Product Description

Orchestrated to the sounds of getaway cars and machine guns, the abduction of Oklahoma City businessman Charles Urschel in 1933 was a highly publicized crime in an era when gangsters were folk heroes and kidnapping had become a scourge. The criminals' interstate flight to a desolate hideout in Texas called for federal action, instigating the most intensive manhunt the country had yet seen. It also set in motion a chain of events that would have lasting significance for crime-fighting in America.

In an exciting account of that celebrated manhunt, Stanley Hamilton rekindles the spirit of yesterday's newsreels to chronicle the pursuit and capture of George Machine Gun Kelly and his wife, Kathryn. Tapping a wealth of newspaper reports, court transcripts, literary accounts, and recollections of participants, he draws readers into the chase and its aftermath, unraveling what was then considered the most compelling crime mystery of the day.

Hamilton sets the stage with an overview of the lawlessness of that era and of Kelly's formative years, getting under the skin of a hard-boiled criminal to show us what made Kelly tick. He assembles a cast of larger-than-life characters to weave this tale of true crime, one of the largest of whom was the 38-year-old director of the national police force, J. Edgar Hoover.

Hoover had revitalized an ineffective agency whose operatives were still not authorized to carry firearms or make arrests, and when the Urschel case broke, it was Hoover who stepped up to coordinate the manhunt. Hamilton takes readers behind the scenes in Hoover's operation to show how this case was responsible for popularizing the G-man and institutionalizing the FBI, creating the agent-as-hero image that replaced earlier characterizations of blundering foils to glamorous gangsters.

This iconic kidnapping case, breathlessly followed by a fascinated public, was so quickly and effectively concluded that it was largely instrumental in bringing about the end of the Gangster Era in America. Machine Gun Kelly's Last Stand brings that era to life again by providing a fresh look at one of America's most notorious criminals, vividly recreating the times in which he lived and sharing the stories of the people whose lives he touched.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #259089 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 236 pages

From Booklist
George Kelly, a flamboyant crook during the Depression era, was one of the reasons the federal government became involved in criminal investigation, hitherto largely a local task. The FBI reaped favorable publicity in the kidnapping case that ended Kelly's life on the lam in 1933--"Don't shoot, G-men," Kelly's purported plea when arrested, coined a phrase--but cut corners in its zeal, perhaps unsurprising in an era less punctilious about legal niceties. Author Hamilton dramatizes the central facts of the case in detail redolent of the period. The victim, Oklahoma City oil magnate Charles Urschel, was clapped into a lonely, windblown farmstead on the high Texas plain. Urschel was an unusually keen observer of his surroundings and captors, which he memorized while a friend chugged by steam train to Kansas City to deliver the ransom. Hamilton's account of the entire episode--three months from crime to sentence--certainly offers a contrast with the contemporary pace of justice. Entertainment for true-crime buffs. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Hamilton's thorough research and electric narrative style illuminate George 'Machine Gun' Kelly's sensational criminal career and the untold tale of his subsequent incarceration. In telling Kelly's story, Hamilton also tells the story of his victim, Charles Urschel, and adds an important chapter to the history of kidnapping in the United States." Claire Potter, author of War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture; "Hamilton's authoritative account of the 'Machine Gun' Kelly case offers a fascinating insight into the 'gangster era' of the early '30s and the operations of the FBI. His research is impeccable and his book a terrific read." Lee Grieveson, coeditor of Mob Culture: Essays on the American Gangster Film

From the Back Cover
Hamilton's thorough research and electric narrative style illuminate George ‘Machine Gun' Kelly's sensational criminal career and the untold tale of his subsequent incarceration. In telling Kelly's story, Hamilton also tells the story of his victim, Charles Urschel, and adds an important chapter to the history of kidnapping in the United States.--Claire Potter, author of War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture

Hamilton's authoritative account of the ‘Machine Gun' Kelly case offers a fascinating insight into the ‘gangster era' of the early ‘30s and the operations of the FBI. His research is impeccable and his book a terrific read.--Lee Grieveson, coeditor of Mob Culture: Essays on the American Gangster Film

Customer Reviews

Last word on Machine Gun Kelly
Having read many books on gangsters you come across some real turkeys but Stanley Hamilton's account of Machine Gun Kelly's crimes was very well written without the usual padding out that some writers tend to use.

It is a very informative account of the kidnapping and aftermath which kept me gripped until the end.

The book's ending was, for once, a surprise and I would recommend this title to readers who like True Crime to be based on facts and not the fiction.

Urschel kidnapping comes alive
Stanley Hamilton's account of the Urschel kidnapping is very good in this book. He has some new information on George "Machine Gun" Kelly, which has not be published previously. This book is good reading and should be in your library of crime books. A great job!

Mike Koch, author of "The Kimes Gang."

Engaging account of ones of the century's biggest crimes
Being a fan of old black and white gangster movies, I jumped at the chance to read this one. Hamiltons book reads like a novel and dispels a number of myths surrounding the kidnapping of oil magnate Charles Urschel, the major players in the crime and J. Edgar Hoovers fledgling FBI. Turns out that the image of Machine Gun Kelly portrayed by the FBI at that time was totally off the mark. And it appears that the brains behind the legend was none other than his wife Kathryn!! You will simply marvel at the story of the victim Charles Urschel and the determined way he approached his predicament. Equally insightful is the story of the FBI and how J. Edgar Hoover manipulated the press in order to prop up his agency. Cannot not say enough good things about this book. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended!!