THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SIR HARRY OAKES

by Geoffrey Bocca ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 1959

The hugely interesting story of Harry Oakes is singularized by several things; by the money he made- which he assured everyone he would as a young man, an unworldly one at that; by the way he died,""violently"", which he also forecast at the same time; and by the fact that he succeeded in being as disagreeable, and as universally disliked, as he was rich-money only released the worst in his nature. His life is actually more interesting than his death which remains unsolved. At 23, he went off to the Klondike and his search for gold took him around the world. Many years later a Hungarian woman advised him to return to Canada, Ontario, to the spot where he hit the ""ultimate bonanza"", although for five years he sat on it- trying to raise the money to mine it- fighting his way to develop one of the richest veins ever discovered. He married a gentle woman late in his forties, one of the few people he trusted; he had five children- one of whom was to marry the ""playboy- philanderer""- an untrue picture- accused of his murder. The investigation which followed was fluffed by the Duke of Windsor- then in the Bahamas- concealed rather than revealed any clues-and the case is still open.... It's quite a story- and Bocca has made it an entertaining as well as a curious one.

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1959

Categories: NONFICTION