“The uprising is cast in part as a prisoners-rights movement, but it is complicated by internal struggles among inmates … [Fogarty] delivers them in three-dimensions, complicated, inconsistent, incomplete, flawed, but human beings who wanted and deserved better treatment … A detailed and balanced record … The book serves as a study of a moment and of its participants, who both reflect the time and transform it as the events of the 1971 riot would contribute to long-overdue penal reform in Canada. Where the book is at its best, the reader gets to know the inmates who struggle for power among one another and against the political system that forgot them.”

—Globe and Mail

“The most important observation author Catherine Fogarty makes in this her first book (and a good one) is not about the notorious riot in 1971 in Kingston Penitentiary (KP) that she examines, but her conclusion that Canada’s prisons are still much better at housing and hurting people than helping them … Fogarty’s chronicle of the KP riot is a comprehensive and action-packed explanation of what went right and wrong when 500 prisoners in the worn-out and under-staffed pen went rogue … Murder on the Inside is a shocking tale of sickening savagery and unrewarded heroics, and Fogarty details with growing confidence the unhealthy, sadistic straight-jacket life inside Kingston’s notorious maximum security prison 50 years ago.”

—Winnipeg Free Press

“Fogarty’s well-researched and moving debut examines a 1971 Canadian prison riot and the conditions that caused it … Fogarty sympathetically portrays Knight and others who acted in good faith. For readers who have ever wondered about life behind bars, this is a must-read.”

—Publishers Weekly

“In Murder on the Inside, the writer and television producer Catherine Fogarty relates this notable chapter in Canadian history crisply and in greater detail than the various feature articles written over the years or even Roger Caron’s first-hand account of the event, Bingo!, from 1985. Remarkably, Fogarty gives distinct personalities to the inmates and puts us on the inside of the negotiations that ensued ... Murder on the Inside tells a story that Canadians ought to know. Fogarty’s final chapter brings that story up to date and shows that we have not fully learned the lessons of 1971 ... The ghosts who haunted those cold, dank corridors are still with us.”

—Literary Review of Canada

“The Kingston Penitentiary riot made headlines around the world, yet this pivotal moment in the history of rights for inmates in Canada has rarely been deconstructed. Released on the uprising’s fiftieth anniversary, Murder on the Inside, written by television producer Catherine Fogarty, brings readers inside the limestone fortress and chronicles the moments during which the non-violent protest turned bloody.

Her book is painstakingly researched — which is a considerable feat, given the large holes in the archival record and the fact that few key players have been willing to talk. A sublime storyteller, Fogarty expertly builds tension as convicts turn violent and armed soldiers stand ready to attack.

However, Murder on the Inside is much more than a prison drama. Set against the backdrop of political and social upheaval, it details the history of the Kingston Penitentiary and scrutinizes incarceration in Canada. Most importantly, it tells a gripping story of inmates who were determined to be treated like humans, not numbers.”

—Canada’s History

Thoroughly enjoyed this podcast. You are right about ppl have connections to this story. My grandfather sat as one of the jurors in one of the trials and the man who the children flagged down was a border at my mothers house when she was a kid. Crazy story.

A compelling story from the past. A killer who continues to captivate us in the present. Episodes full of fascinating details. Highly recommended!

This was a great story. I live in Thunder Bay and am the same age as Laurie. It is just such a sad, sad story. I cannot believe they have never cleared her name and her ex gets to live his life. It is so obvious he did it or paid to have it done. He had the most to gain. Thunder Bay loves Bambi. Rest In Peace beautiful lady.

Well researched and presented. Lots of others could take a lesson or two. Thank you!

I loved this podcast. So engaging from start to finish. Truth is stranger than fiction! The narrator does an amazing job - I was spellbound and wound up binging the entire production over two evenings. A definite must for fans of true crime or anyone who enjoy a good story well told.

Wow, what a great podcast. The quality and sound story are so rich. I’m addicted!