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The Sin Sniper: A Novel
Book by Garner, Hugh
277 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
11 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Garner
40 books2 followersHugh Garner was a Canadian novelist.
Born in England, Garner came to Canada in 1919 with his parents and was raised in Toronto. During the Great Depression, he rode the rails in both Canada and the United States and then joined the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. During World War II he served in the Canadian navy. Following the war, Garner concentrated on his writing. He published his first novel, Storm Below, in 1949. Garner's most famous novel, Cabbagetown, depicted life in the Toronto neighbourhood of Cabbagetown, then Canada's most famous slum, during the Depression.
Garner's background (poor, urban, Protestant) is rare for a Canadian writer of his time. It is nevertheless, the foundation for his writing. His theme is working-class Ontario; the realistic novel his preferred genre.
In 1963, Garner won the Governor General's Award for his collection of short stories entitled Hugh Garner's Best Stories. Garner struggled much of his life with alcoholism, and died in 1979 of alcohol-related illness. A housing cooperative in Cabbagetown is named in his memory.
Born in England, Garner came to Canada in 1919 with his parents and was raised in Toronto. During the Great Depression, he rode the rails in both Canada and the United States and then joined the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. During World War II he served in the Canadian navy. Following the war, Garner concentrated on his writing. He published his first novel, Storm Below, in 1949. Garner's most famous novel, Cabbagetown, depicted life in the Toronto neighbourhood of Cabbagetown, then Canada's most famous slum, during the Depression.
Garner's background (poor, urban, Protestant) is rare for a Canadian writer of his time. It is nevertheless, the foundation for his writing. His theme is working-class Ontario; the realistic novel his preferred genre.
In 1963, Garner won the Governor General's Award for his collection of short stories entitled Hugh Garner's Best Stories. Garner struggled much of his life with alcoholism, and died in 1979 of alcohol-related illness. A housing cooperative in Cabbagetown is named in his memory.
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October 30, 2025
I just reviewed a new Canadian novel (The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky) that conjured memories of Hugh Garner's Sin Sniper, so I decided to slide over here and show this paperback some love, too. Garner was a literary author who won the Governor General's Award (Canada's highest writing honour) about seven years before The Sin Sniper was published (in 1970, according to my copy). From what I can gather historically, the Canadian literati did not approve that Garner had turned to pulp fiction late in his life and career, which is probably why this book has basically been disappeared (although it was adapted into the B-movie Stone Cold Dead). If you see a copy at a reasonable price, grab it and thank me later. Not only does it document the hedonism of late 1960s downtown Toronto that you rarely hear about, it's a terrific detective story that remains relevant to any major downtown core.
Displaying 1 of 1 review