Bootleggers, Bullets & Brothers in the Kingdom

"In Bootleggers, Bullets and Brothers in The Kingdom, Philip R. Jordan takes us for a high-speed, rough and tumble chase in a 1932 Packard through the lonely darkness of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, just ahead of the law. It's a coming-of-age tale set in Lyndonville and St. Johnsbury, two towns held in the grip of the Great Depression and Prohibition, when the lure of easy money called to rum-runners and criminal gangs smuggling beer and liquor in from Canada. Jordan artfully brings main characters Joey Ross and his older brother, Billy to life, outlining their difficult relationship and grim family situation. Their vulnerability to the pull of criminals and how those treacherous waters are navigated makes for a compelling story. Spot-on descriptions of towns, businesses, and the use of old Vermont sayings makes one feel at home, while at the same time, the story brings readers to the edge of their seats as the story unfolds." --Rick Norcross, former photographer/entertainment editor of the Tampa Times. Bandleader of Rick & The All-Star Ramblers Western Swing Band, focusing on songs about Vermont. "Growing up during the Great Depression in Vermont's hardscrabble Northeast Kingdom, young Joey Ross innocently becomes intertwined in a web of bootleggers and murder. The author deftly weaves historical facts of the era into the fictitious storyline that eclipses the last days of Prohibition in the early '30s, when some Vermonters turned to the illegal alcohol trade to supplement their meager pay. Follow this rum trail as it leads you, by hook or by crook through the story. You'll bump shoulders with bootleggers, gangsters, killers and the law, and will be challenged to find out who pulled a string of murders in the Kingdom, including that of a pretty young lady who's a recent arrival." --Scott Wheeler is the author of several Vermont history books including Rumrunners & Revenuers: Prohibition in Vermont, and Booze in the Kingdom: Voices from Prohibition. He is also the publisher of a Vermont history magazine, Vermont's Northland Journal. "One of the best descriptive books I have had the pleasure to read. It's a great story about the time in Vermont when booze was illegal...but when there were all the ways to get it anyway!" --Peggy Pearl, Executive Director, St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center