Real Justice: A Police Mr. Big Sting Goes Wrong: The Story of Kyle Unger

Lorimer Real Justice

by Richard Brignall

On the night of June 23, 1990, teenage friends Kyle Unger and John Beckett made a last-minute decision to attend a music festival near Roseisle, Manitoba. They were loners, not the popular kids at school. But on this night they seemed to finally fit in. They had fun, played games, drank, and hung around bonfires with other people. The next morning, a sixteen-year-old girl was dead. By the next week, Kyle was charged with her murder. Due to insufficient evidence he was let go, but the Mounties were convinced he was the killer.

They laid a trap, called the Mr. Big operation, for Kyle. With offers of money, friends, and a new criminal lifestyle, the RCMP got Kyle to confess to the murder. But the confession was false -- he had not been the killer. He was convicted and sent to prison.

For the next twenty years Kyle fought for his freedom. He was finally acquitted in 2009.

This book tells the story of an impressionable but innocent teenager who was wrongfully convicted based on the controversial Mr. Big police tactic.

[Fry reading level - 4.9]

Genres: Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2015

Reviews

[Lynn Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such an easy book to read and really took no thinking!! it was sad though:(

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given To Me For An Honest Review

Real Justice: A Police Mr. Big Sting Goes Wrong: The Story of Kyle Unger by Richard Brignall is a real page turner with a few twists and turns. Make sure that you have your seatbelt on because you are going on a real justice ride of your life. Once you open the book it will grab you, hold you down and you'll watch those pages turn and turn and turn some more until you reach the end. Then, you'll go back and re-read it all over again. Kyle and his friend John attend a music festival. In the morning a 16 year old girl is found dead. This book explores what series of events happened to convict a young man (Kyle) of a crime he didn't commit and spent 17 years in jail for it. He then spent 20 years to fight for his freedom -------- he finally got it in 2009. I gave this book 5 stars, although it's worth many more. It is a fascinating story and teens and YA would really like reading it. It is a true story. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I look for more by Richard Brignall.

[haley✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via NetGalley!



3.5 stars out of 5

This book caught my attention because June 23rd 1990 is my birthday and thought heck, I have to read about this kid.

Kyle Unger, wrongfully accused of murder.

Everything was short and to the point yet the writing style lacked suspense for the situation.

I feel for Brigitte's family as there are still unanswered questions. My opinion (based on this book) all the evidence pointed to Timothy Houlahan as the killer.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a high interest, low vocabulary book for teens and youth. It tells the story of Kyle Unger, a young man who was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder during a outdoor concert event. The conviction was made based on the Mr. Big Sting, that is legal in Canada, but not in most other countries, including the United States.

Kyle Unger was a loner. He had dropped out of high school, had social problems with people his own age, especially exaggerating events in his life. People who knew Kyle, knew about his penchant for exaggeration, but unfortunately, this caused the Mr. Big Sting to come up with a "confession" to killing the young woman. While attending the Woodstick Music Festival in 1990 he, along with many others, drank, danced and tried to hook up with someone. Sixteen year old Brigette Grenier was successful in picking up a handsome stranger and stayed at the concert after her friends left. A couple of days later, her body was found in a creek, showing that she had been raped and brutally assaulted. Based on the testimony of the lead suspect, Kyle quickly became the second suspect as the police felt that two people had perpetrated the crime. When there was not enough evidence to try Kyle, the RCMP set up the Mr. Big Sting to get a confession out of Kyle. As was usual, Kyle exaggerated the events of the night and he was again charged with the crime.

This book explores the series of events that led to this 19 year old to be wrongfully convicted of murder and then spend 17 years in jail. There are many things to be learned from this book, such as: girls not to go off with strangers, telling the truth not exaggerating, sticking with your friends, not to drink to excess or use drugs, and more. A must for high school students, high school libraries, as well as public libraries.

[Nicole Ehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively bland and boring. Reading the initial statement of Tim and then his second statement made me mad the police horribly botched the investigation. It was a very straightforward and easy read - good for someone wanting to get into true crime genre.

[Sarca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best written book, but an important story of injustice.

[Jerry Hillyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Big
Title: A Police Mr. Big Sting Goes Wrong

Author: Richard Brignall

Publisher: James Lorimer Company

Year: 2015

Pages: 94

I read this book in a little over an hour. It's a quick read and rather enjoyable. One of the things I appreciate about Lorimer Publishing is that they publish this sort of book where I learn about aspects of life that I might not otherwise know about. And given the situation we are living in in today's world where police and prosecutors are under increasingly intense scrutiny from the public, I found this book to be a rather important addition to the world's library. Among the important lessons it teaches us is this: the system is not infallible.

It is probably wise, in my opinion, to help young readers understand this early. I'm not suggesting that adults should inculcate a spirit of rebellion and distrust; no. What I am suggesting is that we should encourage young readers to think critically about how the justice system operates in our world-both in Canada, the locus of this book--and in the United States--where I'm writing my review. Perhaps the only way to see the sort of injustices we are currently seeing end is by educating people earlier about what is supposed to happen when a person is charged with a crime. As Brignall notes several times in the book, the assumption of innocence was not granted to Kyle Unger from the outset and this affected his trial greatly.

So, to that end, I found this book helpful given that many of the technical terms about the justice system in Canada are compatible with those in the United States. I think students will appreciate that the author takes time to explain complex ideas and terminology that might not otherwise be understood. Context is definitely helpful, but the author has also provided a helpful glossary in the back for readers.

There is also a helpful timeline, an important epilogue, a section for further reading, and an index. This is all very helpful and will make this book very useful in the classroom. I also did a little googling about this case in question and found that there is still plenty of information available on the internet concerning the case of Kyle Unger. I also appreciated that the author ''tried to use as many primary sources as possible." This made the book come alive for me and added significant credibility to the re-telling of the story.

