Lorna Poplak

Fascinating stories of the age-old tug-of-war between prisons desperate to keep inmates inside and the escapees pursuing freedom.

A convict who returned to the prison he had recently escaped from in a vain attempt to foment a mass breakout; a murderer on the run who veered from folk hero to persona non grata after killing a police dog; a fugitive from the United States who was seized in Canada after being featured on America’s Most Wanted; a repeat escapee who shot himself, preferring death to recapture; a serial killer on the prowl in a small community — these are just a few of the felons whose prison break escapades continue to enthrall and terrify.

Along with probing the origins, structure, and shortcomings of a variety of historic and contemporary correctional institutions, On the Lam brings into sharp focus the attempts — sometimes successful, occasionally deadly — of masterminds, tricksters, scoundrels, and innocents to claw their way to freedom.

With two award-nominated non-fiction publications with Dundurn Press, articles appearing in The Toronto Star and other publications and on the TV Ontario website, and short stories included in two anthologies, Lorna is establishing herself as an authority on the history of crime and punishment in Canada.

Published 2025