The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman

by Kevin Donovan

A top journalist crosses the yellow tape to investigate a shocking high-society crime.

Billionaires, philanthropists, socialites . . . victims. Barry and Honey Sherman appeared to lead charmed lives. But the world was shocked in late 2017 when their bodies were found in a bizarre tableau in their elegant Toronto home. First described as murder-suicide -- belts looped around their necks, they were found seated beside their basement swimming pool -- police later ruled it a staged, targeted double murder. Nothing about the case made sense to friends of the founder of one of the world's largest generic pharmaceutical firms and his wife, a powerhouse in Canada's charity world. Together, their wealth has been estimated at well over $4.7 billion.

There was another side to the story. A strategic genius who built a large generic drug company -- Apotex Inc. -- Barry Sherman was a self-described workaholic, renowned risk-taker, and disruptor during his fifty-year career. Regarded as a generous friend by many, Sherman was also feared by others. He was criticized for stifling academic freedom and using the courts to win at all costs. Upset with building issues at his mansion, he sued and recouped millions from tradespeople. At the time of his death, Sherman had just won a decades-old legal case involving four cousins who wanted 20 percent of his fortune.

Toronto Star investigative journalist Kevin Donovan chronicles the unsettling story from the beginning, interviewing family members, friends, and colleagues, and sheds new light on the Shermans' lives and the disturbing double murder. Deeply researched and authoritative, The Billionaire Murders is a compulsively readable tale of a strange and perplexing crime.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, Canada, Mystery, History

328 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Torontonian with an interest in true crime and business stories, I was SO excited for a book about Barry and Honey Sherman's murders... but it ended up not wowing me. There was so much repetition across chapters that felt completely redundant and kind of annoying, and I wish it'd been edited for more brevity. My biggest issue, though, was the fact that this book came out before any actual resolutions in the case. Despite being primarily about their deaths, not much detail is given considering the case in currently still ongoing. It makes the whole read feel pretty useless, to me.

This book would've been much better if the author had waited for actual content to use, instead of just repeating the same anecdotes in every other chapter. (I do accept some responsibility, though, since I shouldn't have expected the book to explain facts that have yet to come out.)

That said, something I really enjoyed about this book was the unapologetic exposure of police negligence in this case. Along with the other recent cases mentioned, police negligence has been a hot topic in Toronto (and everywhere) but I think there still isn't enough detailed information about how badly these institutions are failing us.

[Jaidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "intriguing and mysterious" stars !!

Barry and Honey Sherman were billionaires....multi-billionaires and one of the wealthiest couples in Toronto. In 2017 they were found dead in their upscale home. Fully dressed with mens' belts around their neck by their indoor pool. Initially it was deemed a murder-suicide and later changed to double murder. The murderers remain at large.

Mr. Donovan writes with an easy grace and manages to put together a very arresting book about what he researched around this case. He interviewed friends and family, the police, lawyers and even some secret informants. In the end, he constructs a plausible scenario about what happened on that fateful day.

Barry Sherman was the head of Apo-tex, a generic drug company. He is a self-made billionaire and was involved in many side businesses as well. His wife, Honey, was a tireless charity organizer. They donated hundreds of millions to both Jewish and non-Jewish charities. Barry Sherman also provided well to his entitled children (three of four born to surrogate mothers), in-laws and various hangers on. He was also very litigious and spent much time suing others for wrong doing. There were whispers of an unhappy marriage, Honey clashing with two of her adult children, a very pushy gay son. The Toronto Police lacked resources as they were dealing with a serial killer in Toronto's gay village and a multiple homicide in Greektown where two were killed and twelve injured.

Rest in peace Mr. and Mrs. Sherman and thank you very much for sharing your very vast wealth on those less fortunate !

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman by Kevin Donovan is a well-researched accounting of the lives and deaths of the Shermans. In 2017, in Toronto, the billionaire husband and wife were found in their mansion, in a horrid staged murder scene and, to this day, no one has been arrested for the crimes. The book is written by Kevin Donovan, a well-respected Toronto Star investigative journalist. The Shermans were well-known in Canada, him for his pharmaceutical company Apotex and her for her generous charity work. However, Barry Sherman was also known for being litigious, being involved in frequently suing and winning numerous court cases. The Toronto police have, so far, not handled the investigation professionally, leading to the Sherman children hiring their own investigative team in the hope of solving the double murders. This book reads like a fictional murder mystery proving that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. An unsolved mystery well-told.

