The Jazz Bird

by Craig Holden

Book Overview

An exquistely written novel of love and betrayal, of money and power, set at the apex of that time of glitz and innocence known as the Jazz Age.

CINCINNATI, 1927...

Lawyer George Remus became the country's biggest bootlegger, grossing over $80 million until his arrest. Upon his release from prison, he learns that his beautiful wife, Imogene, has left him and that his bank accounts are empty. On the morning of their divorce, he...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416572775
• ISBN13: 9781416572770
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Loved this book!

THE JAZZ BIRD is a real page-turner. Holden skillfully brought me back into the 20s time period with his realistic portrayal of life as George Remus would've lived it. A tragic love story and a fascinating insight into bootlegging.

AN UNGILDED CAGE

THE JAZZ BIRD, based on a true story, but admittedly fictionalized to add dramatic voice, is a stunning example of good characterization if nothing else. Holden brings us realistic, tragic, and multi-layered characters in the story of a murder trial in which we know the defendant is guilty. But the background is complex and nothing is quite as it seems. At times Holden's plotting does get a little muddled, but by the end of the novel, you get a better understanding of George Remus and why he killed his enigmatic wife, Imogene. While the jumping around at times defuses the courtroom suspense, I was surprised by its ending, and the novel itself ends on a note that is not easily accepted.Good, crisp writing, should enhance Holden's growing reputation.

Sweet Singing Imogene

This is the first work by Craig Holden that I have read; it most certainly will not be the last. I am not familiar enough with the historical basis for this book, so I comment purely as a reader. "The Jazz Bird", is a wicked book, from a large cast of characters whose loyalty cannot be placed until the book's end, an immense fortune built by prohibition, and the co-star of the book Imogene.Imogene is one of the better female players that I have read in quite some time. If the character in the book bears any resemblance to who this woman truly was, there must be additional books written already, or more will certainly follow.The author reconstructs the 1920's with great detail, right down to noting the Rag Time Piano Music of Scott Joplin. If you recall the music, you may also remember the movie that brought it back when Paul Newman and Robert Redford gave classic performances in, "The Sting". This work is much darker than the movie I reference, but if the time period appeals to you, the book will as well. Prohibition parties where 100-dollar bills were under the plate of each guest, or perhaps dozens of new cars awaited the guests who stayed the night as gifts. Add to all of this Imogene, daughter of the privileged class who marries the largest rumrunner, systematically destroys all she was brought up to be a part of, and does it with either the greatest calculation, or the most grievous unintended consequence.The book is a classic roaring 20's tragedy that you know is going to happen but Craig Holden brings you there through a series of brilliant characters, and the most circuitous of routes.

Revisionist history, but a good story anyway

Fascinating! I never heard of George Remus the bootlegging king of Cincinnati who made millions in the mid-twenties when he was as big as Al Capone. Though Fitzgerald denied it, many believe Remus was the model for Gatsby. Remus' wife Imogene was not the young socialite Holden portrays but a 35-year-old secretary who dumped her first husband for him. History says she teamed up with "Untouchable" Frank Dodge, and the two of them siphoned off his fortune while George was doing time. The murder, how Charlie Taft handled the trial and the result are said to be spot on, though Holden creates his own details and the characters are more of his mold than history's. Because Imogene is unabashedly like Daisy Buchannan the story feels more like a knock off of Fitzgerald than biographical fiction.George kills Imogene in "rush hour" (was there such a thing in 1927?) and takes a cab to the police station. After one night in a cold cell he's treated to VIP digs by the sheriff who tells George his two boys went to college on money from his business. He will defend himself telling the press he's not crazy but all the while acting like he is. His co-counsel Elston first gets George's chauffeur Babe to recount the statement that the prosecution beat out of him, then parades a bunch of people who describe how both Imogene and Dodge were driving George to his erratic behavior.Holden's version is that Imogene only hooked up with Dodge to benefit Remus, but that story line is off base. It might have worked in a different kind of novel, but it creates an unpalatable smorgasbord in this one.I gave it 4 stars because it was woth listening to (I did the audio tape version), but using a real life event to prop up an outrageous story line offended me, particularly when Imogene and her "love story" were bogus given the facts that are known about the murder.

Passion and obsession.

With his sheer assurance as a storyteller, Mr. Holden has taken on the daunting task of recreating the provocative era of the 1920s. He not only recreates the era, but the real life story of one of the most dramatic and complex love affairs in American history. The author has conveyed an aura of authenticity with his rich character development. I was deeply drawn to the love affair between a gangster, George Remus, and a woman of high society, Imogene Ring. Charlie Taft's obsessive interest in a dead woman adds a wry, atypical twist to the standard love triangle theme. The story illustrates the delicacy, the violence, and the destruction of love. There is a fascinating duality of permissiveness counterpoised with conventionality interwoven into a rich tale filled with obsessive love, organized crime, politics, motives, insanity, and betrayal. This story of passion and obsession is lit by the bright light of humanity and history. I could not put this book down. Highly recommended for those who love writing that far exceeds the ordinary.