The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd
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Narrated by:
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Jack Chekijian
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By:
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Jeffery S. King
About this listen
Charles Arthur Floyd, better known as Pretty Boy Floyd (1904-1934), was one of the last of the so-called Robin Hood outlaws in the tradition of Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and John Dillinger. He engaged in numerous bank-robbing exploits across the Midwest until federal agents and local police shot him down near East Liverpool, Ohio, on October 22, 1934 - a feat which helped build the image of the modern FBI.
This detailed account of his life, crimes, and death makes extensive use of FBI reports, government records, local newspapers, and contemporary journalistic accounts. Neither highly intelligent nor polished, Floyd relied on his cool demeanor, shrewd cunning, and expert gun-handling ability, but he was also considered by those who knew him to be generous and honest. During the depression, many people saw banks as enemies and Floyd as a hero, and helped screen him from the police. Once he left a large contribution at an Oklahoma church - and no one reported his visit. He was known to drop in at country dances, dance with the prettiest girls, and pay the fiddler well. One story claims that he kept a rural school in fuel one winter. He attended church regularly, even during intense manhunts, and visited his father's grave each Memorial Day, despite the risk of capture.
In this biography, Jeffery S. King addresses many of the questions still surrounding Floyd, such as whether he had contact with other notorious outlaws of the period, including Dillinger, Alvin Karpis, and Bonnie and Clyde, and whether he was executed by the FBI. He also links Floyd to the infamous Kansas City Massacre. Particularly notable are King's assessments of the effectiveness of the FBI and of J. Edgar Hoover's talent for self promotion. Jeffery S. King is a freelance writer and retired reference librarian. His articles have appeared in Lincoln Herald, Sepia, and Utah Historical Quarterly.
The book is published by The Kent State University Press.
©1998 The Kent State University Press (P)2013 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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For 13 violent months in the 1930s, John Dillinger and his gang swept through the Midwest. The criminals of the Depression robbed almost at will, as the Indiana State Police had only 41 members, including clerks and typists. Dillinger's daring escapes at Crown Point jail or through the withering machine gun fire of FBI agents at Little Bohemia Lodge, along with his countless bank robberies, excited the imagination of a despondent country.
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Must have been written by Hoover
- By Jimmy Oneal on 09-03-20
By: John Toland
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Undisclosed Files of the Police
- Cases from the Archives of the NYPD from 1831 to the Present
- By: Bernard Whalen, Philip Messing, Robert Mladinich
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 175 years of true crimes culled from the city's police blotter, told through an insightful text by two NYPD officers and a NYC crime reporter. From atrocities that occurred before the establishment of New York's police force in 1845 through the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 to the present day, this audio is an insider's look at more than 80 real-life crimes that shocked the nation, from arson to gangland murders, robberies, serial killers, bombings, and kidnappings.
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Good History of Crime in NYC
- By Bob Shinders on 03-10-17
By: Bernard Whalen, and others
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Killing the Dream
- James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- By: Gerald Posner
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the three decades since April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death in Memphis, scores of books and articles have questioned whether James Earl Ray, King's killer, acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy. Now, based on explosive new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence, best-selling author Gerald Posner finally resolves the simple truth of the last great political murder mystery of the 1960s, definitively proving that Ray acted alone.
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Enlightening
- By Thornton Mellon on 05-19-19
By: Gerald Posner
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Animal
- The Bloody Rise and Fall of the Mob's Most Feared Assassin
- By: Casey Sherman
- Narrated by: Jim Goad
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Joe Barboza knew that there were two requirements for getting inducted into the Mafia. You had to be Sicilian. And you had to commit a contract killing. The New Bedford-born mobster was a proud Portuguese, not Sicilian, but his dream to be part of La Cosa Nostra proved so strong that he thought he could create a loophole. Barboza’s legacy, buried for years thanks to the murders or deaths of its participants, is finally coming to light and being told in its unvarnished brutality by one of America’s most respected true crime writers.
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Well done. 5 stars.
- By robert price on 03-03-19
By: Casey Sherman
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Storming Las Vegas
- How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip to the Tune of Five World-Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and Millions of Dollars
- By: John Huddy
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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On September 20, 1998, a Cuban-born former Red Army lieutenant named Jose Vigoa launched a series of raids on the Las Vegas Strip. During a 16-month spree, Vigoa robbed five world-class hotels, three armored cars, and one department store. The casinos hit were the MGM; the Desert Inn; the New York, New York; the Mandalay Bay; and the Bellagio. Lieutenant John Alamshaw, a 23-year-old veteran in charge of robbery detectives, was ordered to stop the robberies at all costs. He knew he was up against a mastermind. What he didn't know was that he was running out of time.
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I loved it..
- By Ed Robertson on 03-31-08
By: John Huddy
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Drug Lord
- The True Story of Pablo Acosta: The Life and Death of a Mexican Kingpin
- By: Terrence E. Poppa
- Narrated by: Armando Duran
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Drug Lord, a firsthand account of drug dealing, murder, and corruption, tells of drug kingpin Pablo Acosta, who smuggled up to 20 tons of cocaine each year into the United States before treachery brought about his downfall and grisly death.
