I don’t recall how The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott got on my radar. Probably from a social media outlet or one of the many bookish emails arrive to my inbox daily. I was intrigued by the book as I enjoy true crime stories.

George Remus leaves his law practice to bootleg whiskey. He becomes rather wealthy and famous during the early 1920’s. He and his second wife, Imogene, live in a lavish mansion in Cincinnati, Ohio. They host extravagant parties and hand out party favors of diamonds and new cars.

Rare for this time period, a woman, Mabel Willebrandt, is the federal prosecutor assigned to demolish George Remus and his empire of bootlegged whiskey. She assigns experienced investigator, Franklin Dodge, to work the case with her. Quickly enough, Remus is federally incarcerated for violating the Volstead Act. As most criminals learn, there is no loyalty among the players in the criminal lifestyle. Remus’ wife, Imogene, drifts away and communication between the two rapidly declines. Ironically, Imogene and Doge begin an affair and plot to destroy Remus. Tension and rage escalate between the three, and naturally someone ends up murdered.

While I can identify a lot of strengths for this book, it was just okay for me. Bootlegging is not a crime that interests me very much. I have a low tolerance for criminals who are narcissistic and think they are invincible. Remus’ grandiose behavior was nauseating, especially in the beginning of the story. With that being said, the book is very well written and extensively researched. Remus called Cincinnati his home, so I enjoyed learning about the city and surrounding areas where he engaged in his criminal business. I liked the historical Jazz Age setting of the story too. The book closed nicely with a description of how the remaining people lived out the rest of their lives.

I borrowed the audiobook from the Libby app. Narrator, Rob Shapiro, was the voice for the portions of the story that pertained to Remus and Dodge. When the story was told from the perspective of Willebrandt, narrator Cassandra Cambell was her voice. Both are top notch narrators.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog ( )

The Ghosts of Eden Park is a case study in an unanswerable question: What should historical nonfiction do? It examines George Remus, a Cincinnati bootlegger, whose character was wildly eccentric and whose life was full of glamour and crime. Abbott writes his story with great kindness: She presents the facts and circumstances of his life, his crime, and his significant criminal trial without judgement. She surely spent years researching him, but we don’t find out whether she thinks his crime was premeditated or the result of sudden insanity, whether his theatrical behavior was genuine or carefully planned. Since Prohibition isn’t exactly a current event, I expected a judgment, an analysis with the light the present can shed on the past, but this story is presented as complexly as a modern news story, and with as little forced conclusion. A smooth read, and I'll be looking for more Abbott. ( )

I picked this book up on a whim. I’m glad I did. It was very entertaining. The story took place primarily in the Prohibition era, the Harding-Coolidge administrations. George Remus was a bootlegger who despite all his efforts, influence and money could not escape legal problems and threats of violence from other gangsters. What bought George down was not all the FBI and Justice Department personnel assigned to investigate and bring him to trial, but his wife.

His relationship with his wife is worthy of Jekyl and Hyde. He loves her. He hates her. He wants to kill her (which he eventually does). He mounts an incredible legal defense that he himselfs spearheads.

There are payoffs, violence, adultery, blackmail and political games---this story is like Lifestles of the Rich and Famous---Prohibion era style.

Hard to believe this is not fiction but a recap of actual events. There are also quite a few interesting characters in the book that made this book hard to put down. ( )

Before Al Capone is known, a German immigrant, George Remus sees the many opportunities Prohibition offers and seizes the chance. Although he was currently working as a lawyer he becomes the king of the bootleggers. In a few years, he and his wife Imogene amass a fortune. The best cars, clothes, s huge mansion in Cincinnati with all the best furnishing. Remus even has a swimming pool built just for Imogene.

This massive display if wealth comes to the attention of Mabel Willebrandt, a woman, one of only s few, in charge of prosecuting these notorious bootleggers. She sends her investigator Dodge, a huge mistake as it provides the impetus for all that follows, including the nurse.

Narrative non fiction, easy to follow, well researched and quite interesting. Jazz age excess and crime, seems to go hand in hand. Such an interesting time period. The descriptions are vividly portrayed and one gets s good sense of the characters and their motives. Hearing actual parts of the trial was an added bonus.

The narrators were Rob Shapiro and Cassandra Campbell who I thought were excellent. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed reading this book a ps much as I did by listening to the audio. ( )

The story of George Remus, famous bootlegger during the 20’s and the wealth he accumulated. This is just part of the story! A real page turner. Lots of research obviously went into writing this book. ( )