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Murdered Midas
A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of the Year
In this “engrossing must-read” by “Canada’s most accomplished popular historian” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine), the glittering life and brutal murder of Sir Harry Oakes is newly investigated. Murdered Midas is “superior true-crime writing” (The Globe and Mail).
On an island paradise in 1943, Sir Harry Oakes, gold-mining tycoon, philanthropist and one of the richest men in the British Empire, is murdered. The news of his death surges across the English-speaking world, from London, the Imperial centre, to the remote Canadian mining town of Kirkland Lake in the Northern Ontario bush. The murder becomes celebrated as the crime of the century.
The layers of mystery deepen as the involvement of Count Alfred de Marigny, Oakes’s son-in-law, comes into question. Also suspicious are the odd machinations of the governor of the Bahamas, the former King Edward VIII. But despite a sensational trial, no murderer is convicted. Rumours about Oakes’s missing fortune are unrelenting, and fascination with the story has persisted for decades.
Award-winning biographer and popular historian Charlotte Gray explores the life of the man behind the scandal—from his early, hardscrabble days during the massive mineral rush in Northern Ontario, to the fabulous fortune he reaped from his own gold mine, to his grandiose gestures of philanthropy. And Gray brings fresh eyes to the bungled investigation and shocking trial on the remote colonial island, proposing an overlooked suspect in this long cold case. Murdered Midas is the story of the man behind the newspaper headlines, a man both admired and reviled who, despite great wealth and public standing, never experienced justice.
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2019
77 people are currently reading
640 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Gray
73 books147 followersCharlotte Gray is one of Canada’s best-known writers, and author of eight acclaimed books of literary non-fiction. Born in Sheffield, England, and educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, she began her writing career in England as a magazine editor and newspaper columnist. After coming to Canada in 1979, she worked as a political commentator, book reviewer and magazine columnist before she turned to biography and popular history.
Charlotte's most recent book is Gold Diggers, Striking It Rich in the Klondike. In 2008, Charlotte published Nellie McClung, a short biography of Canada’s leading women’s rights activist in the Penguin Series, Extraordinary Canadians. Her 2006 bestseller, Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell, won the Donald Creighton Award for Ontario History and the City of Ottawa Book Award. It was also nominated for the Nereus Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize, the National Business Book Award and the Trillium Award. Her previous five books, which include Sisters in the Wilderness, The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, Flint & Feather, The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson and A Museum Called Canada, were all award-winning bestsellers.
Charlotte appears regularly on radio and television as a political and cultural commentator. In 2004 she was the advocate for Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, for the CBC series: The Greatest Canadian. She has been a judge for several of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes, including the Giller Prize for Fiction, the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-fiction and the Shaunessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Charlotte has been awarded five honorary doctorates, from Mount St. Vincent University, Nova Scotia, the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, York University and Carleton University.
An Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of History at Carleton University, Charlotte is the 2003 Recipient of the Pierre Berton Award for distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history. She is former chair of the board of Canada’s National History Society, which publishes the magazine Canada’s History (formerly The Beaver.) She sits on the boards of the Ottawa International Authors Festival, the Art Canada Institute/Institut de l’Art Canadien, and the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. Charlotte is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Charlotte lives in Ottawa with her husband George Anderson, and has three sons.
Charlotte's most recent book is Gold Diggers, Striking It Rich in the Klondike. In 2008, Charlotte published Nellie McClung, a short biography of Canada’s leading women’s rights activist in the Penguin Series, Extraordinary Canadians. Her 2006 bestseller, Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell, won the Donald Creighton Award for Ontario History and the City of Ottawa Book Award. It was also nominated for the Nereus Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize, the National Business Book Award and the Trillium Award. Her previous five books, which include Sisters in the Wilderness, The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, Flint & Feather, The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson and A Museum Called Canada, were all award-winning bestsellers.
Charlotte appears regularly on radio and television as a political and cultural commentator. In 2004 she was the advocate for Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, for the CBC series: The Greatest Canadian. She has been a judge for several of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes, including the Giller Prize for Fiction, the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-fiction and the Shaunessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Charlotte has been awarded five honorary doctorates, from Mount St. Vincent University, Nova Scotia, the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, York University and Carleton University.
An Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of History at Carleton University, Charlotte is the 2003 Recipient of the Pierre Berton Award for distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history. She is former chair of the board of Canada’s National History Society, which publishes the magazine Canada’s History (formerly The Beaver.) She sits on the boards of the Ottawa International Authors Festival, the Art Canada Institute/Institut de l’Art Canadien, and the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. Charlotte is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Charlotte lives in Ottawa with her husband George Anderson, and has three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 12, 2022
This is the story of one of the great unsolved murders of the 20th century (1943) although many are unfamiliar with it.
Sir Harry Oakes, an American who changed his citizenship to British to escape US taxes, was a rather crude and unlikable man who struck the largest gold stream in Canada and made millions. He was a strange mix of miserliness and philanthropy and was determined to find a place where he would not be bothered by high taxes. He found it in a colonial backwater of the times.....the Bahamas. He was instrumental in building that island colony into one of the great tourist attractions and also a place where American businesses could "hide" their fortunes. On a June night in 1943, he was horribly murdered in his bed and the hunt was on for the killer (or killers).
The first half of the book is very slow and rather boring as the author covers Sir Harry's life as a prospector and goes into every aspect of gold mining. I almost quit reading at that point but once the book shifted to the Bahama setting, it picked up.
Sir Harry's profligate son-in-law was arrested and brought to trial even though there was no evidence that he was the guilty party. Since this murder is one that is still unsolved, the outcome of the trial is obvious but the trial transcripts to which the author had access are quite interesting and hold the reader's attention.
The author does not claim to know who actually murdered Sir Harry but puts forth several names as possible suspects. She has excellent source material and this book would have gotten a higher rating from me if she would have deleted much of the gold mining first section which I felt was just a filler.
Sir Harry Oakes, an American who changed his citizenship to British to escape US taxes, was a rather crude and unlikable man who struck the largest gold stream in Canada and made millions. He was a strange mix of miserliness and philanthropy and was determined to find a place where he would not be bothered by high taxes. He found it in a colonial backwater of the times.....the Bahamas. He was instrumental in building that island colony into one of the great tourist attractions and also a place where American businesses could "hide" their fortunes. On a June night in 1943, he was horribly murdered in his bed and the hunt was on for the killer (or killers).
The first half of the book is very slow and rather boring as the author covers Sir Harry's life as a prospector and goes into every aspect of gold mining. I almost quit reading at that point but once the book shifted to the Bahama setting, it picked up.
Sir Harry's profligate son-in-law was arrested and brought to trial even though there was no evidence that he was the guilty party. Since this murder is one that is still unsolved, the outcome of the trial is obvious but the trial transcripts to which the author had access are quite interesting and hold the reader's attention.
The author does not claim to know who actually murdered Sir Harry but puts forth several names as possible suspects. She has excellent source material and this book would have gotten a higher rating from me if she would have deleted much of the gold mining first section which I felt was just a filler.
