The Purples

by W.K. Berger

“If you believe the papers, we sprang from thin air in 1924. At the time, people started turning up dead in Detroit—which was nothing new, even back then. But when twenty Jewish men get put on the spot in three days, it gets noticed. They blamed it on us, but the truth is not one of those crimes was committed by the Purples. Technically speaking.”

Shunned by his community... locked up for trying to help an innocent girl... ambushed by rivals and left for dead in the Detroit Joe Bernstein has a few scores to settle, and a bold plan to seize control of the Motor City in its booming 1920s heyday. With his faithful “agent” Abie, his brilliant but fragile brother Max, and an out-of-control enforcer named Grabowski (not to mention a couple of carnivorous creatures known as "the babies"), Bernstein gives rise to the infamous Purple Gang—so named by local merchants because the gang's members were said to be "tainted, like spoiled meat."
Bernstein's boys set their sights on taking over the Detroit River, the pipeline connecting dry America to wet Canada. But Joe also must contend with having “a sweetheart in the nut house” and rising tensions within his gang. Worst of all, the D.A.”s office has brought in an amputee war hero named Riley—who seems to be one step ahead of Joe”s big plans.
A fast-paced thriller that builds to the climactic Collingwood Massacre (a seminal event that changed Detroit forever), THE PURPLES blends richly-detailed historical fiction with nonstop action, all narrated in the wry voice of the smart, self-deluding, and unforgettable Joe Bernstein.
“Fast-moving and funny, The Purples has a hard edge, a soft heart, and an original voice.” —Michael Balkind, Sudden Death

W. K. Berger is an award-winning journalist and author whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Esquire. His books have been published internationally by Penguin and Random House.

Read a free excerpt at ThePurplesBook.com/Excerpt

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2010

Reviews

[Mjackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took Berger 10 years to write and I tore through it in a day and change. As something of a maven for Detroit history, I loved the way he took actual events and weaved them into a convincing story.

[Carla JFCL · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite things in reading is being completely (and pleasantly) surprised by a book that I expected virtually nothing from; this is exactly that kind of book. I’m not sure how or why I had this book on my Kindle, as it’s been there for awhile; I think it was a freebie I grabbed at some point because the plot sounded somewhat interesting. I’m often disappointed by these books, as I do believe we get what we pay for. Not so in this case.

I quickly found myself absorbed in the plot, characters and setting of this novel. It’s based on things that actually happened in Detroit during the late 1920s and early 1930s. I had no idea these events took place, so this was a new world for me. Well, I obviously knew that Prohibition led to bootlegging, which led to increased crime. What I didn’t know was that there were full-fledged gang wars going on in Detroit during this time period, particularly between a Jewish gang known as “The Purples” and an Italian gang. This well-written book sucked me right into that world, and I found it fascinating.

This story is not for the faint-of-heart; as one might expect, it’s graphically violent in places. But, I found the characters and the situations they found themselves in to be totally believable. I don’t even have any real criticisms of the book; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Ken Schloman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent "gangster" novel. More "readable" than "The Godfather", it tells the story of Detroit's Purple gang of the 1920's and 30's. Told from the point of view of the gang's boss, it is a somewhat sanitized version of the gang's activities. Again this is understandable from the point of view being used. Based on historical fact, it only hints at some of the real gang's activities, such as a relationship with the Capone organization in Chicago as well as possible involvement in the "St. Valentines Day Massacre." This is a must read if you are a fan of the gangster genre.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover quote from Michael Balkind says, "Fast moving and funny, The Purples has a hard edge, a soft heart, and an original voice." I've never read a more apt blurb.

The first page hooked me with the image of a bored gangster creating an igloo out of sugar cubes. A house of sugar. The builder is part of the notorious Sugar House gang. A symbol? Maybe. Because when his hand crushes his little project from shock at seeing Joe Bernstein--previously believed killed by other Sugar House members--it seems a portent of the violent end of the Sugar House gang and the ascendancy of the Purples. Symbol or not, the image remained with me until the end.

Four years earlier, nineteen-year-old Joe Bernstein's rash attempts to free his girlfriend, Rachel Roth, from a mental hospital land him in big trouble. First with the police, and then with the Sugar House gang who ambush him by the Detroit River. They cut him up severely, leave him to die.

