“This is where the story ends for me. I don’t want to go walking down that road any longer.” — Kathleen Lippa, author of Arctic Predator1
One cannot fault Ms. Lippa for her decision to discontinue the Edward Horne story, one she so wonderfully covers — and uncovers — in Arctic Predator.
She points out in a recent Substack post:
“‘The Ed Horne story’ which began in notebooks in Iqaluit, is now Arctic Predator on bookshelves far and wide. I wanted the story to be over so I could move on as writers do. But information new to me about Ed Horne’s contact with children in Nicaragua came to light. Once Arctic Predator became Googleable, Central Americans tracked me down. I was drawn in to answer their questions. But I have this to report: I am not working on a sequel or updated version of Arctic Predator.”
The Central American connection makes for an interesting enough sequel in itself, as it turns out an unidentified dying man in a hospital in the Central American country of Guatamala was, indeed, Edward Thornton Horne. Soon after this discovery was made, Mr. Horne passed away.
From Kathleen’s Substack post Breaking News: Edward Horne has died in Guatemala
“Ed Horne, the notorious sexual predator who abused over 100 Inuit boys in Nunavut and served two jail sentences for his crimes in the North, has died in hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He was 81.
Horne died at Hospital San Juan de Dios in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in Central America on Tuesday, July 29, at 22:00, from septic shock, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and kidney disease. It is also believed Horne was suffering from dementia. He had been in hospital since June 30.”
Arctic Predator: The Book
I must admit that when I was first offered Arctic Predator to review, I assumed it was a horror-fiction book, and not about the real-life horrors of a trusted schoolteacher abusing young boys in Canada’s North. I was only when the book came in the mail that I saw the subtitle: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North. Not exactly the type of book I would have chosen to review, but I am a man of my word, so here we are.
Ms. Lippa has assembled a comprehensive picture of Ed Horne, the man accused and sentenced for abusing young boys in various schools scattered across the settlements in the Arctic. The real travesty of this story was that it went undetected for many years and when it came to light, undealt with due to various factors.
The review process presented certain challenges for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the subject itself proved difficult. Secondly, the accused, while intelligent, comes across as a megalomaniacal liar, which caused me to set the book aside repeatedly. I found it difficult to continue reading about his ongoing abuses and the inaction of his superiors in addressing complaints from the community. In addition, he was never disciplined.
The reader cannot help but feel sympathy for the children, now adults, who have endured these experiences, with some tragically taking their own lives — including his own son — later in life. While the story is undeniably tragic, I must commend Ms. Lippa for her excellent journalistic writing style. Furthermore, her thorough research is noteworthy, as evidenced by her interviews with individuals connected to the case, including educational officials, law enforcement personnel, and even Ed Horne himself, before his departure from the country.
Especially poignant is the final chapter, “Kinngait, March 2022” in which the author visits the portable schoolhouse where abuses occurred. Ms. Lippa meets with some of Ed Horne’s victims, and it’s evident that even though they may have received a monetary settlement, it wasn’t enough to purchase sufficient alcohol to eradicate the memories of one man. “It never really felt like justice” he tells Ms. Lippa.
There are chapter notes, selected bibliography, and an index, making this feel like a course text, or required/suggested reading for those who regularly deal with the survivors of abuse, such as counsellors or psychotherapists. Dundurn Press has produced some excellent non-fiction titles of late, and Arctic Predator is no exception.
About the Author
Kathleen Lippa is a Canadian journalist. She divides her time between Ottawa and St. John's.
About the Reviewer
James M. Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of The Seaboard Review of Books. He lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick with his wife Diane, their Tabby cat Eddie and Buster the Red Merle Border Collie. James works as an MRI Technologist at the Miramichi Hospital.
Book Details
Publisher : Dundurn Press
Publication date : Feb. 4 2025
Language : English
Print length : 280 pages
ISBN-10 : 1459754808
ISBN-13 : 978-1459754805
Full disclosure: I invited Ms. Lippa to be a co-author, as she has allowed me to take large portions of her Substack articles on Ed Horne to be used in my review. Initially, I was going to ask her some follow-up questions regarding the book, but her posts covered that material, so I included it here. Her Substack is:
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