[Erin Loshaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like a 5 page essay that was stretched into 20. Should have been called The Murdered Billionaires since only a few chapters were about the actual crime (and somehow even those were dull) and most of the book was background, much of which, was unnecessary and repetitive. I don't need to know about pharmaceutical legislation.

While I knew these were unsolved murders too much was left unresolved with "at the time of this writing." Perhaps it was too soon for this book?

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is out of the ordinary for the genre. There is little resolution. Certainly no crime "solving" whatsoever. Murderer or Murderers still at large.

It's written in jumps to past eras, but somehow that tends to bring the intense personalities of both murder victims forward. But it, the entire book itself, is highly redundant and side track "associate" verbose and repeating from various relatives or close friends' "angles". Not that these 2 wealthy and intrepid people, their social systems, business world work and events, and general larger societal class -doesn't make them intriguing to read about or that they might have 1000's of intersects. It does. And that's why I am flabberghasted in the lack of skills for the "solving" for such a horrendous and notorious crime.

What is the strongest onus I got out of this? It was the insufficiency of the Toronto systems for policing, investigating, doing forensics or wider science etc. for this case. The time frames of how it was handled in the first few weeks after the murders is especially problematic. And how they declared a murder-suicide in the ways that they did. Kudos to all 4 offspring that they got together and refuted the entire. Despite or regardless of what goes on before or later with the massive business dissolving- it certainly was not.

Such interesting perspectives all around. The Jewish legacy of escape from Europe to Canada in ancestry and history too. And now one of the daughters lives in Israel.

But no camera, no security, no locking doors to speak of? They didn't believe in it.

There is no conclusion of any definitive nature in the book's ending. But just aftermath history of the dozen or two dozen highest associated relatives and players. So many friends! But certainly not all.

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2017 the bodies of Barry & Honey Sherman were found in their Toronto home. The details surrounding their murders & the intrigue that seeped into their reputable social presence have left a community shocked & family members empty-handed.

As a Canadian myself, one who was raised in the Southern Ontario region in which this case took place, I felt it important to read this book. I didn't want to read about bloody murder because, at the end of the day, these were real people & I think it uncouth to seek a thrill at the expense of others, mainly those who have been unjustly extradited from this life.

That being said, I found that Donovan was able to present the information surrounding the case in a clear & conscience fashion without droning on about the minute details that the gore would have left on the scene. The lives of Barry & Honey were written about in a neutral but respectful fashion so that the reader might become familiar with who they were as individuals in their community.

At no point did I feel as though the couple was romanticized. They were normal people who had both negative & positive aspects to their characters & what befell them was in every way tragic & cruel.

I will admit that some factors of the book were redundant. I understand that this was done for the benefit of the reader who was consuming a lot of information in a short stint, which did not take away from me feeling a tinge of irritation.

Should you not have been aware of this case, of Barry & Honey, the Toronto wealth, or anything else, this is still a book worth reading.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read like a series of long-form journalistic essays that got cobbled together into a book. My sense is with a thorough edit and a strong through line this would have been a gripping read, as it was, it was too loose and repetitive. I know the crime is unsolved but some more good ole fashioned conjecture (based on the research presented here) would have been welcome too.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

I am not from Canada nor do I live there, but when I heard about The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman by Kevin Donovan I knew I had to read it, and I'm glad I did the audio!

I had never heard of Barry and Honey Sherman or the bizarre circumstances of their murder. It sounds like the police really botched things up on this case, and I will be surprised if anyone ever figures out who killed them. Donovan reads the audiobook which I really enjoyed, and you can tell he put a lot of work into this book. We get a lot of background, especially on Barry, and at times it felt like I was listening to Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup all over again, minus the shady business dealings.

The Billionaire Murders was a fascinating look at the company Barry started (Apotex) as well as his background and Honey's, plus a look at the murders of course. If you like true crime this would be a great audiobook to check out. Donovan read his book well and actually also reminded me of the journalist from Bad Blood.

Final Thought: I really enjoyed The Billionaire Murders on audio, and that is the way I would recommend consuming it. At times it did get a little detailed when the author talks about Berry's company, but I was able to easily follow along and he made sure to repeat different things, so you actually know what he's talking about. Overall a very interesting true crime book that I will definitely be recommending!

