Machine Guns and Kidnapping in The Year of Fear

In 1933 the country was in the grip of the Depression and crime was running rampant as bootleggers moved to bank robbing and kidnapping. These outlaws had little trouble from local authorities since the criminals had worked out deals with law enforcement. As crimes went on unabated the public wanted something to be done, and J. Edgar Hoover and the Justice Department were told to stop the crime wave.

Hoover wanted to make his mark with a big case and when the notorious George “Machine Gun” Kelly and his wife Kathryn kidnapped a wealthy Oklahoman oil man, Hoover jumped on it immediately. The Justice Department used every available resource in their search as it became a nation-wide man hunt for Kelly. The Year of Fear: Machine Gun Kelly and The Manhunt that Changed a Nation by Joe Urschel is a thrilling true crime story about the notorious Kelly, the kidnapping, and how the wild lawlessness of the Depression was tamed.