa it felt good to face that, was a powerful craft of storytelling for this disturbing account.
Simultaneously, I perceive another text that explores, with focus, the psychological core of Horne in digging further through interviews with the man of glimpses of dialogue and accounts of the tests that were done on him in hospitals that there is something deeper lurking of the psychological make-up and workings of a man that committed sexual assault on children for the length of time he did. I caught moments of emotional separation, lack of empathy and hints of an underlying condition echoing of almost serial killer tendencies. A verbal denial of the repercussions of his crimes and suicide was another moment during Lippa’s interviews that made me feel that a whole other book was there. But, then again, such a text, again, positions Horne at the centre of the events and perhaps gives him what he craves now, attention.
I had a hard time tracking the man down as I read. He moved around so much and resided in Mexico for some time. A visual timeline of his movements would have helped me navigate the text more readily in order to help provide a springboard for deeper analysis of scrutinizing the topographies of his behaviour. A wall with pin boards and strings, or, just leave it be. At the end of the day, do we have to try and understand why someone would be capable of carrying out the sexual abuse that Horne did? Moving forward, how can Canada help heal and support generations of people who have suffered from the single actions of one man?
I recommend this text for educators to read, for accountability and in understanding how trauma presents in humans. The intergenerational trauma shown in a transparent lens of this text can be applied to other indigenous youth currently suffering, currently being misunderstood.
Thank you to Kathleen Lippa, Dundurn Press and River Street Writing for the complimentary copy in request for an honest review.
https://www.sarahailstone.com/book-re...
For journalist and writer, Kathleen Lippa, this moment was a news story about the burning of a school portable in a back-issue of Nunavut News North newspaper that stood out for its emotional weight and imagery. Lippa had been studying back-issues of the newspaper to prepare for her new role in 2003 as editor. When she came across a story about people throwing rocks and sticks, as well as screaming at a school portable set on fire, a physical space where young boys had been abused for decades, this was a story that would not leave Lippa for decades.
The structure was almost an embodiment of the sexual predator himself, Edward Horne, Canada’s most unknown and notorious sexual child predator of Canada’s north in the 1970s and into the 1980s. One of the worst criminals in Canadian history, due to the nature of his crimes and duration, but also, one of the most unknown criminals reflecting the ongoing deep rift between media coverage between the north and south, and systemic failures of the country’s legal system. Lippa recalls, ““People were throwing rocks and sticks and screaming at the burning structure as if it embodied Horne, and I just thought there was something about the story,”…“I felt there was more to it.””
And what began as a moment of encounter became over 20 years’ worth of writing, researching, interviewing and re-connecting the pieces of a story that has caused immense inter-generational trauma and left a deep wound in Canada’s arctic. The investigative non-fiction text, a True Crime piece that grew from this writing and researching is “Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North,” published on February 25, 2025 by Dundurn Press.
Edward Thorne, a young schoolteacher and later principal from British Columbia began committing crimes of child sexual abuse amongst his students from 1971 until 1985. These crimes rocked the most vulnerable communities of Canada’s arctic resulting in lasting damage for generations. Charismatic and perceived as a stellar educator, Thorne had seduced the educational system going undetected and unquestioned as he jumped from one community to the next abusing children and young men. Speaking Inuktitut and providing educational resources for the northern boards in the local language, Horne was revered for his athletic programs, high attendance and sliding amongst communities proclaiming a Mohawk native identity. It would take years for the man’s crimes to catch up to him. Disrupting the communities of Sanikiluaq, Apex, Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Grise Fiord and Cape Dorset (now Kinngait), Thorne had assaulted, violated and documented his abuses of male students.
Lippa works through Horne’s abuses in detail providing a contextual narrative of victim and family testimony, interviews with Horne’s co-workers, and transcripts from court proceedings. Lippa even sat down with Horne himself to carry out interviews of the events after she had written the manuscript from a survivor input first. Her work surfaces the systemic failures of the time that enabled a man like Horne to continue to perpetuate such abuses amongst arctic communities undetected and without punishment.