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Not just another cartel book
- By Consumer 14 on 09-05-20
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U.S. Marshals
- Inside America's Most Storied Law Enforcement Agency
- By: Mike Earp, David Fisher
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Blending history and memoir, retired U.S. Marshal Mike Earp - a descendant of the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp - offers an exclusive and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the most storied law enforcement agency in America, illuminating its vital role in the nation's development for more than two hundred years. Setting his own experiences within the long history of the U.S. Marshals service, Earp offers a moving and illuminating tribute to the brave marshals who have dedicated their lives to keeping the nation safe.
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Boring, history of the bureaucracy
- By Lake Like A Local on 03-15-21
By: Mike Earp, and others
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Shot All to Hell
- Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape
- By: Mark Lee Gardner
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the most famous bank robbery of all time, involving the legendary James-Younger gang's final shocking holdup - the infamous Northfield Raid - and the thrilling two-week chase that followed. Mark Lee Gardner, author of the critically acclaimed To Hell on a Fast Horse, takes us inside Northfield's First National Bank and outside to the streets as Jesse James and his band of outlaws square off against the heroic citizens who risked their lives to defeat America's most daring criminals.
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The old west outlaw comes alive.
- By Dennis on 10-25-13
By: Mark Lee Gardner
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The Corporation
- An Epic Story of the Cuban American Underworld
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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By the mid 1980s, the criminal underworld in the United States had become an ethnic polyglot; one of the most powerful illicit organizations was none other than the Cuban mob. Known on both sides of the law as "the Corporation", the Cuban mob's power stemmed from a criminal culture embedded in south Florida's exile community - those who had been chased from the island by Castro's revolution and planned to overthrow the Marxist dictator and reclaim their nation.
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uncle joey approved
- By Anonymous User on 04-14-18
By: T. J. English
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Cullotta
- By: Dennis N. Griffin, Frank Cullotta
- Narrated by: Michael Taylor
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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From burglary to armed robbery and murder, infamous bad guy Frank Cullotta not only did it all, in Cullotta he admits to it - and in graphic detail. This no-holds-barred biography chronicles the life of a career criminal who started out as a thug on the streets of Chicago and became a trusted lieutenant in Tony Spilotro's gang of organized lawbreakers in Las Vegas. Cullotta's was a world of high-profile heists, street muscle, and information - lots of it - about many of the FBI's most wanted.
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Great story, silly narrator
- By Tom Mainella II on 04-20-15
By: Dennis N. Griffin, and others
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Crime Beat
- A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Len Cariou, Nancy McKeon, Carl Franklin
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
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Before he became a novelist, Michael Connelly was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat in Florida and Los Angeles. In vivid, hard-hitting articles, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends, and, of course, the killers, to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.
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Disappointment
- By Traci on 11-07-11
By: Michael Connelly
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Gangster Squad
- Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles
- By: Paul Lieberman
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Gangster Squad chronicles the true story of the secretive police unit that waged an anything-goes war to drive Mickey Cohen and other hoodlums from Los Angeles after WWII. In 1946, the LAPD launched the Gangster Squad with eight men who met covertly on street corners and slept with Tommy guns under their beds. But for two cops, all that mattered was nailing the strutting gangster Mickey Cohen. Sgt. Jack O’Mara was a square-jawed church usher, Sgt. Jerry Wooters a cynical maverick....
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Nothing Like the movie
- By KEITH on 02-21-13
By: Paul Lieberman
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Get Capone
- The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed journalist and bestselling author Jonathan Eig blows the lid off the Al Capone story. Based on never-before-seen government documents and newly discovered letters written by Al Capone himself, Get Capone presents America's greatest gangster as you’ve never seen him before.
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Get this book
- By Jonathan on 05-13-10
By: Jonathan Eig
What listeners say about The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MolllyT
- 06-30-15
Very readable Criminal Justice thesis
This is a highly detailed and apparently exceptionally well researched biography of Chas Floyd, development of state and local policing, the early days of the FBI and J Edgar Hoover's early self-aggrandizement. Beginning with Chas's early days and family life, and progressing through his first prison sentence and how it affected his life, with very detailed reports involving his criminal career and demise. The material seems to have been gathered through police reports and an impressive amount of newspaper accounts and family interviews from that time period. It is presented in a very literary manner and woven together seamlessly.
