Meet the Kellys

Praise

Praise for Chris Enss

“Chris Enss delivers the goods on Machine Gun Kelly, who moved from the upper middle class and college to become an infamous Prohibition-era gangster with his moll, Kathryn Thorne. Thoroughly researched with exciting new details!” —Meyer Lansky II, grandson of Meyer Lansky and author of The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky on Meet the Kellys

“An unforgettable dive into the lives of mastermind Machine Gun Kelly and his wife Kathryn Thorne, a couple whose love burned as fiercely as their crimes. This thrilling ride grips you with daring heists, audacious kidnappings, and the relentless pursuit of justice—a tale of love, danger, and infamy that is impossible to resist. A must-read for true crime fans!” —Laurie Pozmantier, film and TV producer on Meet the Kellys

“This masterful work of literary journalism brilliantly uncovers surprising new stories and many rich details of this legendary team of Machine Gun Kelly and his moll Kathryn Thorne and highlights the true story of their rise as one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, while stripping away the hype and legend to reveal the greed and ambition of both a small-time criminal and the woman who pressed him into the limelight because she wanted the finer things in life. Eye-opening and well-researched, Meet the Kellys is an excellent read, full of facts and information you’ve likely never seen about this infamous gangster and his moll.” ―Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times bestselling author

“Enss presents the true history of one of America’s great criminal romances in this nonfiction work. . . . This propulsive and thoroughly researched true-crime account will especially please fans of Depression-era gangster stories as it helps to elevate George and Kathryn to the same iconic strata as Bonnie and Clyde. A pulpy true-crime account of one of America’s most infamous kidnappings.” —Kirkus Reviews on Meet the Kellys

“A meticulously documented history and biography that reads like an action/adventure novel from start to finish, Meet the Kellys: The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne will be of particular appeal to readers with an interest in the outlaws that made headlines during the Roaring Twenties era of the Great Depression, Prohibition bootlegging, and notorious bank robbers and kidnappers. An inherently fascinating and riveting read.” —Midwest Book Review

“Cover to cover, Chris Enss’s Meet the Kellys is crime biography at its finest. [Her] intriguing and insightful new crime biography . . . tells the fascinating story of an early 1930s crime couple who had strong connections to Fort Worth. Enss, a California writer who focuses on extraordinary women throughout history, has won multiple writing awards and is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 books. Her new work is expertly organized and drawn from an impressive array of research materials.” —Lone Star Literary Life Review

“Historian Enss profiles in this colorful account 10 of the first female physicians on America’s Western frontier. . . . insightful.” ―Publishers Weekly on The Doctor Was a Woman

“A collection of tales about real superhero women and how they won respect.” ―Library Journal on The Doctor Was a Woman

“In this detailed account of the star-crossed lovers, the author—who is known for her books on Western women—plumbs both Colorado and British resources. In Enss’ hands, Bird is not a female oddity, but a woman of strength, courage and loyalty.” ―The Denver Post on The Lady and the Mountain Man

“Entertaining.” ―New York Journal of Books on The Doctor Was a Woman

“The rigor of the scholarly research on display here is quite simply astonishing, as the authors seem to leave no stone unturned.” ―Kirkus Reviews on The Widowed Ones

“If countless books and movies are to be believed, America’s Wild West was, at heart, a man’s world. New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss, takes on this stereotype, telling the stories of seventeen courageous women who faced down schoolrooms full of children on the open prairies and in the cattle and mining towns of the Old West.” ―The Union on Frontier Teachers

“A new perspective on an oft-overlooked facet of the Spirit of the West and its influence on the nation.” ―HistoryNet on No Place for a Woman