September 23, 2019
I feel like I need to preface this with the fact that I would never have read this book, were it not for a work assignment (I read a pre-release uncorrected proof, to be clear). But I'm really glad I was "forced" to, as I found it a very interesting overview of a few points in history I'd never thought about before -- Northern Ontario's gold rush in particular -- as well as a thoughtfully constructed think-piece about the actions of the very rich, WWII, and racial tensions in British colonies, all told through the profile of one man who got lucky and struck gold.
Part of the reason why I'd never have selected the book myself is that it is the biography of a rich white man from history, and I think North American history in general is made up of a lot of those. The perspective doesn't interest me anymore. But Gray successfully argues through this book that the man, Harry Oakes, is worth getting to know better outside of the sensationalized story of his murder. And after finishing this book, I'd agree. And that's less because of the man himself -- he was actually rather unpleasant -- but because he crossed paths with so many interesting points in history. He worked like crazy until the boom in gold mining in the Kirkland Lake area made him a millionaire. He developed Niagara Falls. He escaped tax paying by going to the Bahamas, and perhaps inadvertently took the side of the colonized black Bahamians by giving them work and paying them slightly more than the normal salary. He rubbed shoulders with the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson at a time they were exiled from Britain. His best friend essentially made the Bahamas the destination it became. There are a lot of interesting touch points here -- and then there's the murder.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book for the murder mystery, though Gray certainly spends a lot of time on that. She makes it very clear that her real purpose is to contextualize Oakes in a way no one has never really done before. And I'm glad she did, because I learned a lot while breezing through her incredibly thorough and yet very easy-reading style.
Part of the reason why I'd never have selected the book myself is that it is the biography of a rich white man from history, and I think North American history in general is made up of a lot of those. The perspective doesn't interest me anymore. But Gray successfully argues through this book that the man, Harry Oakes, is worth getting to know better outside of the sensationalized story of his murder. And after finishing this book, I'd agree. And that's less because of the man himself -- he was actually rather unpleasant -- but because he crossed paths with so many interesting points in history. He worked like crazy until the boom in gold mining in the Kirkland Lake area made him a millionaire. He developed Niagara Falls. He escaped tax paying by going to the Bahamas, and perhaps inadvertently took the side of the colonized black Bahamians by giving them work and paying them slightly more than the normal salary. He rubbed shoulders with the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson at a time they were exiled from Britain. His best friend essentially made the Bahamas the destination it became. There are a lot of interesting touch points here -- and then there's the murder.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book for the murder mystery, though Gray certainly spends a lot of time on that. She makes it very clear that her real purpose is to contextualize Oakes in a way no one has never really done before. And I'm glad she did, because I learned a lot while breezing through her incredibly thorough and yet very easy-reading style.
July 1, 2023
In 1943 Sir Harry Oakes was murdered. The mystery circling the gold mining titan’s death became known as the crime of the century.
As part of this story takes place in Ontario, Canada, I felt the pull to read it. The story was well-researched & well-laid out. Gray very obviously put a great deal of effort into finding the relevant information & dictating it to the reader. That being said, I did not love this book because the subject matter was dry.
Reading about locations that were familiar to me should have left me feeling some form of nostalgia yet, I was eager to move past those parts in the hope of coming across a section that would be more thrilling. That was my own mistake. This is not to say that Canadian history is not interesting, to me or generally, but the facts of Harry’s timeline in Northern Ontario lingering in the back & forth of his struggles became redundant & was overall slow-moving. I acknowledge that this most certainly reflects the reality of the matter. The man was digging holes with a hand-held shovel so, I’m not sure what else I expected.
As much as I wanted to appreciate Harry Oakes, I never quite came to the point where I felt any empathy for him. Maybe if I understood how much the gold rush(es) played a toll on people and their livelihoods, I might have learnt to appreciate why he put all his eggs in that single basket. Not to knock him and his labour but, I just couldn’t connect with him and therefore felt disconnected from his life story.
Gray does a very good job detailing Harry’s life and offering the reader as much information as available to her. My opinions are in no way a reflection of her writing or general abilities.
As part of this story takes place in Ontario, Canada, I felt the pull to read it. The story was well-researched & well-laid out. Gray very obviously put a great deal of effort into finding the relevant information & dictating it to the reader. That being said, I did not love this book because the subject matter was dry.
Reading about locations that were familiar to me should have left me feeling some form of nostalgia yet, I was eager to move past those parts in the hope of coming across a section that would be more thrilling. That was my own mistake. This is not to say that Canadian history is not interesting, to me or generally, but the facts of Harry’s timeline in Northern Ontario lingering in the back & forth of his struggles became redundant & was overall slow-moving. I acknowledge that this most certainly reflects the reality of the matter. The man was digging holes with a hand-held shovel so, I’m not sure what else I expected.
As much as I wanted to appreciate Harry Oakes, I never quite came to the point where I felt any empathy for him. Maybe if I understood how much the gold rush(es) played a toll on people and their livelihoods, I might have learnt to appreciate why he put all his eggs in that single basket. Not to knock him and his labour but, I just couldn’t connect with him and therefore felt disconnected from his life story.
Gray does a very good job detailing Harry’s life and offering the reader as much information as available to her. My opinions are in no way a reflection of her writing or general abilities.
March 30, 2020
For me this was an interesting read, I previously did not know the history of mining in Ontario, despite visiting some of the communities mentioned many times. As well I am now inspired to learn more about the history of the Bahamas. Combine that with a biography and an unsolved murder. Lots to hold my interest, glad I read this book.
December 31, 2022
This was a fascinating tale that is equal parts biography, true crime, and mystery. I enjoy reading all of these genres and was interested in reading more about Harry Oakes, gold mining tycoon.
Although Oakes was described as a short tempered curmudgeon by some, others remembered him as a philanthropist. He was a complicated character who had both admirable and detestable qualities. The biggest mystery surrounding his death (other than who killed him) was why. He either made enemies he was unaware of or someone wanted access to his wealth. Someone murdering him without the ability to access his wealth just doesn't make sense. Trigger warning for graphic crime scene photos contained within the book.
I enjoyed reading the biography and crime parts equally in this book. I was surprised by the inclusion of Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson and how they tied into Oakes's story. I found Edward's meddling into the police investigation to be particularly irksome. It seems the police bungled the case hopefully from the start, similar to the handling of the JonBenét Ramsey case. In some ways, police investigations have come so far since this case was being handled and in some ways, some police departments are still employing slopping handling of crime scenes, witnesses, and potential suspects similar to the not so distant past.
The saddest part of this case was the heinous fashion in which Oakes died, how his death went unsolved, and how people were still trying to make money off him and his family after his death.
Although Oakes was described as a short tempered curmudgeon by some, others remembered him as a philanthropist. He was a complicated character who had both admirable and detestable qualities. The biggest mystery surrounding his death (other than who killed him) was why. He either made enemies he was unaware of or someone wanted access to his wealth. Someone murdering him without the ability to access his wealth just doesn't make sense. Trigger warning for graphic crime scene photos contained within the book.
