Kathryn Kelly

The 1930’s produced some of the most violent crimes known in the history of the United States. Fed by need and greed, some of the notorious criminals included women, one of which became a legend in her own right for establishing the feared persona of her husband—Machine Gun Kelly. Her name: Kathryn. About the Author Barbara Casey is the author of several award-winning novels and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. In addition to her own writing, she is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency, established in 1995, representing authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014 Barbara became a partner in Strategic Media Books Publishing, an independent publishing house that specializes in true crime and other cutting-edge adult nonfiction. Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with her husband and two dogs: Benton, a hound-mix, and Fitz, a miniature dachshund. What People Are Saying Barbara Casey illuminates one of the most colorful characters of an era filled with them: “Machine Gun” Kelly’s better half, Kathryn. This exciting, fast-paced account makes the strong case that the hoodlum’s wife was the true mastermind of the duo. By giving him a Tommy gun and egging him on to ever daring crimes, Kathryn Kelly propelled her husband to legendary status. In the process, she became a Depression-era mythmaker for a public enthralled by antiheroes. This sharpshooting, cop-slapping daughter of a bootlegging family clearly relished the thrill and glamor of gangster life. Readers will love the bumpy ride. ~ Carl Russo, author of The Sicilian Mafia: A True Crime Travel Guide *** Gangsterism seemed to be a male-dominated phenomenon - well, truth be told, there existed some genuinely nefarious female characters in the high drama of underworld theater. Barbara Casey delivers an eye-opening, myth-busting, stereotype-shattering history of Gangsterdom's most nefarious female - Kathryn Kelly. In mesmerizing detail, Barbara Casey explores the ironic, bizarre and often-tragic persona of a genuine master manipulator, and perhaps the most sinister woman from the golden era of outlaws and organized crime. ~ Christian Cipollini, author of Murder Inc.: Mysteries of the Most Deadly Hit Squad *** A superb account of the woman who literally put the machine gun in “Machine Gun” Kelly’s hands and created a legend. A MUST-READ! ~ David Amoruso of Gangsters Inc. *** “Machine Gun” Kelly made national news in 1933 when he kidnapped an Oklahoma oilman, but little is known about his wife, Kathryn, who put him up to it. Barbara Casey takes care of that. She not only assembles Kathryn's history from genealogical sources but uses FBI documents, newspaper stories, and magazine articles to track the unsavory careers of her and her husband from their criminal backgrounds through the front-page kidnapping case, their arrest and imprisonment, and their ultimate fates, which differ in curious ways that will fascinate readers to the end. ~ William Helmer, Author, Al Capone and his American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife