Gangsters & Whores is a romp through some of the more colourful characters of Australian history.
G.S. Willmott tells their stories with his trademark mix of dramatisation and fact, embellishing them with the dialogue and vintage photos, facts, figures and a sly sense of humour. This is not Ned Kelly country - this is the stamping ground of notorious madam Tilly Devine, her violent husband Big Jim, her rival Kate Leigh and Squizzy Taylor. Around them racket the gangs of the 1920s and ''30s, shooting, slashing, swearing, stealing and terrorising the locals. Feuds and vendettas, blood and sly grog - it''s all here. Who got murdered in his bed during a bout of flu? Who went AWOL so often he was more out of the war than in it? Who stole a shop-load of clothing for his girlfriend? Don''t know? Find out, in Gangsters & Whores.
From the turbulent times in Australia, the story moves to the US and then to Britain, piling more facts, figures and local colour onto the foundation.
More fun than a run through the gauntlet but similarly buffeting... Gangsters & Whores is an unforgettable visit to the days of yore (and a quick glimpse into the equally lively resent as the author brings us up to date.)
- Sally Odgers, Editor