Under an Outlaw Moon
Books | Fiction / Crime
4.7
Dietrich Kalteis
“Kalteis breathes life into these fearless, larger-than-life fugitives.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review Meet Depression-era newlyweds Bennie and Stella. He’s reckless, she’s naive. Longing for freedom from tough times, they rob a bank, setting off a series of events that quickly spin out of their control Under an Outlaw Moon is based on the true story of Depression-era bank robbers Bennie and Stella Mae Dickson. She’s a teenage outsider longing to fit in. He’s a few years older and he’s trouble. They meet at a local skating rink and the sparks fly. They marry and Stella dreams of a nice house with a swing out back, while Bennie figures out how to get enough money to make it happen. Setting his sights on the good life, he decides to rob a bank. Talking Stella into it, he lays out his plan and teaches her to shoot. The newlyweds celebrate her 16th birthday by robbing a local bank. They pull it off, but the score is small, and Bennie realizes the money won’t last long, so he plans a bigger robbery. What lays ahead is more than either of them bargained for. After J. Edgar Hoover finds out they crossed state lines, he declares them public enemies number one and two — wanted dead or alive. So much for the good life. The manhunt is on, and there’s little room for them to run.
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Author
Dietrich Kalteis
Pages
240
Publisher
ECW Press
Published Date
2021-11-02
ISBN
1770415475 9781770415478
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was another random Libby choice, which I've had unfortunately very bad luck with. (I can hear a Locked Door calling my name.) I needed an audiobook while waiting for my next one to come in and this ended up being the choice. It took a while for this one to grow on me, I don't know if that's the novel's fault or if I just had bias coming into it. It caught my interest at first with the actual robbing of the banks. I realized my heart was in my throat, I did care about the protagonists and them getting away. But the true wonder of this novel comes from the ending. An ending that got my emotions flaring with passion, with the injustice of the police force and of life in general. I felt for Stella so much at the end of the novel, and to think she was younger than I was when all of this happened. It broke my heart. With a historical fiction like this, I have to wonder how true the facts are. But what I will say is I hope it's just like the author laid it out. Should people be accountable for the consequences of failings from a government? While the police slander, make propaganda, and murder people are praised for their bravery? These types of questions were at the forefront of my mind for the rest of my ride home.
This was definitely a hidden gem of a novel; I had a really good time with it. Give it a shot.
"
Cole Johnson
