Every Fortune
Has A Dark
Origin
The untold true stories of gold smuggling in Northern Ontario. Where miners became thieves, cops became investigators, and an entire city lived on stolen gold.
You've Settled for Mediocre Crime Stories Long Enough
Bored of Predictable Plots
You’ve read every formulaic thriller on the shelf. The twists are obvious by chapter three. You need stories that genuinely shock—because they actually happened.
Craving Real Stakes
Fiction feels hollow when reality is stranger. You want narratives rooted in events so audacious they couldn’t be invented—gold smuggling, police corruption, and an entire city in on it.
Hungry for Depth
Surface-level crime stories leave you cold. You want to understand the psychology, the planning, the human cost behind every heist and every ounce of stolen gold.
Real characters. Real crimes. Real gold.
Three Books. Countless Crimes.
Stolen Gold Stories delivers the untold true crime narratives of Northern Ontario's gold smuggling underworld. Real events. Real people. Unreal audacity.
Bootleg Gold
Volume One
Amazing untold stories from Northern Ontario’s lucrative world of gold smuggling. Where it all begins—a web of smugglers, crooked officials, and a fortune in gold that vanished without a trace.
Get This BookBootleg Gold
Volume Two
The Aquarius Mine Robbery and other great stories. The stakes double, new players enter the game, old alliances shatter, and the trail of gold leads somewhere no one expected.
Get This BookCity of Thieves
An entire city built on stolen wealth, where every fortune hides a crime and every citizen has a secret. Standalone and unmissable.
Get This BookMeticulously Researched
Built on primary sources, court records, and firsthand accounts from the people who lived it. The truth is wilder than fiction.
Relentless Pacing
Each chapter ratchets the tension tighter, pulling you through conspiracies, double-crosses, and narrow escapes in the gold fields.
Unflinching Detail
From the weight of the gold to the psychology of the highgraders, nothing is glossed over. You’ll feel like you were there.
Can't-Put-It-Down Factor
Readers consistently report missing sleep, ignoring meals, and reading through entire weekends. Consider yourself warned.
Three Steps To Your Next Obsession
Choose Your Heist
Browse the collection and pick the gold theft that intrigues you most. Each book stands alone—start anywhere.
Get Your Copy
Available in paperback, hardcover, and digital formats. Delivered to your door or your device in seconds.
Lose Yourself
Clear your schedule. These stories demand your full attention and won't give it back until the final page.
Hear It From The People Who Lived It
These aren't actors. These are the real people connected to the biggest gold smuggling operation in North American history. Their stories are extraordinary.
Jack Atkinson
The Man Who Inspired the Series
Meet Jack Atkinson, the man who inspired the Bootleg Gold and City of Thieves series. In this clip, Jack describes how he ended up in Timmins just before World War 2—and eventually became the police officer who triggered the biggest gold smuggling investigation in North American history.
Leo Gagnon
Former Timmins Police Chief
Meet Leo Gagnon, the former Timmins Police Chief, as he explains why the town needed independent Ontario Provincial Police to investigate the massive amount of gold smuggling happening in the 1930s and 40s.
Greg Reynolds
Former Managing Editor, Timmins Daily Press
Meet Greg Reynolds, a gritty, longtime newspaper reporter and former Managing Editor of the Timmins Daily Press, who lived through and was deeply embedded in the murky, golden heyday of highgrading.
Don't Take Our Word For It. Take Theirs.
“I started reading at 10 PM and didn't stop until I finished at 4 AM. My alarm went off two hours later and I regret nothing.”
Sarah K.
Verified Reader
“This isn't just a true crime book. It's a masterclass in storytelling. The level of research is staggering.”
Michael T.
Book Reviewer
“I thought I knew everything about famous heists. I was wrong. Every chapter blindsided me with details I'd never heard.”
James R.
True Crime Enthusiast
“Bought one book out of curiosity. Now I own the entire collection. These stories are absolutely addictive.”
Linda P.
Verified Reader
Kevin Vincent
For nearly four decades, I've tracked down the real stories behind Northern Ontario's most audacious gold thefts. From dusty court archives to sitting down with the people who lived through the golden age of highgrading in Timmins.
What started as a fascination with a single heist became a career-long pursuit. Every book represents hundreds of hours of research, fact-checking, and narrative craft to bring these incredible true stories to life.
These aren't just crime stories. They're human stories—about ambition, desperation, brilliance, and the price of greed in a city where gold was everywhere and temptation was inescapable.
The Gold Won't Wait.
Neither Should You.
All prices in Canadian dollars. Print copies shipped across Canada. Secure checkout via PayPal.
The Complete Collection
All three books — Bootleg Gold Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and City of Thieves
Also available digitally