A View Across the Mississippi River

This weekend the weather and our schedules finally cooperated. After a cold, wet winter, spring arrived in the Memphis metro area. My dad has wanted to visit the Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid for a while. For Christmas, we gifted him a day trip for lunch and ride to the observation deck.

We had a great view of I40 crossing the Mighty Muddy Mississippi on one side of the observation deck and downtown Memphis on the other side. If you're looking for mysteries, Memphis has plenty to share.

My most recent manuscript has a character built off of Machine Gun Kelley who started his life in the Memphis area and was eventually arrested there too. Until I started research for this novel, I had no idea that 1930s gangsters hung out in Memphis, Tennessee. I always thought they used Chicago or New York as their home base.

I also learned that in the 1930s, kidnapping meant big money. Wealthy families took out insurance policies in case of kidnapping so their families could pay the ransom. Apparently in those days, paying the ransom usually meant your loved one returned home alive. One of those kidnapping schemes eventually caught up to Machine Gun Kelley and his wife.

Machine Gun Kelley spent time on Alcatraz before being transferred to Leavenworth to finish his sentence. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco and tour Alcatraz. If you're ever out there, it's worth the tour especially if you're into true crime and spooky places. I certainly didn't want to spend the night on the island.

I'm plotting my next novel set on a ranch in east Texas. Sounds a great excuse for another trip to the Lonestar State!