The Ghosts That Haunt Me is a memoir by semi-retired Canadian police detective Steve Ryan. He’s since left the police force and is now a crime reporter, which I do believe might be better for his mental health.

Within these pages are the cases that got to Ryan. Even though they were resolved, they are the most disturbing and haunt him the most. And reading them, it is incredibly disturbing to see how cavalier some people can be about human lives. Especially those that they supposedly love and care for.

If you’re into this genre of reading I would definitely recommend this one. I did have to not read a few of these right before bed, which isn’t usually a thing with me. But, there’s something about true stories of human depravity that just wouldn’t have helped me sleep with this one.

If I had to choose a second favorite trope of books, it just might be police procedural thrillers and real life detectives. This falls into the latter of those. It is always interesting to read about retired detectives and their most memorable cases. The ones that leave their marks on detectives.
This was a good book that I definitely enjoyed reading. Would definitely suggest it to those that enjoy this type of book.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book intrigued me since it’s non-fiction. Hearing how detectives solve crimes is interesting to me. I like the puzzle aspect of it. This book was right up my alley. However, so much of it is filler from the author’s personal life that I ended up skimming a lot.

The six cases the author discusses are really interesting, and I’m glad I read the book because of them. The author is clearly not a writer by trade, and he relied on a lot of cliches and unimportant information to fill the book. Instead, I wish he had profiled 10-12 cases and went into more detail regarding them. Overall, this book was fine, but if I recommend it to people, I’m going to recommend skimming parts.

Steve Ryan, a retired detective with over a decade of service in Toronto’s homicide squad, didn’t merely read about Toronto’s most infamous crimes in the morning paper. They were his everyday life.

Having investigated well over a hundred homicides, Ryan could never shake the memory of those tragedies and victims, even in his retirement from the police force. In “The Ghosts That Haunt Me,” he reflects on six of the numerous cases that deeply impacted him.

Ryan masterfully paints the backdrop, depicting once-idyllic communities that were shattered by violence. His primary focus lies on the surviving families, treating them with the utmost respect. While he naturally delves into the motives of the perpetrators, it’s evident that he holds great compassion for the families left in the wake of these tragedies, earning the highest respect.

Each case is given its dedicated chapter, and Ryan’s humanity shines through every page. He openly shares his struggles with evidence, witness statements, and bureaucratic hurdles, bringing out the raw realism of each harrowing story. This connection humanizes Ryan as a person first and a cop second, making the narrative all the more powerful.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a former investigator, I could empathize with Steve's perspective--there are victims and crimes that haunt you and as a human, it's your responsibility to figure out how to not let them eat you alive. Gut wrenching and poignant this book is a look inside one of the most shaded and isolating jobs.

I want to start this off by saying you really should not go into this book without checking the triggers. Detective Steve Ryan had seen a lot during his time on the police force and it would have made me quit. I had to take breaks every so often because some of his cases just made me cry. My heart goes out to everyone involved in the cases and to Steve Ryan.

Thank you, Netgalley and Dundurn Press for letting me give my honest review.

This book is great. You get the perspective of a long time toronto police detective. The book covers some of the most high profile murders in Toronto. At times it was hard to read because of the content but I couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days. If you are interested in detective stories you will enjoy this read.

This was an eye-opening and emotional firsthand account of a homicide investigator in Canada. There are cases I've never even heard of and any true crime fan would love this book. The detective is very likeable and you can certainly feel his emotion and sadness over the senseless crimes especially against children he had to investigate and solve. I would love to see more from this author with more case files. This was a great read and I'm glad I had a chance to review it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting and well written. I just couldn't put it down. As a true crime readers I often think of the victims, their family and sometimes even the killer's family. I think about how the crime has effected their lives, but I don't often think of the detectives that work the cases, this book gave me a look into their lives and just how hard working murder cases can be for them.

The Ghosts That Haunt Me is a quick, intense read for those who have an interest in true crime. Steve recalls his cases in vivid detail and I can say that I'm grateful that the world has people like him - completely selfless and called to help people who can't help themselves. I would highly recommend that a reader take breaks in between cases. The subject material is very heavy and may not be for everyone. I think Steve did a wonderful job with this memoir and I hope that writing all of this down and sharing has lightened his burden.

The Ghost That Haunt Me by Steve Ryan was a very interesting book as it was from the prospective of a homicide detective. Even though he was writing about horrible crimes I actually wished he had given us even more cases that he still thinks about as I know there are many more. I’m just glad he let us join him into the sad, perplexing, difficult yet sometimes rewarding life of those who keep us safe and allow us to sleep without leaving the lights on. Thank you Detective Ryan for your dedication to catching the bad guy.

After investigating over one hundred homicides, Ryan can never forget the tragedies and the victims, even after his retirement from the police force. "In The Ghosts That Haunt Me, he reflects on six of the many cases that greatly impacted him — seven people whose lives were senselessly taken — and that he still thinks about nearly every day. While the stories are hard to tell for Ryan, they were harder to live through. Yet somewhere between the crimes and the heartache is a glimmer of hope that good eventually does prevail and that healing can come after grief."