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was published prematurely. It would have been much more successful if the author and publisher waited to release it until after the case has been solved, as the current book feels like 90% filler and 10% content. The amount of repetition in this book is almost unbearable at times and I didn't learn much more about the case than I already knew. I understand that it still may be years before Barry and Honey Sherman's murders are solved, but it would have made for a much better reading experience to have real answers rather than speculation.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my guilty pleasures- always done sneakily- is reading true crime books. I try to pick the good ones - no picking one of those hastily written gems about the blonde, white teenagers (always described as “beautiful”, no matter how plain) who seem to be the only ones worth writing about. I recently found “The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman”. It’s a very good look at the murders that shocked Toronto in December, 2017. The crime has not been solved, and chances are it probably won’t be.

The Shermans were famous in Toronto and New York for their generosity to both Jewish and secular charities. Their money was made by Barry in a generic medicine business and he then branched into other profitable enterprises. He had a rather abrasive personality and he filed lawsuits- both personal and professional. But he and Honey were generous with their money.

Kevin Donovan is a reporter for the Toronto “Star” and the author of “The Billionaire Murders”. He’s a good writer and he knows the Toronto politics and society he writes about in the book. He’s not hasty - or wrong - when writing about the many ways the Toronto PD bungled the investigation. I have a feeling he knows who murdered or set up the murders but for reasons unclear, he can’t give any names. It’s a good book and one I ended up not feeling guilty about reading!

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

As they say, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And in this interesting case of the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman, we get good insight from a reporter who was there from the beginning. We get to see inside the lives of a couple who appeared to have it all and were incredibly generous. But this was a complicated family filled with lots of conflict. Sherman was a billionaire who would make huge, risky and questionable investments outside his core business simply on his gut yet drove modest cars and held back on many extravagances which would have been in line with his wealth. The couple's death was tragic. The mystery fascinating.

[CiderandRedRot · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting piece of investigative journalism let down by the lack of a conclusion. Donovan, a reporter from the Toronto Star, has spent the past couple of years looking into the shocking murders of local billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman and to that extent this book feels like his cathartic need to get all that hard labour down on paper, regardless of any deciding ending. That's not a slight, more an observation; for all that this story has been picked over by the press, there's a lot here that I didn't know beforehand.

Mostly that the Shermans were weirdly cheap. It's a cliche that the richest people are the most likely to nickle and dime you, but in the case of this couple much of the intriguing details of their lives came from how much they scrimped and saved on certain areas whilst spunking the lot on big ticket items like real estate. Over the course of the book, this becomes less endearing - billionaires! they're just like us! - and becomes weirdly distasteful. There's a creeping rot to the Sherman story, wherein many nice things are said about the generosity and philanthropy of the couple, but they also come across as controlling: Barry with his money, and Honey with her need to micromanage. (I've also been watching a lot of Succession recently, so.)

Although Donovan doesn't hammer home a lot of the police fuck ups in the case, that's because he doesn't really need to. Toronto police spent the first few weeks after the crime treating it as a murder suicide - despite many circumstances indicating otherwise - and there's no doubt that crucial evidence was compromised or lost entirely. TO police have been dogged by claims of inefficiency in recent years, from Bruce McArthur to Tess Richey, and it's all too easy to see how they were ill-equipped to handle this level of potential big money espionage in little ol' Churrano.

(That said, if we're placing bets, my money is on Jonathon Sherman.)

[Brandon Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donovan does an excellent job detailing the lives of the victims, the tragic and bizarre circumstances of their deaths and the investigation that followed, and lays out some intriguing ideas about why there have still been no arrests in this high-profile case. This doesn’t feel like the definitive word on this case, but it may well further the investigation.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Toronto police were bizarrely incompetent in their investigation of the weird 2017 deaths of a billionaire couple, immediately concluding it was a murder/suicide (the husband gently strangling his wife, posing her body by their pool with a belt looped through a rail holding her upright, then gently strangling himself and apparently posing himself in the exact same way).

The bodies were discovered by a real estate agent showing the house to prospective buyers. Her eyes didn't immediately comprehend what she was seeing, but she knew it wasn't right and pushed the buyers backwards out of the room, saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry. They are doing.....yoga. We'll come back." She asked a cleaning lady who was present to go look at them. Then she called several Sherman family members, waiting nearly 90 minutes before calling the police.