I enjoyed reading the biography and crime parts equally in this book. I was surprised by the inclusion of Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson and how they tied into Oakes's story. I found Edward's meddling into the police investigation to be particularly irksome. It seems the police bungled the case hopefully from the start, similar to the handling of the JonBenét Ramsey case. In some ways, police investigations have come so far since this case was being handled and in some ways, some police departments are still employing slopping handling of crime scenes, witnesses, and potential suspects similar to the not so distant past.
The saddest part of this case was the heinous fashion in which Oakes died, how his death went unsolved, and how people were still trying to make money off him and his family after his death.
November 13, 2019
I was quite familiar with the story of Sir Harry Oakes before reading this book, so there weren’t too many details I found to be new. If, however, I hadn’t an inkling as to who he was, I would have found this to be a fascinating insight into a forgotten story. Oakes was a legendary character in the Canadian north, and Gray does a wonderful job in outlining the whole story. Rather than simply focusing upon the murder, she breaks the story into three parts - the early life of Oakes, his life as a millionaire, and his murder and the aftermath. As a historian myself ( a conceit I allow myself by virtue of my degree), I admire the fact that Gray doesn’t allow herself to overreach the evidence. Suspicions are laid out, but conclusions aren’t drawn where she deems the evidence lacking. Of course, this could frustrate a reader in some areas, but it works. One area that I wish the author had been able to dig into more deeply was the state of the current Oakes estate and/or the modern legacy. All in all though, a good overview of the Oakes story.
December 5, 2019
Murdered Midas: A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise by Charlotte Gray | Sep 24 2019 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 319 pages
Both Kirkland Lake and the Bahamas have been in the news in 2019. Kirkland Lake for the celebration of its 100th anniversary and the Bahamas due to Hurricane Dorian that caused catastrophic damage to the island and its residents. However historically, the most famous event involving both communities was the murder of Sir Harry Oakes. Indeed, it was the crime of the last century.
The mystery surrounding the death of the mining tycoon has attracted numerous writers. “A gold mine. A millionaire. An island paradise. An unsolved murder. A missing fortune” ... British Royalty, Nazi connections. The list of intrigues goes on. A story often written but now as only Charlotte Gray can tell it. Her formidable curiosity, research and story telling have resulted in a balanced consideration of the tragedy and the life of Sir Harry....
In the book overview by HarperCollins: “on an island paradise in 1943, Sir Harry Oakes, gold mining tycoon, philanthropist and richest man in the Empire, was murdered. The news of his death surged across the English-speaking world, from London, the Imperial centre, to the remote Canadian mining town of Kirkland Lake, in the Northern Ontario bush.
The layers of mystery deepened as the involvement of Oakes' son-in-law, Count Alfred de Marigny, came quickly to be questioned, as did the odd machinations of the Governor of the Bahamas, the former King Edward VIII. Despite a sensational trial, no murderer was ever convicted. Rumours were unrelenting about Oakes' missing fortune, and fascination with the Oakes story has persisted for decades.
Award-winning biographer and popular historian Charlotte Gray explores, for the first time, the life of the man behind the scandal, a man who was both reviled and admired - from his early, hardscrabble days of mining exploration, to his explosion of wealth, to his grandiose gestures of philanthropy. Gray brings fresh eyes to the bungled investigation and shocking trial in the remote colonial island streets, proposing an overlooked suspect in this long cold case. Murdered Midas is the story of the man behind the newspaper headlines, who, despite his wealth and position, was never able to have justice.”
Some of the golden historical tidbits include: in 1576, Martin Frobisher while looking for the Northwest Passage sent a ship load of rocks back to England. It turned out to be iron pyrites or fools gold. In 1686, the Chevalier de Troyes leading a military expedition to James Bay, sent rocks from Lake Temiskaming back to Quebec City, where they went unnoticed. By the late 1880's the Wright silver-lead mine had been established on the site. In 1883, while the CPR was being constructed, nickel was discovered in Sudbury. However it wasn't until the Temiskaming and Northern Railway began pushing north, the silver and then gold mining camps began. The Cobalt rush in 1903, Larder Lake in 1906, followed by Porcupine in 1909 and Kirkland Lake, east of Swastika where in 1911, the year an impoverished American prospector, Harry Oakes stakes his first claims.
Most writers, including Charlotte Gray deal with Harrys abrasive character and mercurial temperament as the psychology of a lonely prospector gone bushed. Another explanation might be the exposure to dry mineral dust. Although he didn't work underground until driving his first shaft, Oakes put in long hours over many years chiseling for surface samples, hand steeling to get further down and eventually machine drilling to get the Toburn and Lake Shore Mines going. Miners often display early symptoms of dementia and this might have also affected the later Sir Harry. Certainly he had difficulties relating to women but he did get along well with the shrewd, tough minded Rosa Brown.
Rosa was a Jewish Hungarian emigre who ran a boarding house, bakery and laundry. She enrobed herself in all all that was British Royalty including the Union Jack and walked, followed by her pack of loyal dogs. Another character was the British socialite Unity Valkyrie Mitford. A rabid anti-Semite and the daughter of Baron David Freeman-Mitford Redesdale who had a mining claim between Swastika and Kirkland Lake where he spent many summers and Unity would visit. Unity had a relationship with Adolf Hitler and was rumoured to be the mother of his love child. There was speculation that NAZI swastika was symbolized after a good luck cross charm that she would wear.
The greater story of the women of Kirkland Lake has largely gone untold. High enlistment rates of miners during two world wars and the death and maiming underground along with the indiscriminate firing of men placed a huge burden on the women, some sexually exploited when they begged support for their families. The outrage culminated in the bitter miners strike of 1941-42 where two thousands women, supported the miners by marching in the dead cold of winter for union recognition, the right to collectively bargain and better working conditions. Jennifer Wynn Weber in her dramatic play published as a book in 2019 about the “Kirkland Lake gals” who helped organize and supported the strike. With Glowing hearts is the story of how ordinary women worked together to change the world (and did).
One story not in this book is about Harrys order to his men. Coming off shift from underground they were lined up and humiliated by having to pee in buckets. Harry Oakes had installed a copper roof on the “Chateau”, the giant log building that is now the Kirkland Lake Museum of Northern History. To turn the copper green, the acidic miners' urine was poured over the copper. Remember, this was at a time when work horse stables were nearby.
While Grey is balanced in her treatment of the character of Sir Harry Oakes, to fully understand the broader enmity of the miners towards the mine operators, a good reference is a book entitled, Remember Kirkland Lake, The Gold Miners Strike of 1941-42 by Laurel Seton McDowell,1983. Unsafe working conditions, especially underground where there was considerable death and injury, low pay, insecure tenure and rising living costs needed addressing. The average miner in the camp was forced to live “too close to the line” and was frequently in default of unpaid bills resulting in court actions for debt. Dissatisfaction was rampant. “On the evening of 18th November, 1941, the night shift in eight of the mines failed to report for work....the (Toronto) Star reported that 3850 of 4300 workers had struck”.