I can see that others enjoyed this book, but I found it less to be about being a detective and more about being a bad husband and father because of fighting crime. I guess he fits the stereotype often seen in shows and movies.
I found the book to be whiney and woe is me with very little that I remember regarding cases and criminals. As a true crime buff, it was underwhelming and quite annoying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for this copy for my very honest review.

The Ghosts that Haunt Me is an unflinching depiction of the impact of murder from the experiences of retired detective, Steve Ryan. Released 13 Sept 2022 by Dundurn Press, it's 232 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is quite a difficult read. The author is a retired career law enforcement officer with 30 years experience, 10 of which he served as a homicide detective. The memoir is written around his recollections of 6 specific cases, and he does a good job of recreating the grinding desperation, sadness, and sometimes slogging work of policing, including bringing cases to resolution. The standout for me was a deeper understanding of the loss and horrible cost of murder. The writing is unpolished but effective, describing horrific acts and the investigative aftermath plainly and directly. It makes for difficult reading throughout.

He covers 6 cases from Toronto in which he was involved. The first of them was the murder and dismemberment of a young girl, aged 10 at the time of her death. He does a good job of also describing the ancillary services, social, criminal, and medical which are involved in the investigation, solution, and resolution of criminal assault and murder.

Four stars. Recommended for fans of very gritty true-crime stories/podcasts.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I am so thankful for the arc I got from netgalley. I am a true crime junkie and hearing about the cases straight from the cop... it's as personal as you can get next to the victims or killer. This book sad heavy and intense and heartbreaking. Yet i could not put it down. It gives you an appreciation for the police force who deal with this personally

I really wanted to love this book. The author was a dedicated detective who had to deal with horrific crimes. He appears to have dealt with victims' family members and others impacted by murders in a professional while compassionate way. I get the impression that he was very good at his job. He obviously cared about getting justice for victims and their surviving loved ones.

He told the stories of grisly murders in a way that was respectful to the victims and didn't sensationalize the accounts. I appreciated that.

He was quite forthright about how it affected him to face so much violence, along with the other demands of the job. Maybe that was part of the problem -- he was almost too forthright about his feelings. There's an old rule about writing -- "show, don't tell." While a memoir is a format less bound by that than other genres, there is still value in that adage.

I think the book would have been more effective for me if he relied more on "showing" the details of how difficult the work was -- simply demonstrating the long hours, the lack of family time, and all the rest -- rather than constantly harping on the topic. He was complaining about the difficulties of night shift work before he even got to the first murder he dealt with on the job. Having worked plenty of odd shifts in my lifetime, I think that slightly soured me on the book before he really had a chance to get my attention.

All in all, it was a good read, but not quite as good as I'd hoped it would be.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I love love love books like this. I want to know all about how these people work and the stories that come up along the way. An excellent book containing cases that haunt the author, a retired homicide detective in Toronto. I enjoy true crime and always have had a soft spot for the first responders that have to deal with the gruesome, often heartbreaking scenes they see. This book, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, really drove home not only the trauma, but the details, the intensity of the investigations, and the extra heartbreak when solutions aren't found, the red tape gets in the way, or when the victim is a child...

This is an intense read, but so very worth it. The author does a very good job and made me feel as if I were right there with him. I learned several things along the way and my heart hurt for the crime victims and the first responders.

I enjoyed reading this nonfiction story. This is my first book by this author which I look forward to seeing what is next for him. This is a well written story where the author talks about his experience as a homicide detective. They are true experiences that will pull at your soul and honor for the man who did the job. This is a fast paced, engaging book that was hard to put down. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Heart wrenching and real!! This was a fabulously written book and I enjoyed every minute. Though the subject and emotions are hard to hear, I was truly transported.

TW: mention of SA, DV, child abuse and neglect, homicide

Written by a retired detective, who served around 30 years for the Canadian police force- with a decade as a homicide detective in Toronto. He retells the 6 homicide cases that he could never forget. He discusses and explains the process from discovery of the body, conducting the investigation, to the justice system and subsequent trial/outcome. The cases are gruesome and can be difficult to read through but the storytelling is very respectful and thorough.

I am a big fan of true crime stories, so I was excited to read this novel. Ryan gives enough background detail about the Canadian justice system and process, so the reader can understand. Throughput the stories, Ryan entwines its impact on the community, their resiliency, and hope.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩: In this book, Steve Ryan, a former Toronto Police officer, now crime specialist for CP24, highlights six crime cases from his years of service in the force.

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨: I am going to begin by saying that this book is an amazing read! I have not heard of any of these Canadian cases before and so am glad to learn about them.

Although the author only shared six cases, these cases are brutal, heartbreaking, and shocking! So, there is a boatload of trigger warnings here (𝑠𝑒𝑥𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑡, 𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚, 𝑒𝑡𝑐).

I appreciate the author's honesty in sharing his struggles, challenges, and how working in homicide affected his mental health in the long run. Those were difficult to read.

Overall, this was an engaging read and it will stay in my mind for a long time. It was both a heartbreaking and heartwarming read. I highly recommend this book to all true crime aficionados!


𝑃𝑢𝑏. 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤

***𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝐷𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛.***