"We're not looking for a suspect," the police promptly announced. The surviving adult children, thinking this impossible, hired their own investigators and had a second autopsy done, which concluded both deaths were murders. But the family didn't go to the police with this information. Only when the author reported it in his newspaper five weeks later did the police decide it really could be two murders. Even at that point they neglected to interview all possible witnesses until many more months had elapsed. They didn't start collecting DNA and fingerprints from everyone who had legitimately been in the house so their DNA could be ruled out, until nine months after the murders. The private investigators discovered finger and hand prints the police hadn't lifted. The investigation was incompetent in so many different ways I've already forgotten 90% of them.

Nearly five years later, the case still hasn't been solved. I noticed that the police have captured a "suspect" on a security camera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcbIC... - if this is you, let the Toronto police know, there is a $10 million reward) although why this footage took four years to be released is as mysterious as everything else about the case.

The author believes the killer knew the Shermans and was familiar with their routines. He seems to be highly suspicious of the Shermans' son, and on a recent podcast said that one of the Shermans' daughters was also suspicious of him. I'm giving the book 2 stars because it was dull for long stretches and its publication seems premature, but in fairness, the author has been doggedly reporting on the case for years and pressing for the police to release more information, and many of the advances in this area seem to be due to his persistence.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so interesting!! This reminded me off Bad Blood!

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 43%

Zzzz…this book is really about pharmaceutical companies, how they make their money, blah blah blah…the murders are a small part. Not enough true crime details to keep me invested. Done!

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first saw Billionaire Murders included in the advanced audio copies from Libro.Fm last month, I was excited because I had heard the buzz about this book. Sadly, that buzz is completely inconsistent with a biography of a wealthy couple. This is not true crime. There are very few details about the crime and most are based in conjecture or "what the author thinks happened."

Basically, what I learned from this book is that Barry Sherman was a workaholic who is also remembered as a philanthropist. He did not enjoy socializing. He did enjoy making money. Honey Sherman enjoyed golf and shopping. They had difficult moments as many families do and after their deaths, police investigations have not yielded suspects. Kevin Donovan has his own theories of the crime. There you have it. The entire book in a single paragraph.

Other reviewers are entirely correct when they mention the repetition and the boring narrative. Why readers cannot be trusted to remember details from previous chapters is beyond me. The constant repetition of mundane notes about cars and watches was a strange attempt to suggest the concept of a "frugal billionaire." Of course, this is the same billionaire that asked the court for legal fees from what might be called in literary circles "his poorer relations." The constant attempts to defend Sherman borders on idol worship. I found that very strange in what is supposed to be true crime. At times, Donovan's book reads like a puff piece.

Because I listened to the book, I cannot speak to whether Donovan has footnotes or sources for the many claims he makes. From the table of contents, it does not seem so. I find that troubling in a book that already seems to be padded with details having nothing to do with the crime. Readers are told at least twice that the Sherman's youngest daughter was engaged to an electrician at the time of her parents' death. That detail is neither necessary, nor is it one that needs to be repeated. Spoiler alert: readers are also told in two different sections of the book that the marriage ended in divorce. Why repeat something like that?

I was also frustrated with the many bizarrely pedantic moments of explanation throughout. It is as though Donovan thinks readers do not understand how autopsies work. You know, in case we missed the past twenty years of criminal and forensic procedurals being ubiquitous on tv.

I strongly challenge the publisher's claim that this book is authoritative. In an era when quality journalism is fighting for space among tabloids and click-bait articles, suggesting that a book is authoritative is misleading at best. Billionaire Murders seems to be based on publicly available information and what amounts to gossip and third-party claims.

A very disappointing read.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

True Crime is a new genre for me, which I find fascinating. This was of high interest for me cause not only is the Sherman family well known in Toronto, but I grew up not far from where they lived.

To be honest, I think it’s really hard to rate something that is a recollection of events that happened.

While I found this case interesting, it was also very repetitive and a heavy read. It almost made me feel like I was back in University reading a textbook 😬

It wasn’t a terrible read, but I found myself skimming through a large chunk of the book.

[Steven Hepburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant exposé of all relevant information related to the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman. I particularly enjoyed the authors style of switching between first- and third-person points of view to develop the backstory and his investigation. I did find parts unnecessarily repetitive, but I can see how this would benefit the reader if they were taking a more leisurely approach to reading the novel.

