The Devil's Gap: The Untold Story of Canada's First Suicide Bomber

by Joe Ralko

The scene on May 10, 1973, seemed like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster. In the town of Kenora, on the north shore of the Lake of the Woods near the Ontario-Manitoba border, a man was robbing a bank in the most bombastic way.

Paul Higgins walked into the bank armed with a home-made bomb and Dead Man’s Switch in his mouth to detonate it. If anyone were to shoot him and if he let go of the switch, he would blow himself up and take as many people with him as possible. The police were in a standoff. Was it worth the risk to shoot?

Acclaimed journalist Joe Ralko has spent his entire life mulling over this case. It wasn’t his career that put him on the trail of Paul Higgins—Joe was there! He was a curious high school student who watched the drama unfold from the street. He had a clear line of sight down the sidewalk as Higgins emerged from the bank fifty feet away.

What happened next would go down in Canadian history. Ralko would become fascinated with every aspect of the case. It was only years later, after he had established himself as a writer and while recovering from his first battle with cancer, that he decided to finally tell the story.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2017

Reviews

[Sharon Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of the attempted bank robbery in Kenora Ontario on May 10, 1973. I was one of the first students who came upon the scene and, from a store across the street, witnessed the bank robber being blown up after he was shot and his deadman switch was activated. The event itself is seared into my memory - but I had been unaware of much of the background concerning the events of that day and the days leading up to it. I found this book very helpful in helping me put things into a more historical perspective instead of a purely emotional one. It did not strike me, until just now, that I read this book on the 48th anniversary of the event itself.

[Jen K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ralko was a teen in Kenora when he stumbled upon an in progress bank robbery in the center of Kenora one day after high school. Many came out to watch the drama that day as something they never expected to see in Kenora. With the bank on the main street which was also the national highway and only way in and out of the city, the commotion affected many and brought in the Mounties despite the local police taking charge. The bank robber had scoped out the bank and picked up dynamite during a recruiting trip and was ready to blow up if the robbery didn't go well.

Ralko was always fascinated by this robbery that was part of his personal history. When he had health challenges, he decided to collect his research and writing to put together into a book to motivate him through illness and recovery. He was able to interview many that he know and collected the news that came out with the local radio station next to the bank and able to do a live action program. A professional news photographer was also one of the many stuck in traffic trying to pass through. The audio is great as it includes the live recordings from the day of the robbery.

The whole story is fascinating and a bit alarming. It was the in 1973 but there wasn't any real plan in place to deal with a robber with a self detonating bomb. It was very lucky that there were not more injuries and casualties. I appreciated the inclusion of the local community and context.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting unsolved mystery presented with a new twist.

Great read that really brings together all that's known about this botched bank robbery. It's unfortunate that forensic science hasn't been able to identify who the robber was. Somewhere, some family is missing a loved one. Perhaps one day we'll know more.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting, compelling work of "creative non-fiction" (author's term, which I think fits this book perfectly). I enjoyed learning about Kenora and the Lake of the Woods area. Mr. Ralko does an excellent job of creating memorable characters in this fascinating and mysterious story of Canada's first suicide bomber. It's a great summer read. I recommend it.

[stacie alcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a nice quick read and had some great information! I did find the beginning odd as it had a lot of assumptions (falling asleep with a newspaper on him) that we do not actually know and didn’t feel necessary for the story, but once we got into more of the action this book was great and exiting.