Karen Abbott

"A narrative history of George Remus, who the press called "king of the bootleggers," and a Jazz-Age murder trial"--

The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America

The Ghosts of Eden Park

Heather Ellis

I received a Netgalley copy of this book from Crown Publishing in exchange for a review.

This is a perfect book for a fan of the 1920s. You have gangsters, crooked lawmakers and upstanding citizens trying to keep it all together. As a historian I really liked how the author quoted heavily from different archival sources. These won't be too strenuous for the average reader, the use of the trial transcripts as a way to break up the action in the first half of the book was a unique narrative device. 

Sometimes I found the plot to lag a bit, I wanted a bit more urgency between the lawmakers and the lawbreakers. I also wished that there were more examples that showed the widespread interest in the trial. 

Overall I think this is a great book about an interesting and lesser known cast of characters in US history. Gatsby would be proud!

The Ghosts of Eden Park The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America

Reviews