Under an Outlaw Moon

Under an Outlaw Moon takes us back in time to the depression-era days of Bonnie and Clyde. Based on a true story about another young Outlaw couple who grew up too fast, this novel tells the story of Bennie and Stella Mae, two young kids who met at the roller rink. He’s out of the reformatory, enjoying a well-deserved pardon with hopes of being a middleweight contender and driving a cab. She looks like she could be eighteen, but even sixteen’s pushing it. Secretly engaged, just two young kids, but Bennie is one of those guys who can’t stay out of trouble if he tried. Eventually, like the man once said, they turn to banks cause that’s where the money is and a legend is born – a most wanted legend, that is, with Hoover’s boys on their tails.

It’s a novel that succeeds and is quite an un-putdownable read. It’s like following along with a younger – and slightly more innocent – Bonnie and Clyde. Even as they are robbing banks, Bennie still thinks he can study and pass the Bar. She thinks she’ll get a house with a white picket fence. Surprisingly, the story which is set back in 1938 feels fresh and new.

A rollicking, truculent and reckless voyage through Depression Era America as we follow a couple of very endearing but uttterly dangerous dimwits gone bonkers.

A fiendishly plotted romp blessed with a cast of delightful characters and some very delicious verbal pyrotechnics.

Another Bonnie & Clyde episode that kept me on edge and a magnificent and gritty fictional tapestry of American society in between the two world wars.

Go ahead and dive into this incredible novel and enjoy it without any moderation👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and EWC for this terrific ARC

Under an Outlaw Moon follows along with the protagonist couple--Stella Mae and Bennie Dickson--set in the late 1930s. It takes the reader through their meeting and follows along, rapid-pace, as Bennie goes on the run for a silly mistake made in the heat of the moment with Stella Mae later joining with him. They soon fall into bank-robbing, and are set upon by the law, like hounds after foxes. And, honestly, that IS kind of what it feels like as a reader; it is impossible not to root for the couple. They were real living people, and they weren't violent offenders, nor did they even steal from that many banks. The book is a very quick read both in time spent as well as pages offered, and that's always lovely. I think anyone who likes historical fiction or true crime stories would enjoy a few hours spent with this novel.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.