John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920-1936

My Mom and I found very interesting bookmark that was in middle pages in this book. It was from 2010 wow. But all good without being damaged by accident in the mail! :)

In view of the Superbowl to be held in the Twin Cities in Minnesota during early 2018 (Saint Paul is one of the Twin Cities) this would be a fascinating book to purchase, read on the way to the Twin Cities, and become intimately familiar with the little known fact that very significant criminal elements and Saint Paul authorities during the 1930's had established a remarkable "you don't bother us and we don't bother you" to their mutual benefit for some years. Further, many of the physical structures involved are still standing and this book refers to many of them. Of course there is the gargantuan US Bank stadium wherein the game will be played (and available tours of that massive and architecturally unique structure) in addition to light rail transit to the Mall of America which can only be described as a shopping experience on an American scale.Not to mention the surprising quality of the local fine arts that include museums and live theater; all located in what to most people appears as a small dot at 35,000 feet. Superbowl visitors can actually see and learn about events with respect to the big name criminal elements of the 1930's that also found Saint Paul (Minnesota) appealing. Sorry potential bank robbers but out here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota--such comfortable weather for the Scandinavian immigrants who arrived here over a century ago--there are modern banks and any gang who tried to rob one would make more money via the sale of the 1930's Ford flat head V-8 parked outside. There are excellent hotels, indoor plumbing, central heat, and a remarkable variety of good ethnic foods with origins from all over the world (especially mid-western beef); even locals who think both ice and rice are nice. Plus, a criminal history during the gangster era that can only be fully appreciated via a read of this fascinating book.

I've read many, many books on this subject, but few have the insider detail found in this work. I especially like all the addresses. Most other books just mention a city and, at best, the section of the city. The author obviously did a lot of research and went to the effort of tracking people down for interviews.It was an exciting time in our history and Maccabee brings it to life in an easy to read book. He nicely weaves the lives of the characters and makes it easy for the reader to see how they cris-crossed.There's an epilogue noting what happened to all the characters...both major and minor...but Maccabee goes the extra step by noting what the status of all the addresses mentioned. Many have been torn down, of course, but others have survived and been repurposed.If the crime wave of the 1920s and 30s interests you, this book details how one of the most corrupt cities in America played a major role in that era.

It's a good read if you enjoy the history of the 1920's-30's gangsters. One thing if you think from the title that you are going to read a whole lot about Dillinger in the events of St Paul, forget it. Story-line finally gets around to Dillinger about three quarters of the way through the book, and maybe about 10 pages or thereabouts focused on Dillinger. That aside, it was interesting.

Well-researched book regarding criminal activity in St. Paul during the gangster era. Very interesting reading. Especially concerning the connection between the gangsters and the local police department. Seems appropriate that it took the free press to bring down the crooked cops. Might help explain why a certain president fears a free press.The only drawback in my mind was the back-and-forth from one year to the next. However given the complexity of the effort, that's probably an unjustified complaint. Highly recommend.

This book certainly delivers in that it's a factual depiction of the vice and corruption which existed in the gangland haven of St. Paul, Minnesota, during the Twenties and Thirties. If you think you'd be at all interested in the subject matter, then by all means "John Dillinger Slept Here" is for you. However, I bought this book more or less based on the glowing descriptions put forth in prior online reviews and, from a strictly personal standpoint, I expected more and was somewhat disappointed. There is, however, an interesting profile of sheriff-turned-criminal Verne Miller, who engineered what went down in the annals of crime as the bloody "Kansas City Massacre," and the author does fill in the gaps regarding the fatal shooting by St. Paul police of Dillinger gang remnant Homer Van Meter in August, 1934. For these alone it's probably worthwhile reading.

If you like crime from "back in the day", this is a good book. It even mentions my great-uncle who was a U. S. Attorney so that was fun for me. Lots of information, more than I expected, on the "doings" of that day. I can remember my grandfather and great-uncle talking about this stuff when I was a little kid!

So thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a St. Paul native, it was wonderful to read more about it's sordid history. I had heard about one such story, and it was great to see if verified in print. A couple lawyers back in the day had a great sense of humor!