Description
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.
About the Author
Michael Lesy is one of America's leading photographic scholars. His books include Wisconsin Death Trip, Murder City, Angel's World, and Long Time Coming. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he teaches literary journalism at Hampshire College.
Reviews
"Gripping and horrifying." -- Chicago Tribune
"[Has] the archaic strangeness of myth." -- The Atlantic
"A magnificent read." -- Dayton Daily News
Book Information
ISBN 9780393330595
Author Michael Lesy
Format Paperback
Page Count 346
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 535g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 155mm * 25mm
