In the Line of Duty: The Honour Roll of the RCMP Since 1873

Steven R. Hewitt teaches history at the University of Saskatchewan.

In the Line of Duty is further evidence that death can be a strangely
compelling subject. The author presents individual chronicles of
Mounties killed in action. Once started, the book is difficult to put
down, each page unveiling a another tragedy.

The book is not without faults. For example, the history of the
Mounties and the 1885 North-West Rebellion contains several
inaccuracies, including exaggerating the prominence of the police
involvement in quelling the Métis uprising. In fact, the North West
Mounted Police were roundly criticized at the time for having spent a
good portion of the uprising safe and sound in Prince Albert. Another
problem is that Knuckle makes no effort to draw together the various
deaths and offer some analysis. It appears that most of the Mounties who
died while on duty did so accidentally. Does this suggest flaws in their
training methods or in the attitudes promoted by the force? Knuckle
leaves such troubling questions unexplored.