2025 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in True Crime genre 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in True Crime genre Fred “Killer” Burke: The Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive is an updated special edition of the original novel, A Killing in Capone’s Playground: The True Story of the Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive , which won a National Indie Excellence Award for True Crime in 2016. Having received substantial new details and photographs since its first release in 2014, I felt that a new version of this heartfelt true story needed to be told. “Bloody Chicago” was the name given to America’s most corrupt city after the grotesque scene that left seven humans embedded into masonry walls and oil-slickened concrete. Two Thompson submachine guns did the majority of the damage but the masterminds behind the St. Valentines Day Massacre escaped. Ten months later on December 14, 1929, St. Joseph, Michigan Police Officer Charles Skelly working a routine traffic crash came face to face with a killer. Shots were fired, the assailant escaped, and the dying Officer Skelly identified his murderer before taking his last breath. The trail led to a home in Stevensville, Michigan where authorities found an arsenal of weaponry, over $300,000 worth of stolen bonds, bulletproof vests, and two Thompson submachine guns. The hideout belonged to Fred Burke, a highly sought suspect in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and now the most wanted man in the nation. The “backwash of bloody Chicago” had made its way into the rural neighborhoods of Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana. Citizens who turned a blind eye to crime, helped create “Capone’s Playground,” an environment abundant in all that is illegal and immoral. Using never before published police reports, interviews with family members of key witnesses, and leading experts, historian Chriss Lyon establishes the foundation for what would develop as a haven for gangsters from the onset of the Prohibition Era through to the mid-twentieth century, while revealing new information about the eventual capture of notorious gangster Fred “Killer” Burke. "Very highly recommended." - Reader's Favorite Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite Fred "Killer" Burke by Chriss Lyon chronicles the violent crime spree and eventual capture of Fred Burke, a notorious gangster linked to major 1920s and 1930s crimes. Burke, born Thomas Amos Camp, operated with the Purple Gang and Al Capone's Chicago syndicate and was involved in bootlegging, armed robbery, kidnappings, and multiple murders, including the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre. After using plastic surgery and aliases to evade law enforcement, Burke was finally caught in Missouri in 1931 following a multi-state manhunt. His arrest exposed networks of gang hideouts, illegal arms trafficking, and corruption in Michigan and Illinois law enforcement. Burke was convicted of the murder of Officer Charles Skelly and sentenced to life imprisonment, denying involvement in other crimes until his death in 1940. Lyon details the scope of organized crime, forensic advances, and law enforcement issues during Prohibition's violent era. Fred "Killer" Burke: The Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive by Chriss Lyon is a thoroughly researched and well-written account that really impressed me. The amount of details Lyon gives are extraordinary. The author digs into the documentation of gang activity in Michigan and the Midwest during the Prohibition and post-Prohibition era, revealing the operations of notorious criminals beyond just Fred Burke, and into the likes of the Barker-Karpis Gang. I was surprised to learn that Machine Gun Kelly was an actual historical figure, not just a modern rapper! Lyon goes a long way in showing us what law enforcement efforts, gangland violence, and the role of the Thompson submachine gun had on the era. It is interesting to see Lyon signpost the intricate connections between local crimes and larger syndicates, which are all backed by evidence from investigations, raids, and court cases. Overall, with meticulous research, clear prose, and a professional structure, this a truly enlightening read for those interested in American organized crime history. Very highly recommended.