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The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago

by Douglas Perry

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Two Murder Cases Behind Chicago’s Most Famous Story

$23.14 USD
$36.16 USD $23.14 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Two Murder Cases Behind Chicago’s Most Famous Story

Set amid the Jazz Age, this true-crime history examines how two Chicago murder cases became public spectacle. Douglas Perry traces the attention surrounding the defendants known in the press as “Stylish Belva” and “Beautiful Beulah,” alongside Maurine Watkins, the reporter who transformed their notoriety into material that would help shape Chicago. The book places courtroom scandal, tabloid culture, gendered celebrity, and theatrical ambition in the same historical frame, showing how the machinery of publicity could turn criminal cases into enduring popular narratives.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Jazz Age Chicago and media history
  • True-crime readers drawn to historical murder cases
  • Fans curious about the real-world background to Chicago

Themes

True crimeCelebrity and publicityJazz Age ChicagoWomen in journalismTheatre and adaptation

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

With a thrilling, fast-paced narrative, award-winning journalist Douglas Perry vividly captures the sensationalized circus atmosphere that gave rise to the concept of the celebrity criminal- and gave Chicago its most famous story. The Girls of Murder City recounts two scandalous, sex-fueled murder cases and how an intrepid "girl reporter" named Maurine Watkins turned the beautiful, media-savvy suspects-"Stylish Belva" and "Beautiful Beulah"-into the talk of the town. Fueled by rich period detail and a cast of characters who seemed destined for the stage, The Girls of Murder City is a crackling tale that simultaneously presents the freewheeling spirit of the Jazz Age and its sober repercussions.
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