"Margaret Anne Barnes has reached into the distant past to create a vivid picture of the most sensational crime story of the 1950s-the assassination of the attorney general- elect of Alabama. With the sure skill of the accomplished journalist and storyteller that she is, Ms. Barnes captures not merely "the tragedy and the triumph" of Phenix City, but the humor and pathos as well through the endless parade of bizarre characters who so vividly people this book. Although the story is nearly forgotten, the impact of the Phenix City episode on Alabama politics-and by extension on national politics-is lasting and incalculable. This makes Ms. Barnes' book both an engrossing story and a valuable contribution to history."
-Ray Jenkins Former editor of the editorial page of Baltimore's Evening Sun. As a young reporter in 1954-55, he covered the Phenix City upheaval from beginning to end for the Columbus Ledger which won the 1995 Pulitzer prize for Public Service.