Fortunately, Joe's close friend and eventual major-domo, Abie, is there to save him and take him to the house of another friend, the vicious and semi-psychotic Grabowski, to recuperate and nurse his need for revenge, not to mention an obsessive hatred for Henry Ford and his anti-Semitism. During this period, Joe schemes to crush the Sugar House gang and replace it with his own, The Purples. He capitalizes on the Sugar House gang's complacency. A series of murders and betrayals later and Joe is ready to make his aforementioned resurrectional reappearance. He completes his coup successfully and The Purples quickly get down to business exploiting on prohibition-era Detroit.The gang's criminal activities are richly described, particularly the bootlegging between Windsor and Detroit that provides the greatest revenue. The professional side of the enterprise comes relatively easy.

The personal side is another matter. Joe's friends who help run The Purples are extremely loyal to Joe but their tendencies for unilateral, violent action, makes them hard to control. Not only that, he must deal with his obsession over "Heinrich" Ford, denying his brother's questionable sexuality, and the probing of his nemesis, Harry Riley. The same guy who, using conventional means, successfully arranged Rachel's release. Then there's the neurotic Rachel herself, who gets depressed, takes drugs, and eventually returns to the mental hospital with Joe's blessing.

All these events and more, personal and professional, create a complex story. But the weaving is so precise, one never feels lost and there are no loose ends. It all culminates in a tense, exciting, and extremely satisfying climax with the Collingwood apartment massacre. Other than date and setting, it bears only a vague resemblance to the actual event, but is gripping nonetheless.

Throughout Joe Bernstein is a highly subjective narrator, but a reliable one in terms of the actual events. His voice is simple and intimate, befitting a reflective gangster. The consistent use of "whilst" for while seemed a tic at first but when read aloud effectively enhances the voice without resorting to odd, phonetic spellings.

Take, for instance, the scenes to which he is not a direct witness and which he must imagine from second-hand reports at the time, or revelations from letters and testimonials many years later. In those scenes, Joe drops the first-person pronouns and one tends to forget it is Joe talking. A reminder will come, jarring at times, to set things aright in the reader's mind. This worked for me in that it made Joe a more credible and vulnerable narrator. His telling of the story is as rewarding as the content. This is most evident when dealing with the District Attorney, Harry Riley, and Nan, Riley's wife.

In Joe's eyes, the relationship between Riley and Nan is idyllic, and sugar-sweet. The passages on them are somewhat sentimental and involved, unlike comparable scenes with Rachel, a girl for whom he almost died. When read ironically, though, these passages offer a sad revelation about the Joe who is telling the story years on, a bitter man perhaps, but certainly one envious of what Riley was and had.

****

When Riley finished his swim they came in from the dock together, their arms wrapped around each other. They went into the little cabin and he lit a fire whilst she cooked fish in a pan on the stove. They ate side by side in front of the fire, with their feet out and their toes curled to the heat. After that, they sat at the table to play cards, never once talking about Baird's visit. Then they got into their pajamas and snuggled up together in their little bed, and after a while she sat on top of him, with the blanket pulled up over her shoulders, covering them like a tent. Her body moved up and down just a little and very quietly, whilst they looked each other in the eyes.

And the whole time, Solly Levine was watching through the cabin window.

****

Solly Levine, one of the Purples sent by Joe to spy on Riley, would never have reported what he saw in such detail, let alone using such language. Why would Joe prettify the scene then?

Indeed, Joe spends an inordinate amount of detailed narrative on the passionate aspects of that relationship and so little on his own with his girlfriend, Rachel. Joe also refers to Riley, with his war record and one leg, as the "supposed hero." Joe Bernstein is a complicated guy; he has issues; he has a heart. This elevates The Purples beyond a well-told gangster story.

Make no mistake though; Joe Bernstein is a gangster through and through. Violence is his first resort to get his way and he is ruthlessly Machiavellian in taking action. Referring to the need to deal with the remnants of the Sugar House gang he says, "As for the ones getting killed, that was hard luck and I won't deny it." And there's always something in his way because he's always going after something. This is no indecisive, passive protagonist.

