Enter now to win a copy of
Ma Barker: America’s Most Wanted Mother
A new month, a new book giveaway!
Was Arizona Donnie Clark, AKA Kate “Ma” Barker the mastermind behind the Barker gang terrorizing the Midwest during the early years of the great Depression? Or was she a terrible mother who urged her sons to criminal behavior for her own financial gain? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between. This lively retelling of the legend of Ma Barker and her boys is full of action, intrigue, and the answers to mysteries that have lingered for more than 70 years.
I spent three years researching and writing about Ma and her boys and before the book was submitted a fact checker was paid $35 an hour to make sure all was correct. Still, there were those who said Ma Barker couldn’t have been a crook. Seems like many of the books I write are controversial. I’m writing about George “Machine Gun” Kelly and his wife Kathryn now and I’m sure the title will be just as debated.
Here’s what some on Goodreads had to say about Ma Barker: America’s Most Wanted Mother:
“This one puts a new spin on the phrase, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. This was an interesting book about the criminals Ma Barker, her sons and their other partners in crime. Remorseless, self-entitled, manipulative, cold hearted are words that I’d use to describe Ma “Kate” Barker. She was the master mind and influence of the crimes her sons committed. This was indeed…a good read!”
“Ma looked out for her boys. She often chastised them, not for doing wrong, but for getting caught. Some who knew something of the criminal activity of the Barker boys believed that Ma was a bystander who just wanted what was best for her sons. The truth, according to authors Howard Kanzanjian and Chris Enss, was that Ma Barker was at the center of the gang’s non-stop illegal rampages. Richly detailed, a page turner, a wild ride, a good read.”
“I loved the history of an early mob family. The first chapter grabbed me instantly, highlighting robbery, kidnapping and murder. Ma Barker and her four sons were as notorious as Capone, Bonnie & Clyde, and Dillinger. The gangsters of the 30’s ran right along with the crooked police and lawyers. I liked that at the end of the book the authors listed the aliases and crimes of the Barker family.”