Unable to find a smoking gun pointing to who killed Sir Harry, suspicion returns to those who had a motive. His son-in-law Alfred de Marigny was tried and found not guilty. Harold Christie, the real estate agent who transformed the shabby colony into a mecca for the super rich had the most to lose if Oakes abandoned the Bahamas. Also, Sir Harry had a lot of enemies from the past who might have made him a final visit of retribution. Unfortunately, the botched investigation and the careless destruction of the crime scene ruined the chances of finding the real culprit. While Charlotte Gray has left no leaf upturned who knows what a future writer might uncover. Likely, the last word on the murder of Sir Harry Oakes is yet to come.
The author, in the spirit of a true detective, follows the money. “There was a complicated web of connections between the Duke of Windsor, Wenner-Grenn (A Swedish-German financier), Christie (Bahamian real estate promoter), and Oakes, plus General Camacho, (brother of the President of Mexico) would lead to speculation about illicit transfers of currency and gold designed to put them beyond reach of the British Government.” What happened to Oakes fortune, a considerable amount had disappeared. Did it go into a bank set up in Mexico? Did it continue to finance the NAZI network after the war?
If Charlotte Gray visits Kirkland Lake again she will be surprised to see a new head-frame by the highway on the west side of town. She was a little premature in predicting the demise of the community. At the 100th Anniversary parade young families lined the Government Road. New “shacks” (homes) have been built and some of the miners are beginning to stay in town rather than the long travel from larger communities. Like Harry Oakes going against conventional wisdom mining out under the lake, Kirkland Lake Gold is mining to the south of the town (south complex). The company has large proven reserves and is acquiring new properties. It has gone from being a junior to mid sized mining company with production nearing 1,000,000 ounces yearly, between their Canadian and Australian mines. The old gold town ain't dead yet.
Gray is scrupulous in her research and has included precise end notes and references to newspaper articles, not as footnotes at the bottom of the book pages but separately on her website (Charlottetown Gray)
The book is a great read and of appeal to an international audience.
The reviewer, Paul Filteau is a native of Kirkland Lake who now lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He writes on history and current issues relating to Northern Ontario. He was a regular contributor to the unfortunately defunct, High grader Magazine. He authored 2019 articles on Sir Harry Oakes, as well as, Children of the Slimes, for the 100th Centennial Edition, Celebrating Kirkland Lake, As Good As Gold
Both Kirkland Lake and the Bahamas have been in the news in 2019. Kirkland Lake for the celebration of its 100th anniversary and the Bahamas due to Hurricane Dorian that caused catastrophic damage to the island and its residents. However historically, the most famous event involving both communities was the murder of Sir Harry Oakes. Indeed, it was the crime of the last century.
The mystery surrounding the death of the mining tycoon has attracted numerous writers. “A gold mine. A millionaire. An island paradise. An unsolved murder. A missing fortune” ... British Royalty, Nazi connections. The list of intrigues goes on. A story often written but now as only Charlotte Gray can tell it. Her formidable curiosity, research and story telling have resulted in a balanced consideration of the tragedy and the life of Sir Harry....
In the book overview by HarperCollins: “on an island paradise in 1943, Sir Harry Oakes, gold mining tycoon, philanthropist and richest man in the Empire, was murdered. The news of his death surged across the English-speaking world, from London, the Imperial centre, to the remote Canadian mining town of Kirkland Lake, in the Northern Ontario bush.
The layers of mystery deepened as the involvement of Oakes' son-in-law, Count Alfred de Marigny, came quickly to be questioned, as did the odd machinations of the Governor of the Bahamas, the former King Edward VIII. Despite a sensational trial, no murderer was ever convicted. Rumours were unrelenting about Oakes' missing fortune, and fascination with the Oakes story has persisted for decades.
Award-winning biographer and popular historian Charlotte Gray explores, for the first time, the life of the man behind the scandal, a man who was both reviled and admired - from his early, hardscrabble days of mining exploration, to his explosion of wealth, to his grandiose gestures of philanthropy. Gray brings fresh eyes to the bungled investigation and shocking trial in the remote colonial island streets, proposing an overlooked suspect in this long cold case. Murdered Midas is the story of the man behind the newspaper headlines, who, despite his wealth and position, was never able to have justice.”
Some of the golden historical tidbits include: in 1576, Martin Frobisher while looking for the Northwest Passage sent a ship load of rocks back to England. It turned out to be iron pyrites or fools gold. In 1686, the Chevalier de Troyes leading a military expedition to James Bay, sent rocks from Lake Temiskaming back to Quebec City, where they went unnoticed. By the late 1880's the Wright silver-lead mine had been established on the site. In 1883, while the CPR was being constructed, nickel was discovered in Sudbury. However it wasn't until the Temiskaming and Northern Railway began pushing north, the silver and then gold mining camps began. The Cobalt rush in 1903, Larder Lake in 1906, followed by Porcupine in 1909 and Kirkland Lake, east of Swastika where in 1911, the year an impoverished American prospector, Harry Oakes stakes his first claims.
Most writers, including Charlotte Gray deal with Harrys abrasive character and mercurial temperament as the psychology of a lonely prospector gone bushed. Another explanation might be the exposure to dry mineral dust. Although he didn't work underground until driving his first shaft, Oakes put in long hours over many years chiseling for surface samples, hand steeling to get further down and eventually machine drilling to get the Toburn and Lake Shore Mines going. Miners often display early symptoms of dementia and this might have also affected the later Sir Harry. Certainly he had difficulties relating to women but he did get along well with the shrewd, tough minded Rosa Brown.
Rosa was a Jewish Hungarian emigre who ran a boarding house, bakery and laundry. She enrobed herself in all all that was British Royalty including the Union Jack and walked, followed by her pack of loyal dogs. Another character was the British socialite Unity Valkyrie Mitford. A rabid anti-Semite and the daughter of Baron David Freeman-Mitford Redesdale who had a mining claim between Swastika and Kirkland Lake where he spent many summers and Unity would visit. Unity had a relationship with Adolf Hitler and was rumoured to be the mother of his love child. There was speculation that NAZI swastika was symbolized after a good luck cross charm that she would wear.
The greater story of the women of Kirkland Lake has largely gone untold. High enlistment rates of miners during two world wars and the death and maiming underground along with the indiscriminate firing of men placed a huge burden on the women, some sexually exploited when they begged support for their families. The outrage culminated in the bitter miners strike of 1941-42 where two thousands women, supported the miners by marching in the dead cold of winter for union recognition, the right to collectively bargain and better working conditions. Jennifer Wynn Weber in her dramatic play published as a book in 2019 about the “Kirkland Lake gals” who helped organize and supported the strike. With Glowing hearts is the story of how ordinary women worked together to change the world (and did).
One story not in this book is about Harrys order to his men. Coming off shift from underground they were lined up and humiliated by having to pee in buckets. Harry Oakes had installed a copper roof on the “Chateau”, the giant log building that is now the Kirkland Lake Museum of Northern History. To turn the copper green, the acidic miners' urine was poured over the copper. Remember, this was at a time when work horse stables were nearby.
