Description
Book SynopsisRonnie Earle was a Texas legend. During his three decades as the district attorney responsible for Austin and surrounding Travis County, he prosecuted corrupt corporate executives and state officials, including the notorious US congressman Tom DeLay. But Earle maintained that the biggest case of his career was the one involving Frank Hughey Smith, the ex-convict millionaire, alleged criminal mastermind, and Dixie Mafia figure. With the help of corrupt local authorities, Smith spent the 1970s building a criminal empire in auto salvage and bail bonds. But there was one problem: a rival in the salvage business threatened his dominance. Smith hired arsonists to destroy the rival; when they botched the job, he sent three gunmen, but the robbery they planned was a bloody fiasco. Investigators were convinced that Smith was guilty, but many were skeptical that the newly elected and inexperienced Earle could get a conviction. Amid the courtroom drama and underworld plots the book describes, W
Trade ReviewA vividly detailed and stylishly written portrait of an Austin long gone by. * Kirkus *
Take a nostalgic trip back in time to the Austin of the 1970s in this gripping account of corrupt leadership, crime, power, and Texas-sized personalities. * Austin Monthly *
[
Last Gangster in Austin] is one of the most egregiously Texas stories, nay, one of the most remarkably Austin stories one could read...fantastic, an often wildly entertaining look at Austin when it really was a bit of an outlaw place. -- Joe Gross * Austin Chronicle *
Here's a true-crime story that's every bit as compelling as your favorite pulpy, fictional counterpart...It's a tale replete with genuine heroes, repellent villains, and a slew of supporting characters any self-respecting crime novelist would be proud to have created on the page...Sublett constructs the story with a sharp eye and a hard-boiled flair. -- Jay Trachtenberg * Austin Chronicle *
If you pick up just one new Texas history this summer, make it
Last Gangster in Austin...Sublett's riveting true-crime story reads like a classic noir novel. * Austin American-Statesman *
Table of ContentsAuthor’s Note. A Deep Dive
Introduction. Junkyard Owner Shotguns Robber: Was It a Setup?
Chapter 1. Baptist Preacher’s Son
Chapter 2. The Eagle Scout
Chapter 3. Texas Package
Chapter 4. The Big Hassle
Chapter 5. Best Job He Ever Had
Chapter 6. The Two Franks
Chapter 7. This Is War
Chapter 8. He Can Always Go Step on Bugs
Chapter 9. A Is for Arson
Chapter 10: The Robbery
Chapter 11: Power
Chapter 12. Star Time
Chapter 13. The Trial
Chapter 14. Aftermath
Acknowledgments
Notes
Photo Credits
Index
