The Knot

Barry J. Edwards was a librarian with the Metro Toronto Library.

The increased incidence of violent crime in Toronto has served as a chilling reminder to all of us that, like those big, bad cities to the south, Toronto too has its nasty, vicious side. It is shocking as well to consider the very real existence of organized juvenile crime which is the subject of Tim Wynne-Jones’ second novel, The Knot.

Winner of the 1980 Seal Books First Novel Award of $50,000 for Odd’s End, Wynne-Jones provides here a realistic look at the activities of the Knot, “street-wise children operating below the law, an elite army of thieves and con artists under the eye of a gifted lunatic.” Set in Toronto’s Cabbagetown, where rich and poor live cheek by jowl, the novel is not so much a mystery as a detective thriller. While petty crimes in the area are markedly down, major thefts are on the increase and Metro Police want to know why. Suspecting that organized crime may be involved in a series of daring heists, detective Rum Crawford goes undercover to unravel the mystery. With the aid of a house full of oddball down-and-outers, Crawford sorts through a tangled skein of suicide, thefts, abduction, ransom notes, pint-sized punks, drugs, and mistaken identity to recover the son of a millionaire Cabbagetown couple.

Although the novel gets off to a slow start with a string of mini-chapters introducing a motley assortment of characters, it is not long before many separate strands are pulled tight in a nail-biting conclusion. The Knot is strong in local colour and in shrewd characterization of both the so-called Elmsley Court Irregulars and the key members of the Knot. The author has a keen eye for detail and a clever way with words, although he tends to make over abundant use of simile.

Readers who enjoy a well-crafted story of suspense will not be disappointed by The Knot. Recommended.