Joe Bernstein, Max Bernstein, Abie Zussman, Grabowski and his half-dog half-wolf enforcer pets, Solly, and the rest of The Purples in this novel are all fictional characters. The Purples gang was real though, even led by a Bernstein. The Sugar House gang was real. So were some of the other characters, although their names were changed. The major events--the Palmer raids, the cleaners and dyers war, the murders of the police officer and a small boy, the Collingwood Massacre, and of course the prohibition--actually occurred.

Their representations in this novel, however, are fictional and all the names changed. It's an interesting intertwining of truth and invention. I found it best to defer my curiosity about discerning between fact and fiction until I'd finished reading the book. There's a wealth of material on the delightful website for this book. The contents are in the voice of the narrator, Joe Bernstein, too.

The writing, editing, marketing, and all aspects of The Purples are all polished; there is nothing to mark this as a self-published work. Given W. K. Berger's writing credentials--he's an award-winning journalist who has published non-fiction books with Penguin and Random House--this comes as no surprise. One would assume he knows how to put a professional book together.

In the end, the publishing status is irrelevant because the result is so well executed and the appeal of The Purples is universal. Lucky for me he did self-publish; otherwise this terrific book might not have come my way.

[Jeff Ulrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about The Purples

It was an interesting read and I learned a lot about The Purples. It was a good audiobook to listen to at work.

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining story but it didn’t captivate me.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Purples” by W.K. Berger tells is a (mostly) fictional story told through the eyes of real life Jewish mobster Joe Bernstein. Joe is the head of the “Purple Gang” who ran booze across the Detroit River from Canada during the Prohibition era.

Afraid of the worker’s unions in 1920’s Detroit Henry Ford’s agents, under the guise of fighting communism, arrest a multitude of people. Rachel is one of those people only that Rachel’s boyfriend is Jewish mobster Joe Bernstein.

Joe starts the “Purple Gang” and try to seize control of the Detroit River with his friends/enforcers and his feeble brother, Max, as the brains of the operation. However, Rachel never recovered from her arrest ordeal, coupled with rising tensions within the gang, rival gangs and an incorruptible cop Joe has his work cut out for him.

"The Purples” by W.K. Berger is a very interesting novel about a very interesting time. Detroit of the 1920’s was a harsh place run by an anti-Semite named Henry Ford (yes, that Henry ford who also penned “The International Jew” and financially backed an up and coming Austrian madman who later used parts of Ford’s book verbatim in his own diatribe called “Mein Kampf” ).

The novel is told through the eyes of Joe Bernstein, leader of the Jewish “Purple Gang” (so called because the members were said to be “tainted, like spoiled meat”). Joe tells of his climb to the top of Detroit’s organized crime scene and his love affair with his girlfriend Rachel. Surrounding himself with his brother’s brains and talented hit-men Joe becomes rich until a one legged prosecutor named Riley comes to town.

Even though it was a bit difficult for me to get into the book, once I finally got into it the story became riveting. Mr. Berger did his research and 1920’s Detroit comes to life, while Joe tells us about his escapades, Henry Ford’s tactics are not less “mob like”. Joe is not a perfect narrator and after finishing the book I finally saw what the author was trying to convey, a hard man making a hard living while being isolated from those he loves. The people that Joe were trying to protect, the Jewish community, were ashamed of him and his friends, their brutality and dishonesty.

The novel is finally crafted, fun to read and very entertaining yet still tells of a complex story. However, I did not feel lost in the book; I knew exactly what was happening, where, how and by who.

Any author thinking about self publishing should take a look at “The Purples” of what a self published book should be. It is a polished, well written, well edited book. Even though the author uses some real events and dates in his story telling, “The Purples” is a work of fiction, however richly detailed.

For more book reviews please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don't know much or anything at all about The Purple Gang, and take this novel as a pure work of fiction, it is mostly a very good story. I'd say it starts to fade out near the end, just before the re-telling of The Collingwood Manor Massacre happens, when the gang starts to fall apart. The story starts getting very lack-luster in description, whilst the pacing gets rushed.