[Paula Moriarty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this a 2.5 star because I am more interested in the investigation part of it, it is quite repetitive and more so about the background and lifestyle of the Sherman's

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a biography of the victims. Since these are unsolved murders, very little evidence from either the police investigation or the private detective’s investigation is revealed.

The author and others detail many missteps by the police and lack of their attention to detail and failure to secure evidence. The victims lack of belief in cameras and home security systems and their careless approach to home security is a factor in finding the culprit or culprits.

[Jeff Swystun · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Spoilers***

The adage, truth is stranger than fiction, is reinforced by this murder case. Prominent couple found dead in their Toronto home. Billionaires known for their philanthropy. Arranged bizarrely and discovered two days later. Tons of enemies close and far. Every new bit of information became a screaming headline.

Barry grew generic pharmaceutical, Apotex, using litigation along the way. He fought hard in business and was the most litigious man in Canada (“You hit Barry Sherman with a fly swatter, he’s coming after you with a fucking sledgehammer”). He invested in scores of unrelated dodgy schemes with less than professional partners. In personal matters, Barry was notoriously cheap, opting for basic cars that he drove for years. He didn’t care for sports, club memberships or luxury goods. Honey was on an allowance and hoarded items bought on sale.

Barry supported his children financially while Honey fumed at this parenting by cash. A daughter bought a new car days after their death having been previously told to repair her existing one. Succession plans were both vague and contentious. Cousins had long pressed a lawsuit for 20% of the Sherman assets. One friend claimed Honey promised her $300 million. Three months after the murders, the children gave instructions to sell Apotex. About a year later, the Sherman home was torn down.

Then there were rumours of unhappiness in the marriage. Had Barry once explored having Honey whacked? This thread led to an early murder-suicide theory that has been discounted. It must be noted that the couple were both in their 70’s so strength was a factor. A second autopsy revealed it to be a double murder though double suicide was also entertained.

If you read this book, it will feel rushed and premature. Obviously, the author’s publishers wanted to cash-in and beat rival efforts. I knew there was no resolution. Indeed, Kevin Donovan identifies nearly 50 possible suspects for the December, 2017 murders.

After finishing the book, I read a few reviews. I did not want to be influenced before reading but had to agree with the NowToronto take on the research and writing, “The book just grasps at whatever stories are available, as if any memory about Honey Sherman’s golf trips with her gals or Barry Sherman’s investment philosophy are worthy filler.” And, “This is definitely a novel written by a newspaper reporter. All the interesting stuff is in the lede and the potency wanes as you flip the pages. Halfway through The Billionaire Murders, it’s like feeding on a buffet of information without ever feeling full.”

More so, it was highly repetitious. He must mention seven times that Apotex was a private company so revenues are not disclosed. More so, is the multiple mentions of Barry recouping money from his home contractors. Then court case minutia and drug ingredient details detract rather than add. What is interesting is the police handling of the case. The rich received no special treatment. In fact, the Toronto Police Service was stretched at the time. The serial killer, Bruce McArthur tied up their resources. It would be fair to say, the case was poorly handled.

To me, it is, a question of ‘follow the money’. However, in the case of Barry Sherman, that means following untold number of paths. Did he anger a big rival or was it a case of turning down a questionable investment? Was it family or foe? Professional or amateur? Break-in gone wrong or a hit?

They were not found for two days. Whoever did it, knew their schedule. Housecleaning and plant watering people came Fridays. The murders occurred on the Wednesday. A wild card were home showings as their house was listed. This also could have aided the killers. Two men were shown the home prior to the killings and the agent thought them strange.

More questions than answers. I applaud the author for providing his own theory. However, it does not implicate specific players. Perhaps, the book will shake out more clues leading to concrete conclusions.

[Byuj · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW this was a fantastic book! I enjoyed the investigative process as I’ve never read a book about true crime before. Also, living in Vancouver, I had never heard of the Shermans, but the story really intrigued me so I picked it up. I think the author did a great job showcasing how intelligent Barry Sherman was and how incredibly generous and rather down to earth he and his wife were considering their tremendous wealth. They sounded like exemplary people and it’s a terrible shame that the case remains unsolved. Like someone else said, I was left mourning their loss just from reading this book....