Kathleen Lippa is a Canadian freelance journalist, writer and photographer. Her work in Arctic Predator was integral to the arctic communities because of her experience living in the north herself. Lippa has worked out of Yellowknife and served as Bureau Chief in Iqaluit, Nunavut. After living for some time in Iqaluit, she settled in Ottawa and St. John’s. Born in Toronto and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, she studied to become a professional dancer before switching careers to journalism. Lippa has worked at different newspapers throughout her career like The Express (St. John’s) where she won a Canadian Community Newspaper Association award, The Hanover Post (Ontario), 24 Hours (Toronto) and the Calgary Sun. Arctic Predator is her first non-fiction work.
Lippa is explicit in the ethical perimeters of integrating testimony and interview notes into the overarching narrative. “The people that talked to me, as difficult as it was, they ultimately understood that the only way that things can improve or get better is if people know the truth and it’s not hidden anymore.” This was not an easy book to write, and to spend two decades, on and off, with the subject matter of this text, as well as meeting Horne in person, reflects the dedication that Lippa has to the writing and to the people she serves.
Arctic Predator has been received with complex emotional responses. One reviewer deemed that Arctic Predator should be a book that all Canadians read, much like in a reading space like Canada Reads. Other readers worked through the text for context to understand to support Northern communities today. Another reader hoped that “the decision to publicize this information was made in consultation with the victims, and that this book honours the wishes of those impacted. I hope that the profits of this publication go toward further supporting these communities.” Previous colleagues of Horne spoke out that the book showed both “Ed the man, or Ed, the convicted sex offender.” An uncomfortable, but necessary book for Canadians, one reviewer pointed out that Horne never re-offended, but that does not excuse him from the abuses he committed and the pain he caused. “The pedophile, Horne, is detestable. He reminded me of Ted Bundy in terms of narcissism, his belief that he's a special genius, and his failure to take any real responsibility for the damage he caused. He should have been in prison for 30+ years,” one reviewer stated.
A story of an Arctic Predator is not an easy or comfortable read to work through, the narrative fixed around the behaviour of a man, from a position of domination and abused authority, despite the care to braid through victim voice and testimony, I was left with residue of a pedophile that sought to dominate and take control of the story. I did not like that.
As a teacher, there were times I wanted to put the book down, and many times I needed to sit in silence after reading periods. I hope for a day in the process of a communal receiving of this text into the public that a victim takes hold of the narrative and rises up to regain control and shift focus to a reclamation of identity and surviving, without the presence of Horne’s voice. If that can be done, and if I am not projecting my own wants onto the events.
Lippa began the book with an image of a burning portable and ended with an experience of a survivor facing pain and healing in a similar space. The image of a man crying in the corner of another portable classroom where he was abused, then telling Lippa it felt good to face that, was a powerful craft of storytelling for this disturbing account.
Simultaneously, I perceive another text that explores, with focus, the psychological core of Horne in digging further through interviews with the man of glimpses of dialogue and accounts of the tests that were done on him in hospitals that there is something deeper lurking of the psychological make-up and workings of a man that committed sexual assault on children for the length of time he did. I caught moments of emotional separation, lack of empathy and hints of an underlying condition echoing of almost serial killer tendencies. A verbal denial of the repercussions of his crimes and suicide was another moment during Lippa’s interviews that made me feel that a whole other book was there. But, then again, such a text, again, positions Horne at the centre of the events and perhaps gives him what he craves now, attention.
I had a hard time tracking the man down as I read. He moved around so much and resided in Mexico for some time. A visual timeline of his movements would have helped me navigate the text more readily in order to help provide a springboard for deeper analysis of scrutinizing the topographies of his behaviour. A wall with pin boards and strings, or, just leave it be. At the end of the day, do we have to try and understand why someone would be capable of carrying out the sexual abuse that Horne did? Moving forward, how can Canada help heal and support generations of people who have suffered from the single actions of one man?
I recommend this text for educators to read, for accountability and in understanding how trauma presents in humans. The intergenerational trauma shown in a transparent lens of this text can be applied to other indigenous youth currently suffering, currently being misunderstood.
Thank you to Kathleen Lippa, Dundurn Press and River Street Writing for the complimentary copy in request for an honest review.
https://www.sarahailstone.com/book-re...
Read
February 17, 2026Once upon a time, I called Edward Horne a friend. I met him through Dismas, a fellowship of people that helps ex-prisoners re-enter society after their release. Ed Horne was a participant, and I knew vaguely of his crimes. I have since lost touch with him, but because of personal association, I won't comment on Ed the man, or Ed, the convicted sex offender. Kathleen Lippa did an excellent job of showing us both.
Lippa's portrayal of life in the far north is fascinating. To say that the communities where Horne worked and committed crimes were isolated and extremely vulnerable is a vast understatement. If you are a pedophile, you couldn't have picked more defenseless victims.
As far as I know, Edward Horne has never re-offended since his last conviction. It doesn't fix the horror he has already caused, which can never be undone. I'm no longer involved in Dismas, but I understand Horne still participates, which is a good sign and evidence that restorative justice can work. On a personal level, this book has been a profoundly uncomfortable but also necessary read. I'm still processing and might add to this review as the weight of this settles.
January 2025. Edward Horne died recently in Guatemala.
Lippa's portrayal of life in the far north is fascinating. To say that the communities where Horne worked and committed crimes were isolated and extremely vulnerable is a vast understatement. If you are a pedophile, you couldn't have picked more defenseless victims.
As far as I know, Edward Horne has never re-offended since his last conviction. It doesn't fix the horror he has already caused, which can never be undone. I'm no longer involved in Dismas, but I understand Horne still participates, which is a good sign and evidence that restorative justice can work. On a personal level, this book has been a profoundly uncomfortable but also necessary read. I'm still processing and might add to this review as the weight of this settles.
January 2025. Edward Horne died recently in Guatemala.
February 23, 2025
I recommend this book. Unlike much true crime, the narrative is tight and the book isn't 100 pages longer than it needs to be.
The pedophile, Horne, is detestable. He reminded me of Ted Bundy in terms of narcissism, his belief that he's a special genius, and his failure to take any real responsibility for the damage he caused. He should have been in prison for 30+ years.
The pedophile, Horne, is detestable. He reminded me of Ted Bundy in terms of narcissism, his belief that he's a special genius, and his failure to take any real responsibility for the damage he caused. He should have been in prison for 30+ years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2025
From 1971 to 1985, Edward Horne used his position of trust, and authority as a school teacher in the Northwest Territories, to systematically gain unsupervised access to Inuit children who he abused, causing irreparable harm, and intergenerational trauma.
Arctic Predator is not an easy read, but it is an important one.
Lippa’s heartbreaking account of Horne’s actions detail the timeline of events. How multiple levels of administrative failure resulted in repeated offences against a vulnerable population in multiple towns. Interviews with Horne, his co-workers, transcripts from court proceedings, and the voices of the survivors and their families, are all contained within Arctic Predator. Delicate and painful truths are addressed and the horrendous reality is not shied away from.
The research that went into creating this book is wholly evident. I am in awe (whether its sheer shock or being simply impressed, I’m uncertain) that Lippa maintained correspondence with Ed Horne. Sat down with him face-to-face. Interviewed him, and kept him apprised of the book while it was in development. I definitely could not have done that.
Please, read this book.
Arctic Predator is not an easy read, but it is an important one.
Lippa’s heartbreaking account of Horne’s actions detail the timeline of events. How multiple levels of administrative failure resulted in repeated offences against a vulnerable population in multiple towns. Interviews with Horne, his co-workers, transcripts from court proceedings, and the voices of the survivors and their families, are all contained within Arctic Predator. Delicate and painful truths are addressed and the horrendous reality is not shied away from.
The research that went into creating this book is wholly evident. I am in awe (whether its sheer shock or being simply impressed, I’m uncertain) that Lippa maintained correspondence with Ed Horne. Sat down with him face-to-face. Interviewed him, and kept him apprised of the book while it was in development. I definitely could not have done that.
Please, read this book.
January 24, 2025
Thank you to Edelweiss and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy of this book.
I hate that terrible, horrible stories are also interesting to read, but they are.
What a terrible human being.
First, I rated it high because I think it is well written. I also could not put it down. There was enough graphic detail that you could picture his crimes, but not so much that you would be sick. However, when considering the sheer magnitude, you might be sick to your stomach.
I think this is an important story to told, as important as any Residential School story being told. Not only is this book about crimes, it is about opportunity. The opportunity for him is part of the history for Inuit communities. Isolated, with their own family and community problems, Horne was able to exploit that.