While Grey is balanced in her treatment of the character of Sir Harry Oakes, to fully understand the broader enmity of the miners towards the mine operators, a good reference is a book entitled, Remember Kirkland Lake, The Gold Miners Strike of 1941-42 by Laurel Seton McDowell,1983. Unsafe working conditions, especially underground where there was considerable death and injury, low pay, insecure tenure and rising living costs needed addressing. The average miner in the camp was forced to live “too close to the line” and was frequently in default of unpaid bills resulting in court actions for debt. Dissatisfaction was rampant. “On the evening of 18th November, 1941, the night shift in eight of the mines failed to report for work....the (Toronto) Star reported that 3850 of 4300 workers had struck”.
Unable to find a smoking gun pointing to who killed Sir Harry, suspicion returns to those who had a motive. His son-in-law Alfred de Marigny was tried and found not guilty. Harold Christie, the real estate agent who transformed the shabby colony into a mecca for the super rich had the most to lose if Oakes abandoned the Bahamas. Also, Sir Harry had a lot of enemies from the past who might have made him a final visit of retribution. Unfortunately, the botched investigation and the careless destruction of the crime scene ruined the chances of finding the real culprit. While Charlotte Gray has left no leaf upturned who knows what a future writer might uncover. Likely, the last word on the murder of Sir Harry Oakes is yet to come.
The author, in the spirit of a true detective, follows the money. “There was a complicated web of connections between the Duke of Windsor, Wenner-Grenn (A Swedish-German financier), Christie (Bahamian real estate promoter), and Oakes, plus General Camacho, (brother of the President of Mexico) would lead to speculation about illicit transfers of currency and gold designed to put them beyond reach of the British Government.” What happened to Oakes fortune, a considerable amount had disappeared. Did it go into a bank set up in Mexico? Did it continue to finance the NAZI network after the war?
If Charlotte Gray visits Kirkland Lake again she will be surprised to see a new head-frame by the highway on the west side of town. She was a little premature in predicting the demise of the community. At the 100th Anniversary parade young families lined the Government Road. New “shacks” (homes) have been built and some of the miners are beginning to stay in town rather than the long travel from larger communities. Like Harry Oakes going against conventional wisdom mining out under the lake, Kirkland Lake Gold is mining to the south of the town (south complex). The company has large proven reserves and is acquiring new properties. It has gone from being a junior to mid sized mining company with production nearing 1,000,000 ounces yearly, between their Canadian and Australian mines. The old gold town ain't dead yet.
Gray is scrupulous in her research and has included precise end notes and references to newspaper articles, not as footnotes at the bottom of the book pages but separately on her website (Charlottetown Gray)
The book is a great read and of appeal to an international audience.
The reviewer, Paul Filteau is a native of Kirkland Lake who now lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He writes on history and current issues relating to Northern Ontario. He was a regular contributor to the unfortunately defunct, High grader Magazine. He authored 2019 articles on Sir Harry Oakes, as well as, Children of the Slimes, for the 100th Centennial Edition, Celebrating Kirkland Lake, As Good As Gold
June 9, 2020
Until chapters 15-17, I would have given the book 4 stars. Those last 3 chapters seemed like an attempt not to waste any of the research she had either done or paid to be done. They spoiled the informative and mostly objective first fourteen chapters for me. The mining industry expositions were the best chapters and it went down hill from there. She never resolved the question of Sir Harry's character or his moral viewpoint. Disappointing.
September 3, 2023
A brilliant work full of incredible research. The history of Canada’s very wealthy and the very poor. And, how one story can take so many turns and take you to so many places.
February 19, 2020
This biography deals with the life and tragic death of Sir Harry Oakes, an American millionaire, who made his fortune by mining gold in Kirkland Lake, Ontario at the turn of the century. Written by the respected Canadian author Charlotte Gray, the story chronicles the life of the hard-headed and supremely single-minded prospector, who after years of hard graft in the Klondike and northern Ontario, became fabulously wealthy in the 1920's by striking gold under Kirkland Lake. Oakes then travelled, married and produced a family, moving from Kirkland Lake to Niagara Falks, Canada before moving to Palm Beach and finally, the Bahamas, in search of a tax-free life. His life and lifestyle became more and more extravagant and his murder in 1942 was as shocking and titillating as the OJ Simpson killings in the 1990s were to a later generation.
Oakes was happiest as a seeker of fortune; once he achieved his goal, he didn't really know how to live and was happiest planning the many gardens and buildings he amassed in his many properties. He had homes in New York City, London, Providence Island in the Bahamas, as well as properties in Niagara Falls, Bar Harbour, Maine and northern Ontario.
His murder was spectacular in its brutality; he was beaten and burned and blood was found everywhere in his bedroom where his body was discovered by his close friend property developer Harold Christie in July 1942.
The fact that in 1942, the infamous Nazi-loving Duke of Windsor was Governor of the Island and may have had a connection to Oakes's death, makes the story endlessly fascinating. In time honoured fashion the crime scene was hopelessly compromised by poor policing and the Duke sent for two corrupt and bungling cops from Miami to lead the investigation. (The British in Scotland Yard should have handled the case but were understandably busy dealing with fighting Hitler.) Oakes' playboy son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny, was charged with his murder and later acquitted. Marigny was then deported from the islands but eventually found happiness in the US with his fourth wife and family.
The rest of the family did not fare so well. His wife Eunice never remarried and spent most of the rest of her life in the US. His daughter Nancy never really overcame the notoriety of being the glamourous wife of a would-be killer, and several of her siblings died tragically. The family fortune also diminished mainly because Oakes relied too much on profits from the mine and not enough on careful and judicious savings and investments. As the author notes, the saddest aspect of this story is that Oakes' achievements are doomed to be eternally overshaowed by his death.
The case has never really been solved. And apparently, according to noted writer William Boyd, it is still not publicly discussed in the Bahamas. He spoke of the death at a party there and was told to leave only 15 years ago.
Oakes was happiest as a seeker of fortune; once he achieved his goal, he didn't really know how to live and was happiest planning the many gardens and buildings he amassed in his many properties. He had homes in New York City, London, Providence Island in the Bahamas, as well as properties in Niagara Falls, Bar Harbour, Maine and northern Ontario.
His murder was spectacular in its brutality; he was beaten and burned and blood was found everywhere in his bedroom where his body was discovered by his close friend property developer Harold Christie in July 1942.
The fact that in 1942, the infamous Nazi-loving Duke of Windsor was Governor of the Island and may have had a connection to Oakes's death, makes the story endlessly fascinating. In time honoured fashion the crime scene was hopelessly compromised by poor policing and the Duke sent for two corrupt and bungling cops from Miami to lead the investigation. (The British in Scotland Yard should have handled the case but were understandably busy dealing with fighting Hitler.) Oakes' playboy son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny, was charged with his murder and later acquitted. Marigny was then deported from the islands but eventually found happiness in the US with his fourth wife and family.
The rest of the family did not fare so well. His wife Eunice never remarried and spent most of the rest of her life in the US. His daughter Nancy never really overcame the notoriety of being the glamourous wife of a would-be killer, and several of her siblings died tragically. The family fortune also diminished mainly because Oakes relied too much on profits from the mine and not enough on careful and judicious savings and investments. As the author notes, the saddest aspect of this story is that Oakes' achievements are doomed to be eternally overshaowed by his death.
