Reviews
Praise for Empire of Sin "[A] rich, well-structured story more vivid and twist-filled than most crime fiction...Armed with both well-placed primary sources and an addictive, climactic narrative, Krist leads a perfect trip into the short-lived societal experiment aptly named "Storyville."-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "In the vein of Erik Larson's best seller The Devil in the White City , Gary Krist's exposé of New Orleans at the turn of the century...proves that truth really is stranger than fiction by detailing the prominent figures within Storyville, the Crescent City's red-light district....Fans of Boardwalk Empire would enjoy this crime thriller as well." -- Library Journal , Top 10 Editors' Picks BEA 2014 "A colorful account...richly detailed...lively....A wild, well-told tale." -- Kirkus Reviews "Focusing on the battle for (and against) morality in "the Sodom of the South" from the 1890s to the early 20th century, Krist's hard-to-put-down read recounts a volatile time for vice in a town built on it." -- Where New Orleans, Praise for Empire of Sin "[A] rich, well-structured story more vivid and twist-filled than most crime fiction...Armed with both well-placed primary sources and an addictive, climactic narrative, Krist leads a perfect trip into the short-lived societal experiment aptly named 'Storyville.'" -- Publishers Weekly , Starred Review "This engaging work covers the brief and exciting history of Storyville...Krist delivers on his lurid subtitle with stories of the flourishing sex industry, the birth of jazz in New Orleans, and the unsolved case of the "Axman"...Highly recommended for readers interested in New Orleans and also for those looking for a readable collection of true stories from one of America's most fascinating metropolises." -- Library Journal , Starred Review " Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans has something for everyone who has ever staggered down Bourbon Street with a Kindle. Krist spent a lot of time in the city's great archival collections, wondering why our funky hometown got this way. And, boy did he latch onto a story." -- New Orleans Times Picayune , 50 Fall Events Not to Miss "Krist deftly weaves Anderson's rise and fall into a much broader tale involving race relations, prostitution, jazz, and the underworld of Italian immigrants...What keeps it going are well-crafted vignettes and deftly rendered character profiles, in which reformers aren't necessarily holy, and their targets are often possessed of considerable charm." -- American Scholar "[An] in-depth, seasoned analysis of the creation, growth, and downfalls of New Orleans, particularly its colorful Storyville area, which was indeed the site of vice and murder of all sorts but also of the birth of entrepreneurships and a music unparalleled in the U.S. of the time...Krist's well-researched and -told history of New Orleans is an eye-opening tale of a melting pot.... There are characters here, genial, business-savvy, and cruel; concerted efforts to live and let live, along with lawlessness; and righteous reformers, all wrapped into a captivating history of an era and locale that ultimately touched much of America's arts, attitudes, and outlook. A fascinating, detail-filled tribute to a city and an era." -- Booklist "A colorful account...richly detailed...lively....A wild, well-told tale." -- Kirkus Reviews "Focusing on the battle for (and against) morality in "the Sodom of the South" from the 1890s to the early 20th century, Krist's hard-to-put-down read recounts a volatile time for vice in a town built on it." -- Where New Orleans "In the vein of Erik Larson's best seller The Devil in the White City , Gary Krist's exposé of New Orleans at the turn of the century...proves that truth really is stranger than fiction by detailing the prominent figures within Storyville, the Crescent City's red-light district....Fans of Boardwalk Empire would enjoy this crime thriller as well." -- Library Journal , Top 10 Editors' Picks BEA 2014, Praise for Empire of Sin "[A] rich, well-structured story more vivid and twist-filled than most crime fiction...Armed with both well-placed primary sources and an addictive, climactic narrative, Krist leads a perfect trip into the short-lived societal experiment aptly named "Storyville."-- Publishers Weekly , starred review " Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans has something for everyone who has ever staggered down Bourbon Street with a Kindle. Krist spent a lot of time in the city's great archival collections, wondering why our funky hometown got this way. And, boy did he latch onto a story."-- New Orleans Times Picayune , 50 Fall Events Not to Miss "Krist deftly weaves Anderson's rise and fall into a much broader tale involving race relations, prostitution, jazz, and the underworld of Italian immigrants...What keeps it going are well-crafted vignettes and deftly rendered character profiles, in which reformers aren't necessarily holy, and their targets are often possessed of considerable charm."-- American Scholar "[An] in-depth, seasoned analysis of the creation, growth, and downfalls of New Orleans, particularly its colorful Storyville area, which was indeed the site of vice and murder of all sorts but also of the birth of entrepreneurships and a music unparalleled in the U.S. of the time...Krist's well-researched and -told history of New Orleans is an eye-opening tale of a melting pot.... There are characters here, genial, business-savvy, and cruel; concerted efforts to live and let live, along with lawlessness; and righteous reformers, all wrapped into a captivating history of an era and locale that ultimately touched much of America's arts, attitudes, and outlook. A fascinating, detail-filled tribute to a city and an era."-- Booklist "In the vein of Erik Larson's best seller The Devil in the White City , Gary Krist's exposé of New Orleans at the turn of the century...proves that truth really is stranger than fiction by detailing the prominent figures within Storyville, the Crescent City's red-light district....Fans of Boardwalk Empire would enjoy this crime thriller as well." -- Library Journal , Top 10 Editors' Picks BEA 2014 "A colorful account...richly detailed...lively....A wild, well-told tale." -- Kirkus Reviews "Focusing on the battle for (and against) morality in "the Sodom of the South" from the 1890s to the early 20th century, Krist's hard-to-put-down read recounts a volatile time for vice in a town built on it." -- Where New Orleans, Praise for Empire of Sin "[A] rich, well-structured story more vivid and twist-filled than most crime fiction...Armed with both well-placed primary sources and an addictive, climactic narrative, Krist leads a perfect trip into the short-lived societal experiment aptly named "Storyville."-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "In the vein of Erik Larson's best seller The Devil in the White City , Gary Krist's exposé of New Orleans at the turn of the century...proves that truth really is stranger than fiction by detailing the prominent figures within Storyville, the Crescent City's red-light district....Fans of Boardwalk Empire would enjoy this crime thriller as well." -- Library Journal , Top 10 Editors' Picks BEA 2014 "Focusing on the battle for (and against) morality in "the Sodom of the South" from the 1890s to the early 20th century, Krist's hard-to-put-down read recounts a volatile time for vice in a town built on it." -- Where New Orleans