Synopses & Reviews
They were die-hard and deadly partners who made national headlines with their daring bank holdups and gun battles -- and they had a lot of laughs while they were at it. They were known as the Dillinger Gang, but at its heart was "Handsome Harry" Pierpont -- tough, fearless, intelligent, and sworn to live by no law but his own.
Presented as his intimate "confessions," Harry's story takes us from his teenage days as a small-time crook to the pinnacle of his notoriety to his final hours in the penitentiary death house.
In prison, young Harry meets equally young John Dillinger, and they form an unassailable friendship. After John is paroled he helps Harry pull off one of the most infamous prison escapes in U.S. history. Then John is jailed and Harry must in turn liberate him; but the jailbreak comes at a tragic cost and ultimately seals Harry's fate.
In four blazing months of freedom before he meets that fate, Harry and John and their three steadfast partners -- Red, Russell, and Fat Charley -- establish themselves as the most legendary outlaw gang of the twentieth century. They rob banks. Shoot it out with police and federal agents and rival gangs. Make harrowing getaways. And all the while -- from the Midwest to Florida to Arizona, and in the company of their bold and memorable women -- they have a grand time of it.
Crafted in James Carlos Blake's signature style of fast-paced violence, sizzling sex, and darkly raucous humor, Handsome Harry brings to life a thrilling chapter from the chronicles of American crime.
Review
"Blake has created a deeply flawed character, eloquent enough to tell his tale but perhaps not perceptive enough to understand its significance. Fans of true crime and gangster stories will undoubtedly enjoy this 'ripped from the history books' adventure..." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[Blake's] seductive sentences often prompt comparison to the hard lyric twang of Cormac McCarthy's strings....Fewer wild woodnotes than usual, but masterful detail with a steady current of electric storytelling." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] breezy, blood-soaked tip of the fedora to simpler times....Ably squeezing the last drop of juice from a familiar outlaw narrative, Blake brings this gin-soaked era roaring back to life." Frank Sennett, Booklist
Review
"The banality of evil notwithstanding, the swift adventures of this bunch of perfidious pragmatists...make for irresistibly compulsive reading. Fans of true crime and noir may enjoy this hybrid of James Ellroy and Max Allan Collins..." Library Journal
Synopsis
The renowned author pens his most commercial novel to date a thrilling retelling of the John Dillinger story.
About the Author
James Carlos Blake is the author of nine novels. Among his literary honors are the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Southwest Book Award, Quarterly West Novella Prize, and Chautauqua South Book Award. He lives in Arizona.