Al Capone and His American Boys

Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife

William J. Helmer

Independent Publisher Book Award; AAUP Public and Secondary School Library Selection

Narrated by Kristi Burns

Available from Audible

Book published by Indiana University Press

When her husband was murdered on the orders of Chicago mobster Frank Nitti, Georgette Winkeler—wife of one of Al Capone's "American Boys"—set out to expose the Chicago Syndicate. After an attempt to publish her story was squelched by the mob, she offered it to the FBI in the mistaken belief that they had the authority to strike at the racketeers who had killed her husband Gus. Discovered 60 years later in FBI files, the manuscript describes the couple’s life on the run, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre (Gus was one of the shooters), and other headline crimes of that period. Prepared for publication by mob expert William J. Helmer, Al Capone and His American Boys is a compelling contemporary account of the heyday of Chicago crime by a woman who found herself married to the mob.

William J. Helmer is coauthor of Dillinger: The Untold Story and The Gun That Made the Twenties Roar as well as other books on the gangland era.

REVIEWS:

“This is not another Capone book; he is but a tangential figure in this fascinating account.... For true crime and gangster story fans.”

—Library Journal

“Al Capone and his American Boys is highly recommended for those interested in an insider's view of the major criminal events of the Gangster Era.”

—Informer

“"Al Capone and His American Boys is more than just fascinating history—it's built on the human interest element of living a gangster's life.”

—mafialifeblog.com

“Helmer delights history buffs once more with his research and inimitable style, bringing us the memoirs of a primo gangster's moll. Hers is a first-hand account of being married to one of Al Capone's travelling psycho-circus of killers called the 'American boys' who moved from St. Louis to Chicago to live the gritty gangland life of the Roaring Twenties”

—Mario Gomes, www.myalcaponemuseum.com

“Deemed too hot by its publisher in 1934, this incredible and revealing story sheds new light on major crimes, including the St. Valentine's Day Massacre—the defining moment that cemented Chicago's reputation as a city of criminal mayhem.... A candid look at the era of Capone, Frank Nitti, Georgette’s husband Gus, and a group of Public Enemies who continue to fascinate a new generation of readers.”

—Richard C. Lindberg, author of The Gambler King of Clark Street: Michael C. McDonald and The Rise of Chicago's Democratic Machine