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Best Mounted Police Stories
The Mountie always gets his man. He asserts the law not by using violence but by denying it. He is a uniquely Canadian figure in the great stories of the West. Dick Harrison has collected 22 classic adventure stories by Wallace Stegner, Rudy Wiebe, Ken Mitchell, Ralph Connor, and 18 others.
258 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 17, 2024
Some really good stories are to be found within this edited collection. I am someone who is personally very interested in the history of the RCMP/NWMP and so a book such as this quickly found a happy home on my bookshelf. As the book is a collection of stories written in and about various different periods of Canada’s mounted police history, there is “something for everyone”(provided, of course, that the “everyone” in this case is a fan of RCMP history or westerns, at least).
Some of the stories I did not find personally entertaining, either due to their age or the standard to which they were written. My preference, for reference, is gritty or revisionist westerns, such as Guy Vanderhaeghe’s Frontier Trilogy or Lonesome Dove, rather than some of the swashbuckling stories found in this collection written for Victorian boys. For instance, the last story in the collection, H.J. MacDonald’s The Detachment Man, was one of my favourites and allowed me to close down the book in satisfaction rather than disappointment.
Overall, the book is worth getting if you are a fan of fictional stories from the history of the RCMP. As it is an edited collection, you aren’t forced to read the whole thing. Pick and choose what you like; Harrison has organized the stories well enough that you just might strike gold.
Some of the stories I did not find personally entertaining, either due to their age or the standard to which they were written. My preference, for reference, is gritty or revisionist westerns, such as Guy Vanderhaeghe’s Frontier Trilogy or Lonesome Dove, rather than some of the swashbuckling stories found in this collection written for Victorian boys. For instance, the last story in the collection, H.J. MacDonald’s The Detachment Man, was one of my favourites and allowed me to close down the book in satisfaction rather than disappointment.
Overall, the book is worth getting if you are a fan of fictional stories from the history of the RCMP. As it is an edited collection, you aren’t forced to read the whole thing. Pick and choose what you like; Harrison has organized the stories well enough that you just might strike gold.
September 10, 2024
It's always difficult to rate a collection of stories by different authors, especially when written in various time periods. The stories range from classic heroic swashbuckling Mountie worship to those portraying the Mountie as a very human being in a red coat. Each comes with a preface from the editor explaining a little bit about the writer. I enjoyed all the stories, but my forefathers were Mounties and so they hold a special appeal for me. Some of the descriptions of the prairie landscape were stunning as well. As an aside, I was happy to see Ralph Connor included as he was Canada's equivalent of America's Zane Grey, and I have visited the Ralph Connor House in Winnipeg which is now a national historic site.
March 15, 2022
This is a interesting and entertaining collection of fictional stories based around the real life Mounties and their changing roles in keeping Canadian law and order. Starting from the early days when settlers were still spreading across the country to the more modern 20th Century era, these stories show the different problems, issues, and conflicts the Mounties got involved in over the years. Each story has its own style, so I did enjoy some more than others, and the last story of the collection was simply heart breaking in its simplicity and ending, so much so it has really stuck in my mind.
November 13, 2017
An excellent collection of Mountie fiction with an unexpected lean towards literary criticism. I thought I was getting into a batch of Mountie stories from the pulps, but this was much better as it offers contemplation of the difference between the Canadian Mountie and the American one. Some great non-typical "always gets his man" stories are to be found here.
July 13, 2020
It’s hard to rate a book that is a collection of different stories by different authors. Some I liked, some I didn’t so much.
June 4, 2025
As is usual with an anthology, this contained a few really good stories, some mediocre ones and some which I didn't finish. Overall, I liked it.
October 11, 2011
I absolutely adored this book.
Balanced somewhere between fiction and history this was both an interesting and a fun read. You get to see not only views of the RCMP throughout the years but also from the standpoint of different countries.
The mixture of both writing style and story content keeps you turning each page. From light-hearted and funny, to stirring and adventurous to at times downright tragic, every tale told in this volume has a heart and feel of it's own. It's also very educational (if you keep a broad mind and realize that sometimes you are just learning about the perception of the department and not actual facts)
This book also has a very interesting forward with a good overview of what the RCMP has meant to popular culture throughout it's time span of invention.
If your interested in history, law enforcement history, Canadian history or just the RCMP it's definitely worth the read!
Balanced somewhere between fiction and history this was both an interesting and a fun read. You get to see not only views of the RCMP throughout the years but also from the standpoint of different countries.
The mixture of both writing style and story content keeps you turning each page. From light-hearted and funny, to stirring and adventurous to at times downright tragic, every tale told in this volume has a heart and feel of it's own. It's also very educational (if you keep a broad mind and realize that sometimes you are just learning about the perception of the department and not actual facts)
This book also has a very interesting forward with a good overview of what the RCMP has meant to popular culture throughout it's time span of invention.
If your interested in history, law enforcement history, Canadian history or just the RCMP it's definitely worth the read!
September 27, 2016
Dick Harrison knows his stuff---about Mounties, Westerns and Canadian Literature---though we do disagree about 'Luke Allan'! This book is a collection of Mountie stories...one humourous, some true, with various vintages. I highly recommend this collection and the editor's commentary!
One of the author's is Joseph Gollomb. I am going to read more of his works. He is not in Wiki, of course.
One of the author's is Joseph Gollomb. I am going to read more of his works. He is not in Wiki, of course.
April 13, 2009
While the short stories within vary in quality, as with any such collection, the book has a fantastic introduction by editor Dick Harrison.
Harrison observes the differences between Canadian and American culture, using the Mounted Police story as example.
Harrison observes the differences between Canadian and American culture, using the Mounted Police story as example.
July 11, 2016
Read this a while ago; remember being underwhelmed.
April 14, 2013
This was a very good read as I enjoy the RCMP's history and the way they enforced the law and worked with people.
March 18, 2012
The best collection of Mountie Fiction ever published.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews