My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago
by
Douglas Perry (Goodreads Author)
The true story of the murderesses who became media sensations and inspired the musical Chicago
Chicago, 1924.
There was nothing surprising about men turning up dead in the Second City. Life was cheaper than a quart of illicit gin in the gangland capital of the world. But two murders that spring were special - worthy of celebration. So believed Maurine Watkins, a wanna-b...more
Chicago, 1924.
There was nothing surprising about men turning up dead in the Second City. Life was cheaper than a quart of illicit gin in the gangland capital of the world. But two murders that spring were special - worthy of celebration. So believed Maurine Watkins, a wanna-b...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
August 5th 2010
by Viking Adult
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,873)
The minute I finished this book I ran downstairs and put my DVD of the musical "Chicago" in and found new meaning and enjoyment of it.
"The Girls of Murder City" is the true story of the beautiful killers who inspired the Academy Award winning musical "Chicago".
The story is told through the eyes of Maurine Watkins who reported their stories and wrote the play.
Chicago, at this time, had all male juries, and all male juries did not c...more
"The Girls of Murder City" is the true story of the beautiful killers who inspired the Academy Award winning musical "Chicago".
The story is told through the eyes of Maurine Watkins who reported their stories and wrote the play.
Chicago, at this time, had all male juries, and all male juries did not c...more
view 2 comments
Another good read for history fans, especially crime history buffs, as well as fans of the musical "Chicago." The story concentrates on Maurine Watkins, a young, conservative woman from Indiana who moves to Chicago to learn about life and to become a police and courts reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Her stage play, the Broadway hit "Chicago," was a result of her real-life experiences in covering several high-profile murder cases of that age. Fans of "Chicago" will...more
The Girls of Murder City, by Douglas Perry, narrated by Peter Berkrot, produced by Tantor Media, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the story of Maureen Watkins, girl reporter and would-be playwright. The year was 1924, and two women were on death row for brazenly murdering their lovers. There were, of course, other women on death row, but the two in question, were beautiful whereas the others were not attractive, or were immigrants, or women of color. None of them would get the ...more
This is the story of Maureen Watkins, girl reporter and would-be playwright. The year was 1924, and two women were on death row for brazenly murdering their lovers. There were, of course, other women on death row, but the two in question, were beautiful whereas the others were not attractive, or were immigrants, or women of color. None of them would get the ...more
Terrifically engaging story of the true murder trials in Jazz-Age Chicago, which led to the creation of the stage play (and subsequent movies/musical) "Chicago."
In The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago, author Douglas Perry writes of author Maurine Watkins, a young writer who comes to Chicago for some experience, is hired as an uncertain crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and lands smack dab in the reportage of the sensationaliz...more
In The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago, author Douglas Perry writes of author Maurine Watkins, a young writer who comes to Chicago for some experience, is hired as an uncertain crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and lands smack dab in the reportage of the sensationaliz...more
A highly entertaining examination of murderesses in 1920's Chicago and of the culture surrounding them. In 1924 the rate of murders committed by women had risen 400% with murderesses making up 10% of the murdering population. Even more disturbing, almost all of these women got off, often despite overwhelming evidence. In order to be convicted, a murderess had to be non-white and unattractive - other than that, all bets were off.
The stories of the various women in this book, includ...more
The stories of the various women in this book, includ...more
Maurine Watkins was inspired by her job reporting for the Tribune to write the play Chicago. The real life events that inspired her are even more interesting than the fictional characters in the play/musical. Douglas Perry does a good job of describing the times and social mores of 1920s Chicago, the women who killed their lovers, and the women reports who wrote about the crimes. His style of writing has a few drawbacks, the major one being telling the reader what the women are thinking. Unless ...more
This book is a story within a story.......the tale of women who killed their husbands/lovers and the reporter who covered the trials and turned them into the hit play "Chicago".
Murder in Chicago in the 1920s was a daily occurrence but what captured the public's interest for a short period in between gang killings were the "beautiful killers", women who killed and consistently were acquitted. Beauty trumping guilt. The novice reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Maure...more
Murder in Chicago in the 1920s was a daily occurrence but what captured the public's interest for a short period in between gang killings were the "beautiful killers", women who killed and consistently were acquitted. Beauty trumping guilt. The novice reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Maure...more
My review: Have you seen the awesomeness that is the movie/play Chicago? Well this is the story of the women that inspired the story! They were insta-celebrities and all that they had to do was knock off a few annoying men! This book is brief history of some of the first well-known female murderers of the 20's, and the female reporter that covered some of their stories.
Back in the 20's, when gangsters were feared yet adored, it was thought that women were incapable of murder. Unless a ...more
Back in the 20's, when gangsters were feared yet adored, it was thought that women were incapable of murder. Unless a ...more
What a refreshingly interesting read! I enjoyed this book about the women on Murderess Row quite a bit. It was intriguing from every angle--the gossipy stories of these women's crimes, the inside look into how trials worked in the 1920s, and the peek into the world of journalism.
It is absolutely amazing to me that newspapers of the time were so openly biased--writers seem to have even been encouraged to be writing in order to influence the outcomes of the trials.