The case has never really been solved. And apparently, according to noted writer William Boyd, it is still not publicly discussed in the Bahamas. He spoke of the death at a party there and was told to leave only 15 years ago.
March 4, 2020
Years ago I read a lurid account of the murder of Sir Harry Oakes in the Bahamas in 1943. I didn't remember much about the book but I never, ever forgot the horrible photographs of the burned bed and the battered head. There was just something so grimly compelling about those images.
Fast forward to the present, and along came Charlotte Gray. She's well known for her carefully researched and written histories, and has a real talent for making her topics accessible even to non history buffs. This book is a very fine example of that skill.
Oakes was a rough-and-tumble mining speculator who struck gold in northern Ontario and became one of the richest men in the world during the 1930s. In an attempt to avoid taxes in either Canada or the USA, he moved his family to the Bahamas and became involved in massive land developments schemes with some local investors. It was a shady time in Nassau, in a city teeming with dubious characters, including the exiled Duke and Duchess of Windsor. On a stormy July night in 1943, Oakes was murdered in his bed by person(s) unknown to this day. There was a sensational attempt to indict his son-in-law, which failed. The intrigue continued forever.
I really liked that Gray wrote a thorough account of the Harry Oakes story, from his first adventures in seeking gold to his final days in Nassau. She fleshed out the story with well-researched historical background facts about the Windsors, the social scene in Nassau, the rampant greed and shady deals that were the norm of the day. She also did something that I especially appreciated. The last several chapters deal with the attempts for years afterwards to cash in on the notoriety of the crime by hack writers, smarmy detectives and assorted other hangers-on. She also did a thorough examination of the aftermath, and the effect on the remaining members of the Oakes family. This gives a sense of closure to the story that I really like. I'm often left wondering "where are they now?" kind of questions with these stories, and I liked that Gray answered that in her book.
This was immensely readable and accessible history, without in any way being sensational or lurid. I really liked this book.
Fast forward to the present, and along came Charlotte Gray. She's well known for her carefully researched and written histories, and has a real talent for making her topics accessible even to non history buffs. This book is a very fine example of that skill.
Oakes was a rough-and-tumble mining speculator who struck gold in northern Ontario and became one of the richest men in the world during the 1930s. In an attempt to avoid taxes in either Canada or the USA, he moved his family to the Bahamas and became involved in massive land developments schemes with some local investors. It was a shady time in Nassau, in a city teeming with dubious characters, including the exiled Duke and Duchess of Windsor. On a stormy July night in 1943, Oakes was murdered in his bed by person(s) unknown to this day. There was a sensational attempt to indict his son-in-law, which failed. The intrigue continued forever.
I really liked that Gray wrote a thorough account of the Harry Oakes story, from his first adventures in seeking gold to his final days in Nassau. She fleshed out the story with well-researched historical background facts about the Windsors, the social scene in Nassau, the rampant greed and shady deals that were the norm of the day. She also did something that I especially appreciated. The last several chapters deal with the attempts for years afterwards to cash in on the notoriety of the crime by hack writers, smarmy detectives and assorted other hangers-on. She also did a thorough examination of the aftermath, and the effect on the remaining members of the Oakes family. This gives a sense of closure to the story that I really like. I'm often left wondering "where are they now?" kind of questions with these stories, and I liked that Gray answered that in her book.
This was immensely readable and accessible history, without in any way being sensational or lurid. I really liked this book.
September 21, 2020
I love history. I love Canadian history. And I am getting into true crime. This book should have been an amazing trifecta for me but it dragged. The story of Harry Oakes is intriguing and has been told before. In my opinion, his murder, still unsolved, pales to his accumulation of wealth. Certainly, his fortune led to his demise but without any new insight, the book drifts to an unsatisfying end.
Weirdly, I kept thinking about the Shermans of Apotex fame. The pharma couple were found murdered in their Toronto home. In both of these cases, I am leaning towards a family member being the catalyst for the murders. I am going out on a limb by suggesting Nancy Oakes instigated her father's death. She was a vacuous society gal who loved cash and maybe planted the seed with an unsavoury sort. As to the Shermans, I can see the daughter who bought a BMW days after their murder, as the same sort of catalyst. As it is said, follow the money.
My theory aside, there is no doubt Gray is a gifted popular historian. However, this book stalls when Harry is murdered. You would expect the opposite, but the action takes place earlier in Harry's life when he was driven to be rich. Perhaps the author should have started with the murder and backtrack rather than be so linear.
Weirdly, I kept thinking about the Shermans of Apotex fame. The pharma couple were found murdered in their Toronto home. In both of these cases, I am leaning towards a family member being the catalyst for the murders. I am going out on a limb by suggesting Nancy Oakes instigated her father's death. She was a vacuous society gal who loved cash and maybe planted the seed with an unsavoury sort. As to the Shermans, I can see the daughter who bought a BMW days after their murder, as the same sort of catalyst. As it is said, follow the money.
My theory aside, there is no doubt Gray is a gifted popular historian. However, this book stalls when Harry is murdered. You would expect the opposite, but the action takes place earlier in Harry's life when he was driven to be rich. Perhaps the author should have started with the murder and backtrack rather than be so linear.
March 27, 2023
"Murdered Midas" by Charlotte Gray is a well-researched and detailed account of the life and death of Sir Harry Oakes, a wealthy gold miner who was brutally murdered in the Bahamas in 1943. Although the book covers the details of the crime and provides several theories of who the perpetrators were, I personally wouldn’t call this book as a true crime nonfiction. Rather, the book provides detailed information about the history of mining in northern Ontario, as well as the history of real estate development in the Bahamas.
With respect to the latter, the author does an excellent job of bringing the reader into the world of the Bahamas during this time period and paints a vivid picture of the social and political climate. She also delves into the fascinating character of Oakes himself, who was known for his eccentricities and philanthropy.
While the book is certainly engaging and informative, it may not be for everyone, as the writing style may come across as dry or academic to some.
Overall, "Murdered Midas" is a worthwhile read for those interested in learning more about this unsolved crime while also exploring the history of mining in Ontario and the Bahamas in the mid-XX century.
With respect to the latter, the author does an excellent job of bringing the reader into the world of the Bahamas during this time period and paints a vivid picture of the social and political climate. She also delves into the fascinating character of Oakes himself, who was known for his eccentricities and philanthropy.
While the book is certainly engaging and informative, it may not be for everyone, as the writing style may come across as dry or academic to some.
Overall, "Murdered Midas" is a worthwhile read for those interested in learning more about this unsolved crime while also exploring the history of mining in Ontario and the Bahamas in the mid-XX century.