This is a very straightforward book. Some readers might be a little sensitive to the 'real life' language but it is important to establish a context and it is not gratuitous by any means. In my opinion, this will a helpful book in a civics or government class. It's another of those books that will lend itself to a good debate or conversation amongst students who are working or thinking through ways that the justice system can be held accountable to the people it represents. This book is a fine example of power run a muck, the failure of the justice system, and the importance of the truth.

I recommend it to my readers and also to teachers who may want to stir up a good conversation or debate in their social studies classroom.


5/5 Stars

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel presented the case from all the angles: the victim, the bystanders and the accused, their stories were all laid out, presented in their true form. As I read, I could see how the story was swaying, the character’s histories were coming into play and my emotions were getting the best of me. Frequent breaks were needed if I were to finish this book because to me what was occurring was unjust, horrific and this book was making me furious. I used to work for attorneys here in the U.S. and since this book takes in Canada it allows for the use of the Mr. Big Sting which was part of the reason of my irritation but from the beginning of the novel, I saw that there was going to be issues with this court case. This is a true story unfortunately and this novel affects many individuals, including the ones who were now reading it. It’s a two-day music festival which most of the teenagers in the surrounding area will attend. There will be many bands, lots of drinking and other activities young teens like to participate in. Kyle attends with John. Kyle has some issues with anger, he dropped out of school last year but he’s working in a nearby town. This is Brigitte’s first concert which she attends with her best friend. They meet up with classmates at the concert, many already drunk, and Kyle and John meet up with them too. Some issues occur between the students during the night but as the last band performs, Kyle tries to dance with Brigitte but she is already in the arms of Tim. What happens next is yours to decide as you read through the novel or as you listen to the jury/judge decide the fate of the accused as Brigitte’s scarred body is pulled out of the muddy creek bed. Everything points to Tim but sometimes it isn’t always black-n-white when you are working within the legal system. I was busting at the seams, screaming and pounding on the arms of my chair as I read, my frustration building page-by-page. It was an amazing read; it really got under my skin. It made me think about the Mr. Big Sting practice in Canada, is this a good practice or not? Does it sway the participants? Is there any other way to get results? And in this particular case, who got the closure they were looking for? I wish the cover was different on this book, I think more people would be more inclined to read it.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and James Lorimer & Company in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up hearing Kyle Unger's name on the newscast. I couldn't quite put together what had happened, which is one reason I wanted to read this book. Being so young when the event occured, I was not really aware of what had happened up in Manitoba. However, as an adult, I was appalled at the ease with which the police and Tim were able to pin a murder on another person with no actual evidence. As I read the story, I had hope for Kyle and my countenance fell when he began to make stupid decisions that lead to his conviction. I am not sure how a jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt if they had access to all of the information I had access to as a reader. Thank goodness for the advent of DNA testing and that this man was eventually set free. Unfortunately, he will now have to live with the stigma and questions of the public following him around.
Regarding the writing style, it was blissfully easy to read and a quick read! There are a few photos with captions provided as well as a glossary, index, and where to go for additional information. This would be a welcome book in our hi-lo collection. It has all the great elements: grit, true crime, a wrong made right, and unintimidating amount of pages.
I did find the writing a little dry. However, the author did his best to not editorialize and present facts as they were. The story itself is enough to rivet a reader without sensationalization. I am glad the author knew that and kept personal opinions out (with the exception of his introduction, which was perfectly understandable and welcome).

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Unger was a loner. He dropped out of high school, had trouble connecting with people his age, and was prone to exaggerating things he had done. For one night this seemed to change. At the Woodstick Music Festival in 1990 he, along with thousands of others, drank, danced and tried to hook up with attractive strangers. It seemed like a good night until the community learned that 16 Brigette Grenier had been brutally murdered. Kyle quickly became the lead suspect and the Canadian police used controversial tactics to get a 'confession' out of Kyle.

This book explores the series of events that led a 19 year old to be wrongfully convicted of murder to spend 17 years in jail. Richard Brignall writes in a detailed and clear manner that make it easy to follow the story along. As a middle school teacher I know of multiple students who would be interested in story and I will be adding a copy of this to my classroom library.

Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a massive fan of true crime books and this one did not disappoint. It tells the trus story of the conviction of Kyle Unger who was charged and found guilty of the very gruesome murder of a young woman. This book deals with the "Mr Big" sting set up by the RCMP to get a confession out of him (which was false), the false testimony of a fellow prison inmate and incorrect hair evidence which was used to convict him. It goes through the murder, his trial, appeal, and the judgement being overturned due to the lack of actual evidence. The book is a really good tale on a well known issue in Canadian law. It goes to show even more why these stings shouldn't be used and are banned in the UK and USA. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the publishers via NetGalley.

[Anne Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a book focusing on the psychology of the boy who could not have killed, but actually, I got a rehash of what dna analysis has finally enabled. It is scary to think a 19 year old could have been sentenced because of a hair looking similar to his, but the RMCP had a confession obtained by some entrapment and the declaration of another boy, who was probably the killer. The book was short, maybe 60 pages if you take away the copies of newspapers, and as bland and uninteresting as possible.
I have been chocked to learn that in 1990, there was no dna analysis for hair or blood. But the technique was wrongly used, which got all the acquittals in the XXIst century. A good book could have been written, but it needed to be much longer and confrontational.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worth reading if you're wanting to learn about how an innocent person can be convicted. However, the writing style is not entertaining, & feels dumbed down. I can't say I enjoyed the book, but it was worth reading once.

[Barbd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick read and a good introduction to the basics of how the criminal justice system works, or in this case, does not work.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for professional publication.