West Bottoms (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798991156073)

In the 1930s, Kansas City's bustling West Bottoms district is the hub of railroads, industry and crime. But as the Great Depression tightens its grip, the district is left gasping for air. Beneath the economic collapse, a scandal erupts that shakes the region to its core. Over $1 million in forged bonds is uncovered, exposing a labyrinth of corruption that stretches from Kansas City to Chicago. State officials and brokers are entangled in a conspiracy too explosive to contain.

At the center of this whirlwind is a young woman from Dust-bowl Kansas, swept up by a reckless love affair with a dashing man who turns his back on comfort for the rush of adrenaline-fueled danger. Their treacherous journey, intertwined with the scandal, takes them both down an unforeseen path of heartbreak, misfortune and death.

Meanwhile, a group of detectives-each haunted by their own demons-digs into the chaos of the conspiracy, unraveling not just the crimes at hand but the dark truths buried within themselves and their colleagues. As they inch closer to the truth, aided by bartenders, prostitutes, and hustlers, the lines between justice and corruption is crossed. Chicago gangsters, hungry for a slice of the action, close in. From smoky speakeasies thriving in the wake of Prohibition's end to the perilous back alleys, the fight for power, survival, and profit ignites a deadly, high-stakes struggle.

Years later, an aging survivor recounts the scandal to a curious granddaughter, revealing long-buried secrets. Against the backdrop of greed and ambition, lives collide and unravel in the rough-hewn streets of the West Bottoms. The question is not just who will survive-but whether anyone can escape unscathed from the storm of calculated betrayal that left its mark on them all.

Author: Mace Thornton, Rogers Brazier
ISBN-13: 9798991156073
Publisher: Personal Chapters LLC
Language: English
Published: 01/10/2025
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.48d