Book cover of The Boy

Book description

In 1959 Ray and Daisy Cook and their five children were brutally slain in their modest home in the central Alberta town of Stettler. Robert Raymond Cook, Ray Cook’s son from his first marriage, was convicted of the crime, and had the infamy of becoming the last man hanged in…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Boy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I was immediately drawn into the story and admired how the author wrote three parts skillfully and had the tenacity to drive many miles to find the people who took part in the original story to portray what happened.  

I found this to be a powerful book in many ways. It combines the story of the 1959 murder of a family in small-town Alberta, the possible miscarriage of justice, the author’s search for the truth about the case, and a fictional account of a family in which things turned out differently.  

From Karen's list on weave real life crime with memoir.

If you love The Boy...

Ad

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Boy?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 39 books like The Boy.

Browse books like The Boy

Book cover of Survivor Café: The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory
Book cover of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir
Book cover of Through the Glass

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,278

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Boy, you might also like...

Book cover of The Bridge: Connecting The Powers of Linear and Circular Thinking

The Bridge by Kim Hudson,

The Bridge provides a compassionate and well researched window into the worlds of linear and circular thinking. A core pattern to the inner workings of these two thinking styles is revealed, and most importantly, insight into how to cross the distance between them. Some fascinating features emerged such as, circular…

Book cover of And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown

And Then They Were Gone by Ron Cabral,

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978, in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under eighteen. More than half were in their twenties or younger.

The authors taught in a small high school in San Francisco where Reverend Jim…

5 book lists we think you will like!