There's a few typos here and there, and a few problems happen with the POV changes. Through most of the story, the first person point of view works very well, and the author did a good job of throwing the point of view to other characters in the story whilst he himself was not present for the scene. But the problem comes into it when he is present for the scene, but not the one in the focus. A few times, there is one paragraph written in first person and the next paragraph it's shifted to a third person perspective to talk about the main character, Joe, whilst focusing on other characters in the scene.

The problem is, if you do know anything about the Purple Gang going into this story, which i didn't, this story might not work for you. It tries to pass itself off as as factual as possible, judging from the author notes at the end of the book, but there's fictional event on top of fictional event, and a lot of different names to the real ones. It's more of a story of how things might have happened, based on a real life gang back in the 1920, if the internet didn't telling you otherwise.

But I really do think it was a very well written story, that came together despite the rushed ending. You really get a feel of the times and situation they were all living in, and an understanding of why they joined the gangs in the first place. You don't grow to love them or anything, and they do too many awful things to even like them, but it was a dog eat dog world back then and the book really showed how if you didn't have a way to protect yourself, you were just another easy target with a face.

[Wendy Bertsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just now finished reading The Purples by Warren Berger. It is the fictional story (albeit anchored in fact and well researched) of a group of Jewish mobsters in Detroit during the 1920’s and early 1930’s. It is told through the words of Joe Bernstein himself -- leader of the gang, and a guy you can’t help liking, however you resist the urge. Brutally pragmatic, Joe makes you see the world through his eyes, and a savage world it was, peopled by the quirky, sometimes disgusting but always fascinating members of the famous gang and the lawmen who brought them down.

And we mustn’t overlook their ladies, the weak and the strong, as individual and riveting as the men.

All I can say is that this was the most entertaining book I have read in a very long time. It came at a time when I badly needed amusement, and not a page disappointed me. Joe’s phlegmatic sense of humor lightens the darkest passages and illuminates the kind of mind that could remain human while embracing an absolutely horrific lifestyle.

Read this book. You’ll be doing yourself a favor.

[Britt Vasarhelyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book on Amazon last November but had read it some time before. I still think about it occasionally and will probably re-read it at some point. It's definitely a gangster book so if that's not your metier, I suggest not wasting your time. But for those who do enjoy this genre, I found it to be far different from anything else out there I've come across and very well done.

NOTE: I only review books that I can assign a 4 or 5 star to. I do this because I am also an author and I know how hard writers work to make their products enjoyable for readers. I don't want to discourage anyone who's had the fortitude and patience to write a book, nor do I want to praise them when I don't deem their book worthy.

[Robert Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Purples, a fictional story by Warren Berger,is reminiscent of Harry Grey's The Hoods but only because it is peopled with Jewish mobsters of the 20s and 30s and is eminently readable. There is not one iota of plagiarism. The prose is powerful and takes the reader forcefully by the literary lapels to hold his attention right from the start. The characters, peopling a plot that requires little suspension of disbelief, are larger than life but well rounded. It is obviously well researched.
The author has captured the essence of the period and milieu. An enjoyable and exhilarating read. Check it out. Robert Davidson. The Tuzla Run

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of the book were very well written while others bumbled along a little. The main character, Joe, is highly likeable despite being the leader of a pretty vicious gang. not knowing the history I don't know what parts of the book are fact or fiction, but all of the characters were very believable, as were the events. Definitely worth a read, especially for the insight into life in Detroit in the 20s.

[liirogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very interesting story of the rise and fall of a gangster in Detroit during the 1920s and 30s. While the author claims the story is about the Purple Gang, there really isn't that much truth woven through. Think of it more as an imaginative telling of what gang life might have been like, and it just happens to share a name with an actual gang that existed at the time.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining crime drama with dark humor, set in my home town of Detroit, back in the roaring '20s. Lots of well drawn characters and plotlines. I liked this because it was different than the usual yuppie angst books I read. Also, because my husband wrote it!

[Juliemae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of the Purples before reading this book. Although this is a work of fiction it is based on fact. This was an enjoyable read, which is bizarre considering it is about bad guys with minimal redeeming qualities. Give it a shot. No pun intended.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted this book to be great. Its was good, not great. Theirs not a really good movie or book about the Purples. It didn't actually go into a lot of detail about their gang activity. A weird romance was worked in unnecessarily.