[Dan Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the Sherman murders. It gives a great lead up in the lives of both Honey and Bary that only few people knew. A real eye opener about the Sherman family and their kids. A must read if you even have a slight interest in the Sherman murders. The book again shows how cheap some billionaires can be as well as giving to the Jews.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in-depth look into Honey and Barry’s lives. I loved the intimate details of their day to day lives, friendships, and family dynamics. As someone following the case, I was happy to learn more details from this novel, especially with respect to the gross negligence of the police investigation. I expected a type of trashy true crime novel, but this book was better than expected.

[Rhonda Pearlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing and fascinating book is a tribute to the Honey and Barry Sherman! It is extremely well presented and written and accurately portrays who the Shermans were. It is certainly a page turner and I would highly recommend this book.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and nothing covered that hasn’t already come out in the news.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that was written prematurely and really offers nothing of value regarding these murders.

[Christina McLain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the annals of notorious Canadian murders, this crime will probably be voted as most difficult to solve. Honey and Barry Sherman were found only a few years ago hanging from a rail in their basement swimming pool. To begin with, the Toronto Police Service made several errors,a few of which were somewhat understandable and others which were unfathomable. Unfortunately at the time of the discovery of the bodies of the Shermans, the story of the Bruce McArthur serial killings of men from the Gay Village of Toronto had just broken, so it is possible some of Toronto's best detectives were already invoved in hugely high-profile killings. Yet it is odd that the police rushed to judgement and assumed immediately that they had a murder-suicide on their hands. It is also strange that neighbours who had surveillance cameras on their properties had to repeatedly call the police service because they suspected telltale images of possible persons of interest would disappear with a seven day period. Also some people who worked for the Shermans were not interviewed properly. Soon after these mistakes became known, the Sherman children understandably incensed by the way the police were handling matters, hired a famous lawyer to head a separate investigation into the killings. Almost three years later, not much progress has been made in the case, except that now the police have acknowledged the killings were most likely not a murder-suicide.
The Sherman appeared to their friends and family as happily married, though there were some oddities in the family's functioning. Barry Sherman was an extremely hardworking business man who preferred to live simply but who did give millions away to charities.In his personal life he was extremely frugal. His wife lived and enjoyed an more affluent lifestyle yet he had not provided for her in a will. The couple gave millions to their two oldest children and though they had helped their two youngest financially with investment purchases, there was a yawning gap between what the older and younger children received. Barry was on fairly good terms with his children yet emails uncovered by the Toronto Star showed that his son Jonathan Sherman detested the way his father did business snd resented his dad's endless charitable donations to a family friend who frittered money away making movie deals for straight-to-video movies, among many other unsuccessful enterprises.
In Canada courts often use publication bans in notorious criminal cases and the Sherman murders were no exception to the rule. Indeed Kevin Donovan, the author of this book and his employer the Toronto Star newspaper had to go to court over the evidence bans. There is still a lot of information that has not be revealed, though recently the fact that Honey Sherman may have had a will has come to light. The separate investigation has, according to police, ended. Yet no killer has be arrested..This is indeed an important unsolved mystery and may continue to be for a long time. Thus,this book provides the reader with an interesting crime story with room for much discussion but with no conclusive solution yet.

[Barbara Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry Sherman was a pioneer in the generic drug industry. Apotex was the number one generic drug company in Canada at the time of his and his wife’s death.
The book contains history of its development, along with mention of court battles.

The Sherman’s bodies were left in a staged manner, Barry and Honey found in a sitting position. Each with a man’s leather belt around their neck that was tied above their head to the stainless-steel railing around the end of the lap pool in the basement.

There were 3 scenarios: double suicide, homicide-suicide and double homicide.

With no signs of forced entry. The investigators believed it was a murder suicide, which shocked all who knew the couple.

Investigations always start at the centre and move out, eliminating suspects as they go.
As the investigation continued, their deaths were ruled a double homicide.
Both died of ligature compression.

The book delves into Barry and Honey’s family history.
A few friends spoke to the writer for this book. Many did not. Including the couple's four adult children.

An interesting little-known fact I learned from this book is that most of the drugs we take these days have a connection to the petroleum industry.

And that the pharmaceutical world is a cutthroat business.

These murders took place in December 2017, during the McArthur arrest and investigation. Many of the most seasoned detectives were not on the Sherman murders.

There are many complications with gaining access to information about this case.
Court order keeps Sherman’s financial history, holdings history and the estate left behind kept secret.
And the police do not want to tip the hand of the murderer or murderers.
So, there are no real theories of whodunit.

I really wanted to see this case solved.
Hopefully, it will be.