** 100th Anniversary of Prohibition: On October 28, 1919, Congress passed The Volstead Act, providing for enforcement of Prohibition. The Bourbon King received significant and extensive media coverage starting in September 2019.
** Winning Book and Author Platform for Historical Crime: Cincinnati-based author, Cincinnati-based story, and an audience core in Cincinnati and Kentucky that will spiral outward to national bestsellerdom. Author has already confirmed multiple events in the region and within the bourbon industry.
** Nearly Guaranteed Coverage in Media: Author Karen Abbot’s book The Ghosts of Eden Park will be published one month after The Bourbon King, along with other Prohibition-geared books, nearly guaranteeing round-up coverage.
** Prohibition’s Greatest Unsung Story: Compared to Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Arnold Rothstein, George Remus is relatively unsung. This work of rich, brilliantly researched nonfiction will put establish his rightful place as America’s Bootleg King.
** The Story Behind a Surprising Cultural Touchstone: Remus was voiced by Paul Giamatti in Ken Burns’s documentary Prohibition; he appeared multiple times in Boardwalk Empire; and there is a high-end bourbon named after him.
** The Inspiration for The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald based his fictional Gatsby character after George Remus.
** A Legal First in American History: In his own trial, Remus engineered the first successful self-representation using a transitory maniacal insanity plea in American history.
** Introduces a New Sin City to Readers: Newport, Kentucky, directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, was the 1920s’ Sin City. A nearly lawless town filled with speakeasies and brothels, Newport was Vegas before Las Vegas. Newport provided the test case that mobsters later used in creating Las Vegas.
** Love Triangle: George Remus got pinched by ace detective Frank Dodge. The agent then began an affair with the sultry seductress Imogene Remus. The two cavorted across the country, spending and secreting away Remus’s millions.
** Bootlegging and Murder: Released from jail, George Remus murdered Imogene in cold-blood in Eden Park, Cincinnati’s version of Central Park. He defended himself against President William Howard Taft’s son Charles in what became a sensational, headline-grabbing case. Remus won a Christmas verdict, freedom based on his dramatic performance.
** Ken Burns on Remus: https://www.pbs.org/video/prohibition-george-remus-the-circle/
