Wicked Atlanta

Book excerpt: This true crime history reveals Atlanta’s frontier brothels, daredevil bootleggers, killer politicians, Reconstruction Era rogues, and much more. Over the centuries, Atlanta has seen its share of sordid and salacious stories. Wealthy felons once hosted elaborate parties inside the federal penitentiary. Billionaire bootleggers and murderous socialites practiced corruption that reached all the way to the White House. The city’s fast and fearless drivers, complete with glamorous reputations and criminal careers, gave rise to auto racing. In Wicked Atlanta, author and local historian Laurel-Ann Dooley digs up some of the most shocking and fascinating true tales from Atlanta’s infamous history. She reveals a colorful past of murder, kidnapping, bribery, wives hiring hit men and all sorts of criminal debauchery.