December 31, 2019
Fine, not as impressive as her other works
February 28, 2020
Charlotte Gray is one of my favourite authors of Canadian history and biography and I always enjoy reading her books. I had read about the death of Harry Oakes before, in the context of reading about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the Bahamas, but I knew little about his life. Gray provides an excellent overview of his restless search for gold and how mining in Kirkland Lake made him a millionaire. Along with the known details of Oakes's life, Gray provides a history of Canadian mining in the early 20th century, discussing the differences between the search for gold in the Klondike by individuals and the industrial scale mining in northern Ontario. The murder mystery part of the book was a little less satisfying because the identity of the murderer remains unknown but Gray provides an interesting summary about how the trial was written about over time and its place in Canadian culture. A fascinating read about a case that remains unsolved.
December 24, 2023
I particularly enjoyed that more than half the book covers Harry Oakes’ life because it was super interesting! He prospected for gold on a shoestring budget all over the world before finally hitting the big one when he was in his late 40’s. He wasn’t particularly lovable, but I also think his reputation for being an uncouth lout was strictly based on the “society” people he encountered during his time in the Bahamas.
The fact that his murder was never solved is a little frustrating to this true-crime fan, but the author did a good job exploring potential suspects. My opinion is that it definitely wasn’t the son in law, who was acquitted anyway and that Harold Christie, his bestie in the Bahamas, was the mastermind. This is a Reddit worthy topic, so may have to poke around there to see what other sleuths have to say. Last book of 2023 & it was a goodie…glad I brought it home from my Mom’s to read!
The fact that his murder was never solved is a little frustrating to this true-crime fan, but the author did a good job exploring potential suspects. My opinion is that it definitely wasn’t the son in law, who was acquitted anyway and that Harold Christie, his bestie in the Bahamas, was the mastermind. This is a Reddit worthy topic, so may have to poke around there to see what other sleuths have to say. Last book of 2023 & it was a goodie…glad I brought it home from my Mom’s to read!
January 25, 2022
Throughly researched and presented with abundant clarity. Fully enjoyed the first third of the book, with its focus on prospecting in theTemiskaming region. The remained was well written and entertaining, just found it wanting in the shadow of the first act for me. This strictly being because I'm a geologist so self-interests prevailed over an otherwise intriguing unsolved murder mystery. This is the only reason it doesn't get a fifth star from me.
September 20, 2023
2.5/3⭐️ I normally wouldn’t pick up a book like this but she’s coming to my local library so figured I’d give it a listen. I learned a lot about the history of the gold rush in Northern Ontario.
I am not a fan tho of the super rich especially those who hoard their money and don’t want to pay taxes so that might have been reason enough for someone to dislike him enough to murder him.
I did want to finish the book as the narrative was compelling enough to keep me interested.
I am not a fan tho of the super rich especially those who hoard their money and don’t want to pay taxes so that might have been reason enough for someone to dislike him enough to murder him.
I did want to finish the book as the narrative was compelling enough to keep me interested.
October 27, 2019
What a wonderful read! Charlotte you are an excellent story teller of history. I felt compelled to keep turning the pages. The way the book unfolds in an unbiased story of real events was truly a pleasure to read.
September 21, 2020
Charlotte Gray did a huge amount of research for this book and it explores every notion of who killed Sir Harry Oakes and why. I learned a great deal of history about Canada, Britain, and the Bahamas as well as about Sir Harry and his family. Very well done book and worth the read!
August 5, 2020
Often interesting, but the author's constant hectoring and editorializing proved tiresome.
February 10, 2021
This book’s full title is A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise. I do not often read biographies. I am not much interested in them. However, Charlotte Gray spoke at one of the Meet the Author breakfasts held by Ben McNally Book Shop at the King Eddie. Because of her talks I bought the book and found it quite fascinating.
This book is a great way to learn a bit about Canadian History. I read a lot of history, but little about Ontario, the province where I live. There has been little written about it as far as I can see, so I was quite interested in this, especially in the history of Kirkland Lake. My father’s family came from Switzerland in the 1880’s and settle into farm life just south of North Bay. Some of the family spread out farther north into Kirkland Lake, Long Lac and Thunder Bay. This book contains some history of Kirkland Lake, New Ontario, Niagara Falls and Bahamas.
I had never heard to Harry Oakes before I heard Charlotte Gray speak at the Ben McNally breakfast. I found her talk very interesting and that is why I bought the book. I also very much enjoyed the interview she had with Steven Paikin on The Agenda and there is a link to that below.
There is a review of this book by John Law on The Standard of St. Catherine. Another review is by Megan Moore Burns on Quill and Quire. Sharon Hanna on the Canadian History site compares this book to the Missing Millionaire by Katie Daubs. It is an interesting comparison.
There is a great interview by Steve Paikin on The Agenda of TVO. Charlotte Gray on her book "Murdered Midas talks on the St. Campus of U of T. Charlotte Gray reads from her book on YouTube. This is a short but interesting video. Charlotte Gray is interviewed in Niagara Falls.
This book is a great way to learn a bit about Canadian History. I read a lot of history, but little about Ontario, the province where I live. There has been little written about it as far as I can see, so I was quite interested in this, especially in the history of Kirkland Lake. My father’s family came from Switzerland in the 1880’s and settle into farm life just south of North Bay. Some of the family spread out farther north into Kirkland Lake, Long Lac and Thunder Bay. This book contains some history of Kirkland Lake, New Ontario, Niagara Falls and Bahamas.
I had never heard to Harry Oakes before I heard Charlotte Gray speak at the Ben McNally breakfast. I found her talk very interesting and that is why I bought the book. I also very much enjoyed the interview she had with Steven Paikin on The Agenda and there is a link to that below.
There is a review of this book by John Law on The Standard of St. Catherine. Another review is by Megan Moore Burns on Quill and Quire. Sharon Hanna on the Canadian History site compares this book to the Missing Millionaire by Katie Daubs. It is an interesting comparison.
There is a great interview by Steve Paikin on The Agenda of TVO. Charlotte Gray on her book "Murdered Midas talks on the St. Campus of U of T. Charlotte Gray reads from her book on YouTube. This is a short but interesting video. Charlotte Gray is interviewed in Niagara Falls.
April 24, 2021
Charlotte Gray is an excellent author. She is very thorough in her research, is an accomplished writer, and not afraid to admit when the historical sources don't speak on an issue or when she feel that she is falling into writing traps authors before her gave in to. I have read a number of her books and enjoyed them all.
Murdering Midas was no exception, though not my favorite of the Charlotte Gray books. I find it sad when people are remembered for the maligning stories created about them after their death, rather than who they really are (Belle Elmore, the murdered wife of Dr. Crippen is another example). Sir Harry Oakes may have had his faults, but his wife clearly loved him and he was missed. And his generous streak cannot be denied, despite the fact it didn't extend to government income tax laws. Claiming someone deserved to die because they didn't want to pay taxes would pretty much doom the majority of Canadians to a grisly end in their own beds.
While the first portion of the story involving Oakes' search for gold is a little slow, more due to the subject than Charlotte Gray's writing abilities, the death of Sir Harry, subsequent trial and acquittal of his son-in-law, and the treatment of his story after is well done. As for the involvement of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, I don't know a lot about the two of them, but from what little I know, the UK and the Commonwealth dodged a bullet when he abdicated.
