Murder city : the bloody history of Chicago in the twenties

A close-up look at Chicago during the 1920s offers a fascinating portrait of a crime-ridden city that became the murder capital of the United States during the era of the Jazz Age and critically analyzes the repercussions of Chicago's criminal and violent past on the events of the present day."Things began as theyusually did: Someone shot someone else." So begins a chapter of MichaelLesy's disturbingly satisfying account of Chicago in the 1920s, theepicenter of murder in America. A city where daily newspapers fell overeach other to cover the latest mayhem. A city where professionals andamateurs alike snuffed one another out, and often for the most banal ofreasons, such as wanting a Packard twin-six. Men killing men, menkilling women, women killing men--crimes of loot and love. Just as Lesy'sfirst book, Wisconsin Death Trip, subverted the accepted notion of the Gay Nineties, so Murder Citygives us the dark side of the Jazz Age. Lesy's sharp, fearlessstorytelling makes a compelling case that this collection of criminalsmay be the progenitors of our modern age.

michael Lesy’s Disturbingly Satisfying Account Of Chicago In The 1920s—the Epicenter Of Murder In America—could Be Fiction, But It’s Not.

kirkus Reviews

many Murders, A Ravenous Press, Villains Ordinary And Extraordinary, Cops Intrepid, Cops Corrupt-all Mingled In Bland Retellings Of Sensational Cases From 1920s Chicago. Lesy (literary Journalism/hampshire Coll.) Revisits 17 Cases. He Begins In 1920 With The Case Of Carl Wanderer, Hanged For Killing His Wife And Another Man. From There, The Author Takes Readers On A Bleak Journey Featuring Sad Little People With Big Guns And No Conscience. Harvey Church Killed Guys For A New Packard. Thomas Catherwood Offed A Woman For $50. A Banker Faced With Financial Ruin, Thanks To An Embezzling Partner, Blew Out His Brains In His Car. Other Sterling Characters Include A Cross-dresser, A Couple Of Hit Men Who Apparently Stepped From The Pages Of Hemingway's The Killers, A Guy Who Decided To Compete With Capone (not A Good Plan) And A Wisconsin Farmer Named Christ Who Dreamed Of His Daughter's Death. The Creepiest, Most Byzantine Case Involves The Disappearance And Death Of Northwestern Student Leighton Mount. Was It Murder? A Hazing Gone Wrong? A Massive Cover-up By The University? Fans Of The Musical Chicago Will Enjoy Reading The Chapter About The Actual Cases It Was Based On, But All This Sordidness Has A Sad, Eye-glazing Sameness That Lesy's Narcotic Narration Deepens Rather Than Relieves. Bodies Drained Of Vital Fluids, Prose Drained Of Affect.

Michael Lesy's portrait of a gruesome era could be fiction but it's not. "Things began as they usually did: Someone shot someone else." So begins a chapter of Michael Lesy's disturbingly satisfying account of Chicago in the 1920s, the epicenter of murder in America. A city where daily newspapers fell over each other to cover the latest mayhem. A city where professionals and amateurs alike snuffed one another out, and often for the most banal of reasons, such as wanting a Packard twin-six. Men killing men, men killing women, women killing mencrimes of loot and love. Just as Lesy's first book, Wisconsin Death Trip , subverted the accepted notion of the Gay Nineties, so Murder City gives us the dark side of the Jazz Age. Lesy's sharp, fearless storytelling makes a compelling case that this collection of criminals may be the progenitors of our modern age. 60 illustrations "Vivid, laconic, and crisp. The bodies fall like dominoes, and every word sounds like it was shot from a gun. And as you might expect from Lesy, the photographs are extraordinary." —Luc Sante Things began as they usually did: Someone shot someone else. So begins a chapter of Michael Lesy's disturbingly satisfying account of Chicago in the 1920s, the epicenter of Murder in America. Just as Lesy’s first book, Wisconsin Death Trip, subverted the accepted notion of the Gay Nineties, so Murder City exposes the dark side of the Jazz Age. Revisiting seventeen Chicago murder cases—including that of Belva and Beulah, two murderesses whose trials inspired the musical Chicago—Lesy's sharp, fearless storytelling makes a compelling case that this collection of criminals may be progenitors of our modern age. Michael Lesy's disturbingly satisfying account of Chicago in the 1920s—the epicenter of murder in America—could be fiction, but it's not."Things began as they usually did: Someone shot someone else." So begins a chapter of this sharp, fearless collection from a master storyteller. Revisiting seventeen Chicago murder cases—including that of Belva and Beulah, two murderesses whose trials inspired the musical __Chicago__—Michael Lesy captures an extraordinary moment in American history, bringing to life a city where newspapers scrambled to cover the latest mayhem. Just as Lesy's book __Wisconsin Death Trip__ subverted the accepted notion of the Gay Nineties, so __Murder City__ exposes the tragedy of the Jazz Age and the tortured individuals who may be the progenitors of our modern age. Michael Lesy's disturbingly satisfying account of Chicago in the 1920s—the epicenter of murder in America—could be fiction, but it's not."Things began as they usually did: Someone shot someone else." So begins a chapter of this sharp, fearless collection from a master storyteller. Revisiting seventeen Chicago murder cases—including that of Belva and Beulah, two murderesses whose trials inspired the musical Chicago —Michael Lesy captures an extraordinary moment in American history, bringing to life a city where newspapers scrambled to cover the latest mayhem. Just as Lesy's book Wisconsin Death Trip subverted the accepted notion of the Gay Nineties, so Murder City exposes the tragedy of the Jazz Age and the tortured individuals who may be the progenitors of our modern age. Carl Wanderer -- Cora Isabelle Orthwein -- Harvey Church -- Catherwood -- Roach And Mosby -- Arthur, Eleanor, And Kate -- The Banker -- Leighton Mount -- Fred-frances -- Duffy Double Murder -- Belva And Beulah -- Assassins -- Hymie Weiss -- Christ's Dream -- Diamond Joe -- Pearl -- Three Murders. Michael Lesy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 311-321) And Index. Offers a portrait of Chicago during the 1920s as it became the murder capital of the United States and analyzes how some of Chicago's leaders participated in the criminal and violent activities of the period