The Pickwick Club Disaster: Boston's Deadliest Building Collapse

by John E. Keefe

The true story of the tragic collapse of the jazz-era speakeasy in Boston on the 4th of July in 1925. This compelling history shines a spotlight on the conditions that led to the collapse, the hurried investigation, criminal trial, and frantic efforts of public officials to distance themselves from blame, and takes a glimpse into shelves of each of the forty-four people who perished.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Stephen H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

The Pickwick Club Disaster is a well-researched, readable and comprehensive story of a little-remembered Boston disaster from July 1925. I recommend it for anyone interested in Boston history.

[JoAnn Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book , factual.😊JH.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. Anyone interested in Boston history should read it. John E. Keefe recreates this somewhat obscure event in Prohibition-era Boston with impeccable research and an eye for detail. The tragic story includes a cast of historical characters including the infamous Mayor James Michael Curley, Irish beat cops, gangsters, flappers and a crazy court case. The book includes excellent photos and political cartoons from contemporary newspapers. It reads like fiction. Hollywood needs to make a movie out of this.