The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Sp

<p><b>A 2020 <i>New York Times </i>notable book One of the <i>Chicago Tribune</i>'s best nonfiction books of 2020</b><br><b><br>Complex, turbulent, as haunting as a pedal steel solo </b><b>--Jonathan Miles, <i>The New York Times Book Review </i>(Editors' Choice)</b> <p/><b>One of 21 books we can't wait to read in 2020 </b><b>--<i>Thrillist </i></b><b> A <i>New York Times Book Review </i>summer reading pick A <i>GQ </i>best book of 2020 </b><b>Named one of the 10 best July books by <i>The</i> <i>Washington Post </i>and <i>The Christian Science Monitor </i></b><b>A <i>Kirkus Reviews </i>hottest summer read A <i>Publishers Weekly</i> summer reads staff pick</b><br><b><br>The incredible true story of America's original--and forgotten--capital of vice<br></b><br>Back in the days before Vegas was big, when the Mob was at its peak and neon lights were but a glimmer on the horizon, a little Southern town styled itself as a premier destination for the American leisure class. Hot Springs, Arkansas was home to healing waters, Art Deco splendor, and America's original national park--as well as horse racing, nearly a dozen illegal casinos, countless backrooms and brothels, and some of the country's most bald-faced criminals. <p/>Gangsters, gamblers, and gamines: all once flocked to America's forgotten capital of vice, a place where small-town hustlers and bigtime high-rollers could make their fortunes, and hide from the law. <i>The Vapors </i>is the extraordinary story of three individua