THE CALIFORNIA SNATCH RACKET

True crime lovers will want to read, reread and relish THE CALIFORNIA SNATCH RACKET, a gripping detail of kidnapping during the Prohibition and Depression eras.

Historians, James R. Smith and W. Lane Rogers teamed up and brilliantly chronicled crimes so horrendous and brutal that even though the perpetrators are long gone, I lock my doors tightly by day and night.

This book tells you how the crime transpired and what the criminal said and thought in direct quotes. Most disturbing was the fiend who dreamed of strewing body parts along the road--what a chilling aspiration.

This is truly a six star book out of five.

Based on the title I thought maybe it was about...

No, never mind.

That's what I was thinking. The Tennis Court Madame...

We are very fortunate to have James R. Smith here--a member of this forum.

He is historysmith. Obviously he is a meticulous writer as he and Lane co-authored this book.

I wish Lane could see how well the book is doing. Today the book placed 81 out of 1072 books--that gives it an A.

Only $11.53 for 395 pages--a real bargain.

It is tightly written with no wasted words.

Rubbish.

Shelagh wrote:

Rubbish.

Shelagh,

Rubbish is in the book.
It made me lonesome.
So is silliness.

Sounds like a lot of silliness to me.

Nonsense! I miss him.

I know.

... and Dick--two wonderful, colorful, unforgettable characters!

I received an email from Jackie and Joey with a new address. I think she was sorry about the anthology.

How is she? I hope she hasn't been brainwashed by you know who.

I just talked to her. She and Joey are moving to Muncie, IN.

Her daughter is there.

I guessed she was moving to be close to her daughter.

Also got the change of address. Jackie remembers those who meant something to Dick.

Back to the topic--if you are forgetting to lock your doors--this is the book for you.

Thanks, Abe,

Lane meant a lot to Dick. I will send Jackie a copy of the book for her housewarming gift.

It is on its way. Lane and Dick thought a lot of each other and it is too bad neither one of them got to see this book come out.

Jackie said it is a book Dick would have loved.

I was tickled to find this today --he gave it five stars also.



Thrilling & scary true crime stories, August 2, 2010
By Charles T. Markee "Grandkee" (Santa Rosa, California United States


This review is from: The California Snatch Racket: Kidnappings During the Prohibition and Depression Eras (Paperback)
A great read! An educational read! Every case a page turner! And a step into the wild past! Crime, history, mystery and adventure combine in each of the tales in this fascinating picture of California crime culture as it was almost a century ago. The real-life criminal characters range from intellectuals to immature fools, and sometimes sociopaths. They execute their crime dramas against a backdrop of seat-of-the-pants police work and out-of-control newspapers hungry for headlines.

Kidnapping for ransom, the Snatch Racket, became a nefarious fad during the Prohibition and the Great Depression, the decades of 1920s and 30s. Smith and Rogers have done a masterful job of research, embedding these crime stories within a historical construct, which both sets the stage for the crime and concludes with its legal resolution. Each story has its own arc, building tension to its conclusion. In addition to recreating events in elaborate detail, the authors have captured the sensationalism that seduced journalists and fired up the populace. Yet, implicit within each story is the rule of law and the legal system that protects us, albeit with slow, ponderous steps.