Under an Outlaw Moon

By (author): Dietrich Kalteis

“Kalteis breathes life into these fearless, larger-than-life fugitives.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Meet Depression-era newlyweds Bennie and Stella. He’s reckless, she’s naive. Longing for freedom from tough times, they rob a bank, setting off a series of events that quickly spin out of their control

Under an Outlaw Moon is based on the true story of Depression-era bank robbers Bennie and Stella Mae Dickson. She’s a teenage outsider longing to fit in. He’s a few years older and he’s trouble. They meet at a local skating rink and the sparks fly.

They marry and Stella dreams of a nice house with a swing out back, while Bennie figures out how to get enough money to make it happen. Setting his sights on the good life, he decides to rob a bank. Talking Stella into it, he lays out his plan and teaches her to shoot. The newlyweds celebrate her 16th birthday by robbing a local bank.

They pull it off, but the score is small, and Bennie realizes the money won’t last long, so he plans a bigger robbery. What lays ahead is more than either of them bargained for. After J. Edgar Hoover finds out they crossed state lines, he declares them public enemies number one and two — wanted dead or alive. So much for the good life. The manhunt is on, and there’s little room for them to run.

AUTHOR

Dietrich Kalteis

Dietrich Kalteis is the award-winning author of Ride the Lightning (bronze medal winner, 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards, for best regional fiction), The Deadbeat Club, Triggerfish, House of Blazes (silver medal winner, 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards, for best historical fiction), and Zero Avenue. His novel The Deadbeat Club has been translated to German, and 50 of his short stories have also been published internationally. He lives with his family in West Vancouver, BC.

Reviews

“Kalteis breathes life into these fearless, larger-than-life fugitives. This is a delightful treat for historical crime fiction enthusiasts.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Things I love about this book. Kalteis’s legendary writing style. He spins us around his short, clipped phrases and keeps us wanting more … The personalities of the characters shine in the dialogue.” — Ottawa Review of Books
“For anyone interested in Depression-era history, Under an Outlaw Moon will prove enjoyable … What really brings the story — and the Dicksons’ relationship — to life is the cheeky, rapid-fire dialogue between them; their repartee is as good as anything out of an old movie.” — Winnipeg Free Press
“One could dismiss this book as another Bonnie & Clyde story — but not so. Bennie and Stella Mae Dickson are a different kettle of crime entirely. It may be mythology, but Bonnie & Clyde are portrayed as hardened criminals. What is different and engaging in Kalteis’s tale is the simplicity of the characters and their backgrounds.” — The British Columbia Review

Awards

  • The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence 2022, Winner
  • Excerpts & Samples ×

    “Kalteis breathes life into these fearless, larger-than-life fugitives.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

    Meet Depression-era newlyweds Bennie and Stella. He’s reckless, she’s naive. Longing for freedom from tough times, they rob a bank, setting off a series of events that quickly spin out of their control

    Under an Outlaw Moon is based on the true story of Depression-era bank robbers Bennie and Stella Mae Dickson. She’s a teenage outsider longing to fit in. He’s a few years older and he’s trouble. They meet at a local skating rink and the sparks fly.

    They marry and Stella dreams of a nice house with a swing out back, while Bennie figures out how to get enough money to make it happen. Setting his sights on the good life, he decides to rob a bank. Talking Stella into it, he lays out his plan and teaches her to shoot. The newlyweds celebrate her 16th birthday by robbing a local bank.

    They pull it off, but the score is small, and Bennie realizes the money won’t last long, so he plans a bigger robbery. What lays ahead is more than either of them bargained for. After J. Edgar Hoover finds out they crossed state lines, he declares them public enemies number one and two — wanted dead or alive. So much for the good life. The manhunt is on, and there’s little room for them to run.

    Reader Reviews

    Accessibility Detail

    Language tagging provided
    Publisher contact for further accessibility information
    ascsofficer@ecwpress.com
    EPUB Accessibility Specification 1.0 AA
    Accessibility summary
    This EPUB meets the requirements of the EPUB Accessibility specification with conformance to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. The publication is screen reader friendly. It includes alternative text, linked contents, print pagination and language encoding.
    Single logical reading order
    Short alternative textual descriptions
    Print-equivalent page numbering
    Table of contents navigation

    Details

    Dimensions:

    240 Pages
    7.75in * 5in * 0.55in
    0.55lb

    Published:

    November 02, 2021

    City of Publication:

    Toronto

    Country of Publication:

    CA

    Publisher:

    ECW Press

    ISBN:

    9781770415478

    Book Subjects:

    FICTION / Crime

    Featured In:

    All Books

    Language:

    eng

    No author posts found.

    Related Blog Posts

    There are no posts with this book.

    Other books by Dietrich Kalteis