ISBN #: 978-1-939521-49-1 PUBLISHER: Strategic Media Books.

Excerpt:

Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind Machine Gun Kelly is a biography of the woman who made a career of crime. With a lust for danger, she masterminded the crimes that took her and her husband, and others who included her own mother and stepfather, on a spree across Minnesota, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas. Starting with smaller crimes that included bootlegging, smuggling liquor onto an Oklahoma Indian reservation, and other petty crimes, she encouraged her husband, George Barnes aka George Kelly, toward a life of more serious criminal activity that eventually escalated into bank robberies, kidnapping and extortion. Many believe that it was Kathryn, after giving him a machine gun, who developed George's feared persona and the name of Machine Gun Kelly. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was even convinced that the two were somehow connected in the Lindbergh kidnapping. Kathryn and Machine Gun Kelly were eventually captured after kidnapping Charles Urschel, a wealthy Oklahoma City oilman, and collecting a $200,000 ransom the largest ransom ever paid at that time. Eventually, the two were captured in Memphis, where Kelly had grown up as a boy. During their trial in Oklahoma City, movie cameras were allowed into the courtroom for the first time as curious spectators across the nation watched. Kathryn, while claiming to be an innocent victim in a bad marriage, remained unrepentant, smiling and primping for the cameras, and writing threatening letters to the judge and attorneys assigned to the case as well as her victims. Convicted in 1933, Kathryn served twenty- five years of her life sentence at FPC Alderson, West Virginia, when in 1958 she was finally released into obscurity. Although much has been written about Machine Gun Kelly, there is very little known about Kathryn. Through narrative, FBI files, rare quotes from George Kelly's son and other relatives and associates, extensive research, and several photographs, Kathryn Kelly - The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly , is the first book ever written about a woman who chose to follow a life of crime during the Prohibition era.

Reviews:

How bank robber “Machine Gun” Kelly got his nickname In the early 1930s banks in the United States were terrorized by a bunch of high profile armed robbers who roamed the mid-west. One of these notorious men was Tennessee, Mississippi-born “Machine Gun” Kelly. Starting out as a bootlegger, he switched careers after a stint in prison and became a fulltime bank robber feared throughout the country. He did so with help of his loving wife Kathryn who did much more than just stand by her man. In Barbara Casey’s soon-to-be- released book Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind “Machine Gun” Kelly readers get the full story behind Kathryn and her husband. Posted by Gangsters Inc. on August 9, 2015 at 12:14pm 5 out of 5 stars - Great book (Review posted in Amazon.com) Format: Paperback By Alaina on May 16, 2016 Katherhryn Kelly - The Moll Behind “ Machine Gun” Kelly , by Barbara Casey, is the story of the 1930s criminal, Katherine Kelley. The book starts with a quote by J. Edgar Hoover, which states the citizens feared a kidnapper that went by the name of Machine Gun Kelly. There was someone else who should have been feared more which was his wife. This book had many interesting things I did not know. This case involved so many “first”. This case was the first one to be tried after the “Lindbergh Law” was passed. This law made kidnapping a federal crime. This was also the first case solved by the FBI which was growing at the time. Also first time the defendants were transported by airplane and the list keeps going. This book is a nonfiction account of the lives of these criminals. This book is a very informative read. The reader can tell that the author put much thought and preparation when writing this book. Not only did the author use the typical records, but she also uses FBI documents, stories from the newspaper, magazine articles, and other resources. Reading what the media had written during this part of history made this book even more interesting. It actually seemed to put the reader back in time to the 1930s. The book has an excellent flow to it. This is one of those books that really makes a person want to read more nonfiction. This is a great book for those who love the era of gangs and mobsters. This book covers who the people were, their crimes (which it goes in depth of the kidnapping of Urschel), the capture, the pursuit, their trial, and so forth. The author did a great job with this book. This book is one I highly recommend to those who love this time period. This is a five out of five star book. I received this book from iRead Book Tours for an honest review. 5 out of 5 stars - A must read for history bluffs ( Review posted in Amazon.com ) Format: Paperback By Mason Canyon on May 12, 2016 The Prohibition era is filled with gangsters and their exploits, but little is known about most of the women in their lives. Author Barbara Casey changes that for George “Machine Gun” Kelly by telling the story of his last wife, Kathryn (Cleo Lera Mae Brooks) Kelly. The story tells of Kathryn’s marriages and daughter before she and George Kelly got together. From there it follows her travels and activities with Kelly until their capture and conviction. It also describes her incarceration and a bit about her life after prison. The author shares the various accounts of Kathryn’s actions during the numerous crimes, as well as her persona during the trial. The author takes readers on the road with the couple through her detailed descriptions. Readers learn Kathryn gave Kelly his first machine gun and built him up to be the notorious gangster people came to fear. Easy to follow, the story is well balanced with an epilogue and notes of interest to round out all those involved. KATHRYN KELLY is a must read for history buffs and fans of true crime. FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the author as part of her blog tour in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely. 5 out of 5 stars - So Interesting ( Review posted in Amazon.com ) Format: Paperback By Margaret Tidwell - The World As I See It on May 13, 2016 Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind “Machine Gun” Kelly by Barbara Casey was a fascinating book. I enjoyed this book because they focused on the facts and didn’t spend time talking about things that didn’t matter. I how well this book flowed, and they only included events you had to know and left out all the other stuff that other authors include in their books sometime. I also loved that the author would tell you something and if it wasn’t 100% confirmed she would just say that it is what was said, but she couldn’t find out if it were a fact or not. This book was a super easy to read, and I loved that the font in this book was bigger than some others I have read lately. I can’t say enough great things about this book because I love reading books that teach me things and this book is one of those types of books. If you love crime novels or biography’s, then I would tell you to pick up this book and check it out. FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own. 5 out of 5 stars - She had more guts than "Machine Gun" Kelly himself... (Review posted in Amazon.com) Format: Paperback By Gaucho on May 6, 2016 Format: Paperback Little has been known about the woman who created the frightening reputation of “Machine Gun” Kelly until now. Through painstaking research, her wonderful writing style, and meticulous attention to detail, author Barbara Casey has written a superb work of nonfiction that introduces the reader to the woman “behind Machine Gun Kelly” - Kathryn . For all who are interested in true crime, history, and the “gangster era,” Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly, is a must read…

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