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Beggars Will Ride: A Minnesotan Prohibition Thriller
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2026
About the author
Nate Granzow
10 books63 followersAn outdoorsman, award-winning novelist, and editor, Nate Granzow likes the smell of gunpowder, the taste of gin, and the feel of leather-bound books. He won the Clive Cussler Adventure Writer's Competition in 2017 for "The Phaistos Paragon," won a 2019 Best Independent Book Award for "Zimbabwe Hustle," and ranked as a finalist in the 2021 Minnesota Book Awards with "Get Idiota."
Follow Nate Granzow for updates and giveaways at:
www.nategranzow.com
www.facebook.com/NateGranzowAuthor
Follow Nate Granzow for updates and giveaways at:
www.nategranzow.com
www.facebook.com/NateGranzowAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
As a Minnesota native, I am drawn to books set in my home state. The Kristofferson brothers do not disappoint! Tensions mount as the brothers continue their illicit post-war gun business.
Granzow spins a gripping tale and sets the reader up for the next installment in the brothers' saga.
Granzow spins a gripping tale and sets the reader up for the next installment in the brothers' saga.
April 30, 2026
Just finished an advanced reader’s copy of Beggars Will Ride and i loved it. Ive been looking forward to the second book in this series since i gobbled up the first. The action, the drama and the character development keep you coming back for more. I’ve never rooted more for some prohibition-era gun runners. Get your hands on this book. You’ll be glad you did!
July 31, 2026
Book Review – Beggars Will Ride – Nate Granzow
Indie author Nate Granzow’s “Beggars Will Ride” is a gritty, fast-moving Prohibition thriller that proves that Granzow is comfortable writing explosive action sequences and deeply human character drama. The second installment in the Crooks’ Haven series, this book takes the dangerous world established in the first book and expands it into something darker, more complicated, and far more personal.
Set in the early 1920s in Minnesota, the story drops readers into a world where loyalty is fragile, violence is prevalent, and survival often depends on knowing when to fight and when to run. The Kristofferson brothers remain fascinating antiheroes—men who have crossed legal and moral lines but are still driven by family, pride, and the desire to carve out a place in a world that has never been kind to them.
Granzow does an excellent job of making me question my own feelings toward these characters. I didn’t always approve of their choices, but I understand the desperation and circumstances that shaped them.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its atmosphere. Granzow captures the tension of the Prohibition era with vivid detail—the backroom deals, the uneasy alliances, the criminal networks, and the constant threat that one wrong move could lead to disaster. The setting feels authentic without becoming bogged down in historical exposition. Instead, the history serves the story, creating a dangerous landscape where every conversation carries weight and every decision has consequences.
The action is another major highlight, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book delivers the kind of thrilling scenarios that I expect from a crime adventure—betrayals, confrontations, escapes, and escalating conflicts—but the violence never feels like it exists simply for spectacle. The action is tied directly to character motivations, which makes the stakes feel personal rather than merely entertaining.
Where Beggars Will Ride truly shines, however, is in its character development. Beneath the gunfire and criminal schemes is a story about brothers trying to survive in a world that keeps demanding more from them. Granzow explores themes of loyalty, ambition, regret, and the difficult choices people make when they believe they have no other options. The supporting characters are also well-crafted, adding depth and unpredictability to an already tense narrative.
Overall, Beggars Will Ride is an outstanding crime thriller with strong historical flavor, memorable characters, and relentless momentum. Fans of Prohibition fiction, organized crime stories, and morally complex protagonists will find plenty to enjoy here. Nate Granzow has created a compelling world filled with danger and flawed people trying to survive, and this narrative left me eager to see where the Kristofferson brothers go next.
Crooks’ Haven is a place where everyone seems to have an angle, and trust is always temporary. And anyone who enjoys historical crime fiction, action thrillers, and stories where the line between hero and outlaw is impossible to define, will enjoy this read – I sure did!
Indie author Nate Granzow’s “Beggars Will Ride” is a gritty, fast-moving Prohibition thriller that proves that Granzow is comfortable writing explosive action sequences and deeply human character drama. The second installment in the Crooks’ Haven series, this book takes the dangerous world established in the first book and expands it into something darker, more complicated, and far more personal.
Set in the early 1920s in Minnesota, the story drops readers into a world where loyalty is fragile, violence is prevalent, and survival often depends on knowing when to fight and when to run. The Kristofferson brothers remain fascinating antiheroes—men who have crossed legal and moral lines but are still driven by family, pride, and the desire to carve out a place in a world that has never been kind to them.
Granzow does an excellent job of making me question my own feelings toward these characters. I didn’t always approve of their choices, but I understand the desperation and circumstances that shaped them.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its atmosphere. Granzow captures the tension of the Prohibition era with vivid detail—the backroom deals, the uneasy alliances, the criminal networks, and the constant threat that one wrong move could lead to disaster. The setting feels authentic without becoming bogged down in historical exposition. Instead, the history serves the story, creating a dangerous landscape where every conversation carries weight and every decision has consequences.
