Empire of Sin

February 23, 2015
This well-researched book captures an exciting chapter in the history of Louisiana’s most vibrant city. During the late Victorian era, New Orleans reformers hoped to confine the city’s notorious vices to one officially sanctioned district, Storyville, in order to protect the wealthier neighborhoods from seediness. Brothers, saloons, and jazz halls filled the lively, violent neighborhood, from which larger-than-life figures emerged, such as Tom Anderson, the “major of Storyville,” jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton, and the “Axeman of New Orleans,” a serial killer with a penchant for grocers. Narrator Dean excels in delivering this rich look at the birth of New Orleans and the struggle over its morality. His voice, a deep clear baritone, delivers the countless stories of shootings, seductions, and crime lords with enough solemnity to underscore the historical evolution of the city, but inflects the perfect touch of wryness while relaying the scandalous events and outrageous characters. An entertaining, educational listen. A Crown hardcover.

October 1, 2014

This engaging work covers the brief and exciting history of Storyville, an 18-block area of New Orleans where the city's brothels, bars, and nightclubs thrived in the early 20th century with the tacit approval of city leaders. Krist (City of Scoundrels) delivers on his lurid subtitle with stories of the flourishing sex industry, the birth of jazz in New Orleans, and the unsolved case of the "Axman," a serial killer who may or may not have been tied to the "Black Hand," an early version of the Italian Mafia. Prominent local figures emerge throughout the book, including Tom Anderson, the Irish bar owner who was known as the "Mayor of Storyville"; Josie Arlington, a successful madam who struggled to hide her occupation from her devoted niece; and a young Louis Armstrong, who began his musical career in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. These histories are loosely related, tied together primarily by their setting and by the decades-long and ultimately successful struggle by local reformers trying to clean up the city. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in New Orleans and also for those looking for a readable collection of true stories from one of America's most fascinating metropolises. [See Prepub Alert, 5/4/14.]--Nicholas Graham, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.