Guns and Roses: The Untold Story of Dean O'Banion, Chicago's Big Shot Before Al Capone

by Rose Keefe

Based on information compiled from police and court documents, contemporary news accounts, and interviews with O'Banion's friends and associates, Guns and Roses traces O'Banion's rise from Illinois farm boy to the most powerful gang boss ...

Genres: True Crime, Crime, Biography, History, Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Rose Keefe is the author of three vintage True Crime books. Guns and Roses- the Untold Story of Dean O'Banion, Chicago's Big Shot Before Al Capone and The Man Who Got Away: the Bugs Moran Story were based on interviews with surviving relatives of Dean O'Banion and George 'Bugs' Moran as well as such primary resources as arrest records, FBI files, and confidential investigator reports. As part of her research for her third book, The Starker: Big Jack Zelig and the Becker-Rosenthal Case of 1912, she interviewed the descendants of Jack Zelig, Charles Becker, Dopey Benny Fein, and Abe Shoenfeld. She is currently at work on the biography of Dopey Benny Fein, New York's first real labor racketeer.

Rose has written on the subject of vintage crime and cold case files for national and regional periodicals, and is a frequent guest on radio and television programmes dealing with America's criminal past.

Reviews

[Kaesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of really interesting information that will be useful as I finish this silly fanfic I'm working on, but it definitely has some issues -- a few minor errors I've noticed repeated in a lot of books over my research (which -- idk, maybe they're not errors and the Tribune reported wrong, that is INCREDIBLY possible, but I'd like to know?) and at one point -- which was vital to me and my fic research but probably not relevant for the casual reader -- the narrative slips from 1925 to 1926 without clarifying that, something I feel like an editor ought to have caught. (This is actually the 2nd book I've read to do that at that specific point in the narrative, so I'm guessing they both had the same source which was similarly vague.) I also was pretty confused at the suggestion that perhaps O'Banion was reckless due to ADD. It's not... impossible, I guess, but also what a weird diagnosis of someone who has been dead for a really long time. And the book is definitely not unbiased, but it doesn't really pretend to be; the author clearly feels pretty strongly that O'Banion has been much maligned in his (relatively few compared to Capone) portrayals by popular media.

Anyway, an interesting book if you just want a read about a historical Chicago mob guy who was not Capone (and who was more of a Chicago mob guy, as Capone came from NYC) and full of interesting details, but occasionally dissatisfying for my very particular purposes.

[Chriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is obvious that the many years that Rose Keefe spent researching and writing the story of Dean O'Banion was time well spent! She captures the essence of a man that visually could have walked off the page and her knack of storytelling is top-notch. I was captivated in his devotion, not the brutality. Rose shares these images with the reader that really setup the framework of early Chicago. This isn't your run of the mill gangster book and the attention to accurate detail is deliberate. The book is well thought out and presented in a way that kept me wanting to read more, even furthering my education on prohibition and early Chicago in the process. This is a must read for true gangster enthusiasts and historians alike!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the introduction I wanted to Gangland Chicago. I wish there had been footnotes, though. On to Bugs Moran!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational, almost too much information in each chapter! Writing style was easy to follow and made sense!

[Juliet Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that will have you re-thinking what you assume you know about Dean O'Bannion. Ms. Keefe interviewed several relatives of the North Side Gang, a schoolmate of O'Bannion's, and a man who helped deliver booze for the North Side Gang, as well as accessing court records to reveal the story behind the man whose death started a deadly war.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of punctuation and syntax errors, but ultimately an informative, lively portrait of a lesser-known, but important, figure in the early 20th century Chicago underworld.

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good the second time. For people who are interested in early 20th century Chicago and/or Gangsters this is an excellent book.

[Clarence Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read and essential for any Chicago Crime buff.