I really...more
It is absolutely amazing to me that newspapers of the time were so openly biased--writers seem to have even been encouraged to be writing in order to influence the outcomes of the trials.
I really...more
The title of this engaging historical account explains what the book is about but it does not let you in on all the secrets and nuances that happened during this time period. The author has obviously done extensive research to let us in to this exciting and puzzling time in Chicago history. The book focuses on "the MANY murderous girls", the newspapers and reporters take on all the deadly goings on, and THE second city, Chicago. There were so many love or lust driven killings in the...more
Type: {Impress Your Friends Read: notable; prize-winner or all around intelligent crowd conversation piece.}
Rating: {Me Likey: Enjoyable! Particularly for fans of this genre.}
Why You’re Reading It:
- You love history.
- 1920′s Chicago, prohibition, jazz-age really gets you going.
- You love the play Chicago.
- You’re a true crime junkie.
What I Thought:
Whoa nelly! I love anything having to do with the jazz and art deco age — the 1920′s/ 1930′s ar...more
Rating: {Me Likey: Enjoyable! Particularly for fans of this genre.}
Why You’re Reading It:
- You love history.
- 1920′s Chicago, prohibition, jazz-age really gets you going.
- You love the play Chicago.
- You’re a true crime junkie.
What I Thought:
Whoa nelly! I love anything having to do with the jazz and art deco age — the 1920′s/ 1930′s ar...more
Somehow when I read the title of this (and I didn't read the back blurb above before I read the book), I thought that 'inspired Chicago' referred to the city, not the play/musical. I was pleasantly surprised to discover my mistake and thoroughly enjoyed this read. Perry goes into extensive detail about the girls, how they ended up where they were, and the madness of the press as they follow the stories, and sometimes even do a better job of seeing through the girls' beauty for the killers they...more
What a great read! I have been telling myself that I need to read more nonfiction, but nothing had really crossed my desk that I was interested in.
Then this new book came in! I love the musical Chicago & was intrigued. This is a time period in history that was so interesting. Things were really starting to change in the 20s, especially in Chicago. Prohibition, mobsters, gender roles, people moving to the "big city" & getting caught up in the swirl of it all.
I w...more
Then this new book came in! I love the musical Chicago & was intrigued. This is a time period in history that was so interesting. Things were really starting to change in the 20s, especially in Chicago. Prohibition, mobsters, gender roles, people moving to the "big city" & getting caught up in the swirl of it all.
I w...more
If you are a non-fiction lover like I am, you will really like this book. It's about the real life trials that inspired the musical Chicago. It's the stories of the author of the play, the stories behind the lives of the murderesses and their men/husbands. It talks about the hypocrisy of the times, how beautiful women would go free, but how hardened less attractive women served time, or even got the death penalty.
It's a great investigation into the the 1920's of Chicago. A time of Proh...more
It's a great investigation into the the 1920's of Chicago. A time of Proh...more
This book was really entertaining. I LOVED the book at the very begining:I thought the characters were great, the background into Chicago really interesting, and the overall story (of all the alleged murderers together) was great. About half way through the book the sporadic writing went from "funky organization" to a little annoying and repetitive. But, not too much to not finish-I just got good at skimming some of the already stated parts. I think that it was written that way to com...more
If you've ever seen Chicago, this is a great book to read. The show is actually based on the trials of two female murderers (allegedly!), Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. The book not only follows the trials of these two, but it also focuses on the rash of murderers committed by women in Chicago in 1924. It also follows the Chicago Tribune reporter, Maurine Watkins, who was seeking to put some morality back into the city with her sniping criticisms of the hooplah surrounding the trials. (Spo...more
Jessica
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
discussion-groups,
own-print,
history,
nonfiction,
read-2011,
saw-movie-or-show,
in-storage
The Girls of Murder City is a twofold history, telling both the story of the infamous girl gunners who captured Chicago’s attention in the 1920s and of the intrepid girl reporter who covered their trials and turned her experiences into the Broadway phenomenon Chicago. In presenting the sensation that was Chicago’s lady murderesses, Perry focuses his attention on two in particular that captivated the citizens of Chicago and stood out on Cook County’s Murderess Row -- “Beautiful Beulah” Annan and ...more
Candy said: "Author Douglas Perry takes readers back to the Jazz Age when Chicago had six competing newspapers all after the same explosive stories. Fans of the musical Chicago or Devil in the White City will be especially interested in this examination of 1924's "Murderess' Row," when more than a dozen women awaited their days in court. And plucky Maurine Watkins, the Chicago Tribune's "girl reporter" (and later playwright of the stage version of Chicago), offered up-...more
"The Girls of Murder City" follows the real-life women who inspired the musical "Chicago," Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. I really, really enjoyed this book...more than I thought I would, since I don't often read straight history. It helps that this read almost like a novel. The stories could certainly be out of a novel. Chicago during the 1920's was the murder capital of the world, with prohibition in full effect, gangs, and guns. There was also what contemporaries of the ...more
Good book and a good read. For a feminist such as myself, there were some things about the book that grated on me: calling all the women by first names but the men by last names for example. Just disrespectful and so easily remedied. I'm not sure why that made it past the editors.
Being from Chicago, I really appreciated the context of the attitudes towards the women. Very well researched, and you get the full "Chicago" flavor. It's told mostly through one journalist...more
Being from Chicago, I really appreciated the context of the attitudes towards the women. Very well researched, and you get the full "Chicago" flavor. It's told mostly through one journalist...more
I didn't know before reading this book for our library podcast that the play/musical/movie were based on real events, so it was fun to get some of that background. There are some pretty interesting parallels between the media environment in the 1920s and our present day, despite changes in technology, but the people involved were pretty broadly sketched. I don't feel like I learned much more about them than I picked up from the musical, beyond matching the fictional character name to the real-li...more
My experience of this was affected by the narrator of the audiobook. He was amazing. The women in the book book sprang to life under his narration. This book explains the history behind the writing of the play, and then famous musical, "Chicago." I know the musical and love it, so I was interested in the reality. Reality is better than fiction, half the time, and this was one of those times. I'd love to know more about Maurine Watkins, the reporter who wrote the play. She seems ...more
This review is copied and pasted from my website: http://www.ourfictionaddiction.com
After watching the movie Chicago and loving it so much, I was so happy when I stumbled upon this book on Goodreads. I mean, who doesn't love a book on murderesses? Right?
With much anticipation, I started the book and had already incorporated it into the Fall Book Challenge Eli and I are doing. I liked the beginning of the book because it gives you background information of Chicago in ...more
After watching the movie Chicago and loving it so much, I was so happy when I stumbled upon this book on Goodreads. I mean, who doesn't love a book on murderesses? Right?
With much anticipation, I started the book and had already incorporated it into the Fall Book Challenge Eli and I are doing. I liked the beginning of the book because it gives you background information of Chicago in ...more
I'm a big musical fan (I can often be found belting out various Broadway tunes) and I love quirky history non-fiction books. I like books that focus in on some minute part of history that I've never known about before. The Girls of Murder City had been on my TBR list for awhile so when I got an opportunity to read the book through Unputdownables Early Reader group, I was ecstatic. This book tells the true story behind some of the women that inspired the musical, Chicago. For you all not in the B...more
Okay, I'm giving it a four star rating, but I eat-the-hell-up stuff like this. Your enjoyment may vary.
Although at first glance the book looks like it's all about the merry murderesses, it is also very much about crime reporter Maurine Watkins, who wrote about these ladies and their trials and tribulations for the Chicago Tribune. She ended up mining the cases for a satirical play based on what she saw, the way she saw it - a play which, much later, became the "Chicago" mus...more
Although at first glance the book looks like it's all about the merry murderesses, it is also very much about crime reporter Maurine Watkins, who wrote about these ladies and their trials and tribulations for the Chicago Tribune. She ended up mining the cases for a satirical play based on what she saw, the way she saw it - a play which, much later, became the "Chicago" mus...more
If you have ever seen the movie Chicago or have read the play, then this book makes A LOT of sense to read RIGHT AWAY. If you haven't, I would suggest you do so, as it would make the inter-weaving stories easier to follow.
But...regardless, this is a fun read and a fast read. One that entails real life murder, deception and lust-- which is sure to grasp anyone's attention for a few hours. I mean, who honestly can resist a woman who drinks with her lover, shoots him, and then dances with...more
But...regardless, this is a fun read and a fast read. One that entails real life murder, deception and lust-- which is sure to grasp anyone's attention for a few hours. I mean, who honestly can resist a woman who drinks with her lover, shoots him, and then dances with...more
A lot of information was packed into this interesting book--perhaps too much. I couldn't decide what the focus of the book was about. Was it about the "beautiful killers?" Or was it about the reporter who went on to write Chicago? Or perhaps it was about the city of Chicago. Then Leob and Leopold were added in. Whenever I read books about Chicago, I am reminded about how the corruption has been going on forever! From this book, the streets of Chicago were always filled with dangerous t...more
This book did nothing for me, and I'm not sure why. I guess I prefer non-fiction to be more straight-forward, with lots of facts, and this book seemed to take a lot of liberties. I wasn't sure if what I was reading was the truth, over embellished truth, or just fiction.
I can only blame my own ignorance for the fact that I don't know (or forgot) that "Chicago" was based on a true story, so I was surprised when the plot of this book echoed the plot of the play/movie nearly exa...more
I can only blame my own ignorance for the fact that I don't know (or forgot) that "Chicago" was based on a true story, so I was surprised when the plot of this book echoed the plot of the play/movie nearly exa...more
If you've ever seen CHICAGO in any of its many forms then this is a must read. Women have forever been on the American scene in one form or another and as the years past those lives of obscurity are being brought into the present. Girls are NOT all sugar and spice. Go ahead and pick this up, and despite the fact that the media plays at the publics heartstrings and most of these women are given their freedom despite the facts of the crime, it's not just about the criminals but about the woman ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Doug is author of "The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago" and co-author of "The Sixteenth Minute: Life in the Aftermath of Fame."
An award-winning journalist, his work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Details, and many other publications.
More about Douglas Perry...
An award-winning journalist, his work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Details, and many other publications.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
