Inside the Shelton Gang: One Daughter's Discovery will have its debut Saturday at the Wayne County Press office in downtown Fairfield, Illinois, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.The book is written by Ruthie Shelton, daughter of "Little Carl" Shelton and grandniece of the infamous Shelton Brothers, and co-authored by Jon Musgrave of IllinoisHistory.com.
Inside the Shelton Gang tells the true story of what happens when a father’s wall of secrets begin to crumble and a family’s lost heritage of violence erupts from the front pages of history. For daughter Ruthie it’s a discovery that will forever change her life as she learns what it meant to be a Shelton in the days of Prohibition and the decades following, to be a member of a crime family that rivaled Al Capone’s for control of Illinois.
While written from Ruthie's point of view, she's added stories passed down from her father and other relatives, as well as from folks she's met over the last few years researching the book.
I met Ruthie while researching for my ever-expanding history of Southern Illinois in the 1920s. We joined forces and IllinoisHistory.com is publishing the book. My role has been to flesh out the historical research she started on the gang, especially in the gang's early years in the 1920s.
It's been quite the experience and I think readers will enjoy the more personable approach to non-fiction writing that Ruthie brings to the table.
Books are available to order now at www.IllinoisHistory.com/books or simply click on the Books link at the top of the page.
