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

Books

A 2020 New York Times notable book | One of the Chicago Tribune's best nonfiction books of 2020 "Complex, turbulent, as haunting as a pedal steel solo" -Jonathan Miles, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "One of 21 books we can't wait to read in 2020" -Thrillist | A New York Times Book Review summer reading pick | A GQ best book of 2020 | Named one of the 10 best July books by The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor | A Kirkus Reviews hottest summer read | A Publishers Weekly summer reads staff pick The incredible true story of America's original-and forgotten-capital of vice 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, ...