Murdering Midas was no exception, though not my favorite of the Charlotte Gray books. I find it sad when people are remembered for the maligning stories created about them after their death, rather than who they really are (Belle Elmore, the murdered wife of Dr. Crippen is another example). Sir Harry Oakes may have had his faults, but his wife clearly loved him and he was missed. And his generous streak cannot be denied, despite the fact it didn't extend to government income tax laws. Claiming someone deserved to die because they didn't want to pay taxes would pretty much doom the majority of Canadians to a grisly end in their own beds.
While the first portion of the story involving Oakes' search for gold is a little slow, more due to the subject than Charlotte Gray's writing abilities, the death of Sir Harry, subsequent trial and acquittal of his son-in-law, and the treatment of his story after is well done. As for the involvement of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, I don't know a lot about the two of them, but from what little I know, the UK and the Commonwealth dodged a bullet when he abdicated.
December 24, 2019
Charlotte Gray delivers a vivid portrait of Harry Oakes, who was an early 20th century Canadian millionaire who was brutally murdered in the Bahamas. I enjoyed the whole book, in particular, the first third which describes Oakes and his relentless pursuit of finding the motherlode and therefore giving colour and detail to an important part of Canadian history which centres on how we discovered and developed our resource-based industries. Mining towns are a thing of the past so it is fascinating to read about the early days of their development. I also enjoyed reading about his family. Harry eventually found himself in the Bahamas and once again we are treated to a brilliant depiction of life there during WWII, including his interaction with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their interesting story. Charlotte's storytelling talents, buoyed by her ability to thoroughly research a subject result in a very interesting and compelling book. This is a creative writing bonanza, not just a listing of evidence and facts, peppered with wry and entertaining observations, resting on a foundation of sensitivity and truth. The murder of HO is still unsolved but this book goes a long way to illuminate many aspects of HO and the world around him.
December 14, 2019
I'll read anything Charlotte Gray writes. She is a superb social historian. Although, as a friend said to me - she's no Pierre Berton - and he meant there isn't the same power for storytelling. I, however, admire and enjoy the degree of research, the detailed and clear reporting, and the recreation of scene. The case of Sir Harry Oakes' murder seems an odd subject to take on but it may be more contemporary than first meets the eye: the gold rush in Northern Ontario - much bigger than the Klondike, fierce determination of Oakes to find and develop the gold mine in Kirkland Lake, the emerging tax evasion practices, and the idiosyncrasies of the wealthy to spend their wealth in overblown lifestyle (overwrought mansions - and many of them) and, sometimes, philanthropy. Most surprising to me was that the Oakes descendants still own property in the Bahamas and Niagara Falls, On.. Duke of Windsor, who was the Governor at the time, doesn't come off well in this book - what was he hiding? Margaret Cannon of the Globe and Mail wrote of the book that "This is superior true-crime writing and if you've got a Canadian history buff on your list, this is the perfect gift." (Dec 14, 2019(
September 11, 2023
I enjoy Charlotte Grays books. I really liked The Massey Murder, and Sisters in the Bush. I had high hopes for this one, but it fell short. It was interesting and well researched, but it just never took off. She was almost too careful about speculating, or opining on anything. It came of as just the facts, ma'am. I didn't care about any of the players, or the situation, or even the murder. She didn't set up the murder in such a way that you saw its inevitability, or really even its cause. It was just sort of ... oh, everyone is being very incestuous and underhanded in this colony of Bermuda with a nazi prince as governor, and then this guy gets killed and it never gets solved and everyone goes on being incestuous and underhanded in various other playgrounds of the rich and famous, and the nazi prince gets to finally move to France. Really? I think she thought she was offering a balanced background of the murdered man himself, as opposed to other reports of his just being a grasping asshole, but even that doesn't really happen. He still seems like an asshole, but not much different from most of the people around him. On to the next!
January 1, 2021
DNF at page 105. This sounded like it would be a story tailor made for me; I enjoy Canadian history and historical true crime and Charlotte Gray has a solid reputation in these subjects. I cannot put my finger on what exactly kept me from enjoying this enough to finish it. I liked the beginning, which explored the history of mining in Northern Ontario, and I think I would have liked to learned more about that, but by page 90, the story has moved from Ontario to Nassau in the Bahamas, where Oakes fled for tax evasion purposes. The Nassau section felt plodding and perfunctory, and the narrative was just not strong enough to carry me through this transition. I lost all interest and abandoned the book, and while it's possible that the story regains momentum in the second half, I am not invested enough to stick with it and find out.
January 28, 2020
This was a fascinating study of the life of Sir Harry Oakes, a Canadian multimillionaire,who made his fortune from the gold mines of Kirkland Lake and whose murder in 1943 has intrigued novelists and biographers ever since. My particular interest in this book is due to the fact that I lived for many years in the Niagara Falls area where Oakes lived for a time and whose generosity had a major impact on the city. His murder in 1943 in the Bahamas, where he moved to escape Canada's tax laws, produced a sensational trial in which his son in law was found not guilty and which has never been solved although there is a great deal of speculation about possible candidates including the Mafia. A very entertaining biography.
April 5, 2020
A true historical mystery! I have lived in St Catharines, ON near Niagara Falls and have worked in Kirkland Lake where the first part of the book is located. I had heard of Sir Harry Oakes and had been to his house, now a museum in Kirkland lake, and knew he was murdered in the Bahamas, but I never knew the details and the mystery surrounding it. A gripping read.
I also worked as a geologist and prospector in Kirkland Lake and know much about the life of those that "Moil for Gold". Charlotte Grey's depiction of these men is very realistic. I also worked on the lake Shore mine property, stayed in the bunkhouse (when it was a hotel) and logged core on the Toburn site.
This is the way history should be written. It makes you want to know more.
I also worked as a geologist and prospector in Kirkland Lake and know much about the life of those that "Moil for Gold". Charlotte Grey's depiction of these men is very realistic. I also worked on the lake Shore mine property, stayed in the bunkhouse (when it was a hotel) and logged core on the Toburn site.
This is the way history should be written. It makes you want to know more.
February 17, 2023
It's yet another entry in the "huh, never heard of this guy" list I seem to be accumulating. (I really should make a special shelf for these books.)
An interesting tale. Gray writes with sympathy for a complicated figure, and takes care to point out where previous authors have reduced the murder victim to "hateful rich guy". She also makes an effort not to solve the crime, but rather to recount what other authors have concluded. It's clear that the original investigation of the murder was an absolute mess, and time has obscured or erased most of the evidence.
Worth a read if you enjoy historical true crime/mystery; note that this crime remains unsolved. Content warning: there are a few black and white photos of the murder scene and victim.
An interesting tale. Gray writes with sympathy for a complicated figure, and takes care to point out where previous authors have reduced the murder victim to "hateful rich guy". She also makes an effort not to solve the crime, but rather to recount what other authors have concluded. It's clear that the original investigation of the murder was an absolute mess, and time has obscured or erased most of the evidence.
Worth a read if you enjoy historical true crime/mystery; note that this crime remains unsolved. Content warning: there are a few black and white photos of the murder scene and victim.
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