The final interview with Horne was chilling for me. It was almost Hannibal Lecter like for me.
I hate that terrible, horrible stories are also interesting to read, but they are.
What a terrible human being.
First, I rated it high because I think it is well written. I also could not put it down. There was enough graphic detail that you could picture his crimes, but not so much that you would be sick. However, when considering the sheer magnitude, you might be sick to your stomach.
I think this is an important story to told, as important as any Residential School story being told. Not only is this book about crimes, it is about opportunity. The opportunity for him is part of the history for Inuit communities. Isolated, with their own family and community problems, Horne was able to exploit that.
The final interview with Horne was chilling for me. It was almost Hannibal Lecter like for me.
Read
August 19, 2025An important book about heinous crime committed against indigenous children up in Canada's northern region. Well researched and fully fleshed-out with interviews with Mr. Horne as well as his victims. Easy and accessible prose/writing style. It lost me however as it got repetitive quite often and I felt like in an effort to tell the detailed story, many things about Horne's history and moving about got tedious for me. But as this is a non-fiction, I can see why they are important. I just maybe would have cut a few pages and stuck with the human element of it. Sadly, I lost interest in this and skipped pages here and there, and ended up DNFing. Not rating.
October 24, 2025
This book should be a mandarory read from coast to coast.
it's not an easy read but I feel it's a necessary read.
It's essential that w e protect our youth, boys and girls. Protection also means holding those around them accountable, leading by example and teaching to articulate both good and bad subjects.
it's not an easy read but I feel it's a necessary read.
It's essential that w e protect our youth, boys and girls. Protection also means holding those around them accountable, leading by example and teaching to articulate both good and bad subjects.
June 24, 2025
Devastating.
The use of sexual violence is, historically, a major tool of oppression. The effects of which extends to all those around the victim as well as the victim themselves.
Canadians have a responsibility to know this part of our not-so-distant history.
The use of sexual violence is, historically, a major tool of oppression. The effects of which extends to all those around the victim as well as the victim themselves.
Canadians have a responsibility to know this part of our not-so-distant history.
August 3, 2025
A horrifying true story about one Canada’s most prolific sex offenders, Edward Horne. He sexually assaulted young boys in the 1970s and 1980s while teaching in the Northwest Territories, boys as young as six years old. This book covers not only his crimes, but how he managed to get away with it so long, his mental being, and how it affected generations.
Reasons I Recommend:
1) Horne was a trusted teacher who people claimed was too educated and too revolutionizing when it came to educating the Inuit to be guilty
2) The fact he was married with boys of his own and
3) How he normalized having the boys to his home. Horrifying. Disgusting. Tragic.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quote 1: It is not known precisely how many boys Horne molested, but there is enough evidence to make the claim that his crimes embody one of the worst cases of institutionalized sexual abuse perpetrated by one man in Canadian history.
#briereads #brierecommends #2025goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #nonfiction #canadianhistory #arcticpredatorthecrimesofedwardhorneagainstchildrenincanadiannorth #kathleenlippa #canadianauthor🇨🇦
Reasons I Recommend:
1) Horne was a trusted teacher who people claimed was too educated and too revolutionizing when it came to educating the Inuit to be guilty
2) The fact he was married with boys of his own and
3) How he normalized having the boys to his home. Horrifying. Disgusting. Tragic.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quote 1: It is not known precisely how many boys Horne molested, but there is enough evidence to make the claim that his crimes embody one of the worst cases of institutionalized sexual abuse perpetrated by one man in Canadian history.
#briereads #brierecommends #2025goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #nonfiction #canadianhistory #arcticpredatorthecrimesofedwardhorneagainstchildrenincanadiannorth #kathleenlippa #canadianauthor🇨🇦
August 20, 2025
The actual content is really interesting. I wish Edward Horne was a more recognizable name.
But I couldn't get over the formatting. The weird spaces and paragraph breaks was hard (for me) to get over. I think it would've done better if it was written with less breaks and felt more continuous.
But I couldn't get over the formatting. The weird spaces and paragraph breaks was hard (for me) to get over. I think it would've done better if it was written with less breaks and felt more continuous.
May 20, 2025
Good, journalistic coverage of Edward Horne's career as a teacher and a pedophile in the Far North. Not an easy read, but well done by the he author.
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