Forbidden Fruit

Sin City's Underworld and the Supper Club Inferno

By: Peter Bronson

Narrated by: Rob Reider

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

The Beverly Hills Supper Club was Vegas before Vegas was cool. It was known as the "Showplace of the Nation" before it burned to the ground in 1977, killing at least 165 people - one of the worst fires in US history. But few knew that the Beverly Hills had a violent past of deadly arson beginning in 1936, when it was taken over by the Cleveland mob that ran "Sin City" in Newport, Kentucky - an open city of prostitution, extortion, gambling, and violence for decades, until new US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy went to war on the mob in 1961.

His first target was Newport. This is the story of a crime empire on the banks of the Ohio River, in the backyard of Ivory clean Cincinnati, and the war to clean it up that led to the assassination of Bobby's brother, President John F. Kennedy. It’s a story of mobsters, hookers, murder, and dice; dirty cops, crooked politicians, and the underworld bosses whose power reached into the FBI, Congress and the White House.

Given the context of history, what happened in 1977 and the cover-up that followed were no surprise. Survivors have spent four decades digging to unearth disturbing evidence that the fire was arson - just like the first fire in 1936. Their case is presented here, with the aid of FBI files obtained through an FOIA request, first-hand witness accounts and extensive research that uncovers new evidence and tragic stories of the victims and survivors.

©2020 Peter Bronson (P)2021 Peter Bronson

Great book but…

This a fantastic and well researched book about the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. However the author’s political views got in the way of telling a really good story.

Good read, but Supper Club fire only a small part

This was a good read and I learned a lot from it. However, the supper club fire is what I was most interested in and that was only in the last quarter of the book , really the last 2 to 3 hours. That part was really excellent and fascinating.

Most of the rest was interesting, but I found myself getting impatient with all the mob stuff and wishing that part of the book was shorter and the supper club fire coverage was longer.

This was well written and researched. Overall, a good read, especially if you're fascinated by the mob. It was interesting to learn this bit of local history.

Good, with some very weird parts.

The story was overall enjoyable, however the author couldn't help but put in strange political and religious commentary that made the rest of his research seem suspect.

Fighting the mob

Pete Bronson, the author, as done an incredible amount of work compiling all the information about the people in the places in this account of corruption in Northern Kentucky through the 20s, 30sClear up until the early 80s. It’s a fascinating story.

Stunning story

I was not familiar with the history of Newport KY but wow, hard to believe this is a true story! Spellbinding story covering decades with a colorful cast of characters. We’ll read too.

I was at the BHSC, week before the fire.

Found this book very interesting, and will listen to it again, knew it was arson!

Great story, thoroughly researched, well told.

I’ve long known Newport was a mob haven back in the day, but this book really brought it to life for me. This is a fascinating fun read (or listen), well worth the time. Great work Pete!

A politicized mess

As others have stated, the authors personal political views sprinkled throughout the book with little reason or facts to back up why they mentioned in the first place interrupts the storytelling. It seems more of the aim of the author to take pot shots at modern politics than using the guise of the half telling facts of the supper club fire. If I wanted to hear conspiracy theories about President Obama and lectured on abortion, I would watch Fox News- it’s not relevant to the topic at hand. These interjections, and the needless “retelling” of supposed conversations with involved mob parties as if they were verbatim, left me with little desire to actually finish the book half way through.