The society people have a puritanical bent tinged with racism. Also recommended for anyone with an interest in New Orleans or the history of vice and prostitution, jazz, or political corruption. Comparisons to Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City (2007), about vice in Chicago's Levee District during the same period, are inevitable if you liked that book, chances are you'll like this one, too. Krist's research is extensive, and his prose moves smoothly, but there is sometimes no obvious connection among events other than the fact that they occurred in New Orleans during a set time frame the Axeman story in particular, though interesting, feels like an interlude that belongs in a different book. Ironically, Anderson is one of the least colorful characters in his own story (relative anonymity worked to his advantage, for the most part), a story that includes the likes of Carrie Nation, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and assorted politicians, reformers, madams, gangsters, musicians, policemen, and regular ('ordinary' doesn't fit most people here) citizens.

In between are tales of mass murderers (gunman Robert Charles and the riots that led to his capture the still-unsolved 'Axeman' murders) the origin and evolution of jazz in New Orleans and its migration to the rest of the country the unique history of race relations in New Orleans and one of the first experiments to control the spread of vice through designated neighborhoods. history) and the coming of Prohibition, which killed off Storyville forever. Show More 1890 shooting of police chief David Hennessy and subsequent lynching of Italians (still the largest mass lynching in U.S. The bones of the book would actually make a fine HBO miniseries along the lines of Boardwalk Empire, whose name it too-heavily echos, considering the colorful backdrop, lurid events, and wide-ranging cast of characters. Making cameos are more widely-known figures such as Carrie Nation and Louis Armstrong (Krist's re-telling of the beginnings of jazz during this period, featuring Buddy Bolden, Sidney Bechet, and others, is handled well). Parkerson-and I hadn't-you'll learn a lot of fascinating history in this book.

If you've never heard of Storyville, Tom Anderson, Robert Charles, Chief Hennessy, the Parish Prison lynching, or W.

In fact, if you enjoy Larson's tales of history and murder, you'll probably enjoy Krist's book, even though the 'murder' part of the subtitle, derived from his re-telling of the Axman murders which took place in New Orleans at the time, feels tacked on to the main story, rather than integral to it (and ends rather anticlimactically, since the murderer was never apprehended). Show More books like Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck. It is not the deepest book, due to covering various topics, but it's a great primer for developing deeper interest in these topics. I would recommend this book for people who enjoy US history, and want a clear view of the progression and effects of the 'moral' crusades of this period (including prohibition). This is also the period where Jim Crow started to take hold in New Orleans (later than most of the south), and much of the will behind campaigns against vice was directed at making 'racial mixing' illegal. The author is quick to point out privilege and racism where necessary, and I appreciated that. New Orleans has a somewhat unique place in southern US history, due to it's outside status early on and initially more liberal society (compared to the rest of the deep south). This didn't bother me while reading though, just while thinking about my review! The murder aspect of it (following some major crimes of the era) sometimes seemed out of place, especially since there were no moral campaigns directed in that area.The scope of this title is a little hard to pin down, it is both a big picture and narrow history book. The flow between topics worked well, as Krist introduces us to well-known people in this period and we follow them off and on throughout the book.

Show More the writing good if not amazing.

Empire of sin gary krist