The action is another major highlight, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book delivers the kind of thrilling scenarios that I expect from a crime adventure—betrayals, confrontations, escapes, and escalating conflicts—but the violence never feels like it exists simply for spectacle. The action is tied directly to character motivations, which makes the stakes feel personal rather than merely entertaining.
Where Beggars Will Ride truly shines, however, is in its character development. Beneath the gunfire and criminal schemes is a story about brothers trying to survive in a world that keeps demanding more from them. Granzow explores themes of loyalty, ambition, regret, and the difficult choices people make when they believe they have no other options. The supporting characters are also well-crafted, adding depth and unpredictability to an already tense narrative.
Overall, Beggars Will Ride is an outstanding crime thriller with strong historical flavor, memorable characters, and relentless momentum. Fans of Prohibition fiction, organized crime stories, and morally complex protagonists will find plenty to enjoy here. Nate Granzow has created a compelling world filled with danger and flawed people trying to survive, and this narrative left me eager to see where the Kristofferson brothers go next.
Crooks’ Haven is a place where everyone seems to have an angle, and trust is always temporary. And anyone who enjoys historical crime fiction, action thrillers, and stories where the line between hero and outlaw is impossible to define, will enjoy this read – I sure did!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Beggers Will Ride is the second Crooks' Haven by Nate Granzow. It picks up immediately after the first Crooks' Haven novel, BIack Cordite White Snow.
As reviews come in, I am sure many readers will mention the action found within Beggers Will Ride. And that will be more than fair.
For this reader, however, the aspect that stands out in the novel is the character development. Granzow uses the lens of crime as a way to fully explore people from various backgrounds and situations. This puts him in a category of crime writers that is rather rare. Two writers who did the same are Charles Willeford and Elmore Leonard. Granzow has his own style --He is not walking down an already trodden path.-- but he does remind me of those earlier authors of crime novels.
All said and done, Beggers Will Ride will satisfy both those who want a men's adventure book of action as well as readers not as interested in gunplay than searching for a superbly written period drama with characters whose struggles are vividly drawn.
Highly recommended.
(And for those readers who'd like something lighter after reading Beggers Will Ride, PLEASE read Granzow's Get Idiota!)
As reviews come in, I am sure many readers will mention the action found within Beggers Will Ride. And that will be more than fair.
For this reader, however, the aspect that stands out in the novel is the character development. Granzow uses the lens of crime as a way to fully explore people from various backgrounds and situations. This puts him in a category of crime writers that is rather rare. Two writers who did the same are Charles Willeford and Elmore Leonard. Granzow has his own style --He is not walking down an already trodden path.-- but he does remind me of those earlier authors of crime novels.
All said and done, Beggers Will Ride will satisfy both those who want a men's adventure book of action as well as readers not as interested in gunplay than searching for a superbly written period drama with characters whose struggles are vividly drawn.
Highly recommended.
(And for those readers who'd like something lighter after reading Beggers Will Ride, PLEASE read Granzow's Get Idiota!)
May 19, 2026
Set during the Prohibition, Niklas and Kessler are just trying to make a dishonest dollar. During the war they had collected discarded and broken guns and rifles, sending them home as tractor parts. Now they run a gun shop and aren't particular who to. Then they get an offer from Pig's Eye Syndicate, primo booze for primo machine guns. Bad move. No surprised they get stiffed. But the Syndicate has friends in high places. If the brothers want to go to war, it will be David against Goliath and they could very well end up dead.
July 16, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed picking up again where Black Cordite, White Snow left off. Being a Twin Citian and familiar with St. Paul, it is fun to place all the locations described in the book. The lens through which you get to understand the characters is well written and soulful. Crime solving and crime committing moves the book along at a good pace. The last chapter leaves one to wonder about the potential next book and what that character will do. Sorry Nate but one edit nitpick, the University of St Thomas was called the College of St Thomas during the book’s time.
May 2, 2026
“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”. Det. Strauss
I received an advance copy from the author and couldn’t wait to read the 2nd Prohibition Thriller featuring the Kristofferson brothers and their illicit gun trading. I devoured this new book as quickly as I did the first! Welcome to Crooks Haven and Minnesota. If you’re from MN, like I am, you’re going to love this book.
I received an advance copy from the author and couldn’t wait to read the 2nd Prohibition Thriller featuring the Kristofferson brothers and their illicit gun trading. I devoured this new book as quickly as I did the first! Welcome to Crooks Haven and Minnesota. If you’re from MN, like I am, you’re going to love this book.
June 17, 2026
This book (like Black Cordite, White Snow) was an engaging, well-written story about two brothers you won’t soon forget. Nate Granzow has a way of putting you right in the thick of the story, with interesting side characters to match. I would, and will, highly recommend reading this one as well as the first one. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews