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Murder & Mayhem in Missouri
Desperadoes like Frank and Jesse James earned Missouri the nickname of the "Outlaw State" after the Civil War, and that reputation followed the region into the Prohibition era through the feverish criminal activity of Bonnie and Clyde, the Barkers and Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Duck into the Slicker War of the 1840s, a vigilante movement that devolved into a lingering feud in which the two sides sometimes meted out whippings, called slickings, on each other. Or witness the Kansas City Massacre of 1933, a shootout between law enforcement officers and criminal gang members who were trying to free Frank Nash, a notorious gang leader being escorted to federal prison. Follow Larry Wood through the most shameful and savage portion of the Show-Me State's history.
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2013
32 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Larry Wood
72 books11 followersI'm a native of southwest Missouri and have lived in the area nearly all my life. I mainly write historical nonfiction about Missouri and the Ozarks region, especially if it has to do with the Civil War or true crime. I have published 25 nonfiction books and over 500 magazine articles. I also occasionally write fiction, having published four historical/western novels and about 30 short stories. I am an honorary lifetime member of the Missouri Writers' Guild and also an active member of the Ozark Writers League. You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLarryWood.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 10, 2014
A very concise, interesting book on some of Missouri's most notable murders and crimes during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Short chapters summarize the crimes and the subsequent results in a very readable, concise style. Well researched and well written. A quick read.
June 4, 2024
This one appealed to me because it touches on two of my interests -- local history and true crime. And it was pretty good, quite a bit better than some others of the same type that I've read.
It helped that the book itself was well-written. Apparently, author Larry Wood is a retired teacher and it shows. The stories contained within these chapters are told well and the actual sentences themselves are well-constructed. The text isn't particularly colorful or fast-moving, but it's informative and flows nicely, as one might expect.
Most of these stories were ones that I was not familiar with. In the author's introduction, he says that he intentionally chose incidents about which he had not previously written. As a result, the stories will be mostly new to all but the most devoted followers of the intersection of true crime, history, and folklore (folklore because some of these tales occurred long enough ago that there have been embellishments and alterations since then -- not to mention a few discrepancies even in contemporary reports).
The three (actually four) incidents with which I was most acquainted were the 1882 assassination of Jesse James, the Kansas City Massacre in 1933, and the tales of Stagger Lee and Frankie and Johnny, which both took place in the very late 19th century in St. Louis and were packaged together in this collection. I learned the most about Frankie and Johnny, as well as Stagger Lee, because most of what I already knew came from the murder ballads that were written about those incidents. The Kansas City Massacre, as one of the later stories in the book and also being almost in my own backyard, and James's death at the hand of Bob Ford, which is of particular interest to me because the James homestead is only about a 10-minute drive from my house, included enough details that I still learned something about them in addition to the knowledge I had already gained.
The other stories, though, were new to me -- and tawdry and gory enough to satisfy even fans of modern true crime books. This book, in fact, is a pretty slim volume that would be easily consumed over a few days or even a weekend, if you're a fast and voracious reader.
It helped that the book itself was well-written. Apparently, author Larry Wood is a retired teacher and it shows. The stories contained within these chapters are told well and the actual sentences themselves are well-constructed. The text isn't particularly colorful or fast-moving, but it's informative and flows nicely, as one might expect.
Most of these stories were ones that I was not familiar with. In the author's introduction, he says that he intentionally chose incidents about which he had not previously written. As a result, the stories will be mostly new to all but the most devoted followers of the intersection of true crime, history, and folklore (folklore because some of these tales occurred long enough ago that there have been embellishments and alterations since then -- not to mention a few discrepancies even in contemporary reports).
The three (actually four) incidents with which I was most acquainted were the 1882 assassination of Jesse James, the Kansas City Massacre in 1933, and the tales of Stagger Lee and Frankie and Johnny, which both took place in the very late 19th century in St. Louis and were packaged together in this collection. I learned the most about Frankie and Johnny, as well as Stagger Lee, because most of what I already knew came from the murder ballads that were written about those incidents. The Kansas City Massacre, as one of the later stories in the book and also being almost in my own backyard, and James's death at the hand of Bob Ford, which is of particular interest to me because the James homestead is only about a 10-minute drive from my house, included enough details that I still learned something about them in addition to the knowledge I had already gained.
The other stories, though, were new to me -- and tawdry and gory enough to satisfy even fans of modern true crime books. This book, in fact, is a pretty slim volume that would be easily consumed over a few days or even a weekend, if you're a fast and voracious reader.
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December 12, 2022BOOK #5 FOR CLASS (MEMOIR)
This was a really interesting book about Missouri and how it got its nickname "Outlaw State". The two main people talked about in this book are Frank and Jesse James, they are the reason the state has that nickname. This memoir talks about people like Bonnie and Clyde to Larry Wood. I had a fun time learning about all these people and the state of Missori. This book was actually a gift to me from my grandpa because I love muder mystery books and he thought I would enjoy it. I would recommend this book to any history teacher and middle schooler. If I become a History teacher, I will have this book in my classroom for students too when we learn states because it does have a bunch of cool information in it.
This was a really interesting book about Missouri and how it got its nickname "Outlaw State". The two main people talked about in this book are Frank and Jesse James, they are the reason the state has that nickname. This memoir talks about people like Bonnie and Clyde to Larry Wood. I had a fun time learning about all these people and the state of Missori. This book was actually a gift to me from my grandpa because I love muder mystery books and he thought I would enjoy it. I would recommend this book to any history teacher and middle schooler. If I become a History teacher, I will have this book in my classroom for students too when we learn states because it does have a bunch of cool information in it.
October 27, 2023
Although this book was slender in pages, it packed a wallop. This book delves into gangsters, their lives and their deaths; how easy it was for them to kill others who got in their way. It talks about families lying to protect the killers of women and children. I know that this is not an especially easy time for us, but the lawlessness that went on back in the 19th and early 20th century was downright scary....sleeping with a loaded gun under your pillow, staying out of the way during a knife fight, hoping you didn't get shot when a gang was having a shootout with police in broad daylight; all very scary stuff. I hope you like this book as much as I did.
October 10, 2022
I read this book because my friend's ancestors are a chapter of the book. The book did not engage me. It read more like a textbook to me. There are some books I just cannot put down this one was hard for me to pick up.
June 18, 2019
This 126 page novel highlights some horrible crimes that happened in Missouri by men and women alike. It was interesting and informative and a very quick read.
January 30, 2020
Has obscure tales as well as ones that Missourians would be familiar with. I like that they went in historical order so you felt like you were on a true crime time travel tour.
January 3, 2023
This book wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. The most interesting story is the one of Pretty Boy Floyd and the KC massacre. Overall this book was too wordy and under sensational.
January 18, 2024
These are very interesting stories of Missouri's crime history and how "things" were handled in the past.
August 11, 2013
This is a book of Dateline and 48 Hours in 1800s style. You have to like who-done-its with murder and hangings. It has a dash of Jesse James and Pretty Boy Floyd, but most stories are of lesser known people killing people around them. Some greed, some racism, some feuds showing people as they were...as they are.
September 22, 2025
Considering the crime stories that have come out of Missouri, I really expected more from this book. Focusing on the historical crimes is interesting, but not including more modern examples that may be more well known is kind of a let down.
August 28, 2014
Gruesome in parts but very enlightening and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews