My Wish Lists Login / Join

Making a Killing

Name: Making a Killing
Brand: University of Toronto Press
Price: 152.75 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

Murder and Life Insurance in 1890s Ontario

By: Ian Radforth

Write A Review

Hardcover | 20 October 2026

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.9 x 1.5

Hardcover

RRP $160.00

$152.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $38.19 with

Available: 20th October 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

In late nineteenth-century Canada, the life insurance industry expanded impressively, offering policy-holders a greater sense of security. However, insurance fraud quickly followed in the footsteps of this boom, with murder sometimes being a deadly outcome.

Making a Killing examines six legal cases in 1890s Ontario, where the Crown alleged that the accused had resorted to committing murder to obtain life insurance payouts. The scenarios varied widely, from a staged logging accident to conceal a murder, to a farmer’s wife who allegedly sought to collect the insurance on her husband by putting arsenic in the rhubarb she fed him. Newspapers eagerly reported these and other sensational crimes. Whether farmers or city dwellers, prosperous or poor, all the alleged perpetrators latched onto the quick money promised by the murder of an insured person.

Legal historian Ian Radforth mines legal records and newspaper reports to reconstruct these alleged insurance murders and situate them in their Victorian contexts. Together, the fascinating cases reveal how insurance fraud emerged as a prominent public concern in Ontario and beyond.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.