Toronto in Literature Book Club (In Person) "The Beatle Bandit"

Join us for an in-person discussion of The beatle bandit : A Serial Bank Robber's Deadly Heist, a Cross-Country Manhunt, and the Insanity Plea that Shook the Nation by Nate Hendley.

About the book:

"The sensational true story of how a bank robber killed a man in a wild shootout, sparking a national debate around gun control and the death penalty. On July 24, 1964, twenty-four-year-old Matthew Kerry Smith disguised himself with a mask and a Beatle wig, hoisted a semi-automatic rifle, then held up a bank in North York, Ontario. The intelligent but troubled son of a businessman and mentally ill mother, Smith was a navy veteran with a young Indigenous wife and a hazy plan for violent revolution. Outside the bank, Smith was confronted by Jack Blanc, a former member of the Canadian and Israeli armies, who brandished a revolver. During a wild shootout, Blanc was killed, and Smith escaped -- only to become the object of the largest manhunt in the history of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force. Dubbed "The Beatle Bandit," Smith was eventually captured, tried, and sentenced to hang. His murderous rampage had tragic consequences for multiple families and fuelled a national debate about the death penalty, gun control, and the insanity defence."

Copies of the title are available to borrow in Print, eBook and eAudiobook format from the Toronto Public Library collection.

The discussion will take place in Founders' Room on the first floor of the Toronto Reference Library. You will find the Founders' Room just past the main entrance to Beeton Hall, on the right.

Questions? Please email nsmidstra@tpl.ca.

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks' notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca.

Photo, right: Toronto Star, July 23, 1964, Toronto Star Historical Newspaper Archive