Considering the publisher, one wonders if this is also a required text for CJ majors. If so, the chosen narrator is one who usually does very well in using a cadence well suited to note taking, and it is a good fit. Considering all of the quotations amassed, it is pleasant to have a narrator who is able to utilize character voices so well. I feel that the narrator was able to transform a routine assignment into a rather pleasant read.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 07-29-13
Pretty Boy Floyd a robin hood or villian
This book is written in an academic style and does a good job of attempting to present only provable facts. It is obvious a great deal of research went into the book. King covers Floyd's life from early childhood to his death on October 22, 1934 in East Liverpool, Ohio. King cover Floyd's life of crime and down plays his so called acts of paying off mortgage's of poor farmers and helping out with food to poor women and children. The newspaper apparently like to show the relationship of Floyd to Jessie James and Robin Hood. The role of Melvin Purvis in the killing of Floyd is covered as well as the feud between Purvis and head of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover. King outlines how this period of lawless from 1929 to 1934 brought about the formation of the FBI and the rise to power of J. Edgar Hoover. In covering, in depth, Floyd's crimes, he also covers the Kansas City Massacre and other well known criminals of the time. Overall this is an interesting story of one man's life and the crimes of the early 1930's. Another interesting book would be to compare this era of crime to the current crimes. Jack Chekijian does a good job narrating the book.
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5 people found this helpful
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- erobbins33
- 10-05-15
a cool lesson
this book is a comprehensive look at the life of a notorious American criminal. the end was especially exciting as it detailed what really happened when he was finally found. the author obviously did a ton of research. the narrator did a phenomenal job, especially with voices. there was a quote from a little old lady that completely cracked me up. I received a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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2 people found this helpful
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- The book lover
- 11-05-15
Starts very good
With this book I have mixed emotions. The book starts off as very interesting and informative. But sadly it turned out to become a little boring. At the end the book becomes informative and a bit interesting again.
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- Terri
- 07-22-15
One of our most notorious criminals...
I received this audio book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review. This book is about the life and the death of Pretty Boy Floyd aka Charles Arthur Floyd. He was only alive for 30 years (1904 - 1934) yet he dd enough crime damage to go down in history as one of America's bad boys bank robber outlaws. This book is a detailed informative book about his comings and goings and how the FBI tracked him down.
The author, Jeffery S King did a good job in his research of Pretty Boy Floyd and wrote this book in a way to hold my interest throughout the book. The things he got away with was just amazing, along with his escapes. The narrator, Jack Chekijian delivers another flawless read to us. Mr Chekijian has a smooth voice that is easy on the ears and enjoyable to listen to. Great job guys!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Dave
- 01-20-16
Not terrible, not great
Less a story than a detailed outline. Narrator kept up with 200 characters. There are bursts of interesting story, but the weight of dates and locations drags it down in the end. I recommend "Go Down Together" by Jeff Guinn instead.
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- Steven Gerweck
- 08-31-23
Public Enemy Number One
Was Pretty Boy Floyd a stone cold killer, or Robin Hood as many viewed him? You will definitely have your answer upon completing "The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd." The outlaw was certainly a slippery character, alluding massive manhunts. It would come to an abrupt end in a small town in Ohio in 1934, but legacy lives on in pop culture today, as documented by author Jeffrey S. King.
One thing is for sure, Floyd was armed and dangerous and did shoot to kill, and was successful at it. He robbed banks, with estimates between $250,000 and $500,000 stolen. Part of his success was as a result of police departments being understaffed, and often times, poorly trained. However, Floyd would awake the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), who intensified their search for the "Pretty Boy."
Judging from his childhood, Floyd never seemed to be on the straight and narrow, becoming a petty theft at an early age. It does appear he attempted to live a normal life as a farmer, but apparently it wasn't in his blood, as the outlaw would trade whiskey for a pistol in 1925. However, Floyd would be arrested and serve more than three years in a Missouri prison for robbery. Evidently, prison life made him even more dangerous.
Floyd would become a successful bank robber, changing partners and states, but staying one step ahead of the law. The Pretty Boy would be aided by some claiming to be him, while others were arrested as they looked like him. There were always many rumors about his whereabouts, including South America and even China, as noted by the author. For a time, there were rumors of his death, but his notoriety grew after the Kansas City massacre. Did Floyd participate in the killing of four lawmen, "The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd" fairly lays out the evidence.
King allows the listener to experience Floyd's final days and even final meal. Floyd's death added to his allure. Many people didn't trust the FBI, and felt they were trigger happy. King notes that more than 20,000 people attended Floyd's funeral. Was Pretty Boy Floyd a Robin Hood type bad guy? "The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd" affords you the opportunity to judge for yourself!
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- Steve
- 07-24-19
Sounds like a text to speech program
I can't even get past the first 10 minutes. I need to request a refund for this.
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- Nick
- 02-06-18
WTF????
the narrator is so God awful. I lasted 3 minutes and gave up. he whisperes
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- D. Orphal
- 04-04-15
Buy the paper or kindle book and read it yourself
What would have made The Life & Death of Pretty Boy Floyd better?
Jack Chekijan reads the story like he had a sleeping pill the night before and had just woken up. It's like a slightly slowed William Shatner. While well-reseached, King only does a passing-good job of delivering the story of Floyd's exploits and completely loses any potential drama. It's pretty mind boggling that a book about gangsters, bank robberies, high-topped get-a-ways, an shootouts can be boring.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jack Chekijian?
I can only wistfully imagine what Eric Larson and Scott Brick could have made of this.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The book is well-researched. I do feel like I learned a lot.
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