Customer Reviews

THE KIMES GANG

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This long awaited book was a big disappointment. This book goes to show writers that anyone can get a book published by paying a publishing house such as Authorhouse to print the book for you. Koch needed an editor bad. A reviewer of this book stated that Koch had spent time interviewing family members. Obviously he didn't read the many footnotes, which distracted from book, the author did not interview any family members. He used another researcher's interviews. This would have been a good book if the author had cut the book by about half and stuck to the actual events and crimes of the Kimes boys, which are fascinating and still deserve a book written about them since this one is almost unreadable. There was no sense in going on about Ray Terrell and members of the Barker Gang. The author admits he didn't think they were involved so why make them a large part of the book. In fact they were more part of the book than the Kimes brothers were.

I had high hopes for this book but it's at best only a fair retelling of the Kimes brothers' saga with a tremendous amount of irrelvant filler. Many researchers in the last few years have debunked the myth of the "Kimes-Terrill gang" and Koch could have easily done likewise here in a couple of paragraphs, thus allowing him to explore Matt and George Kimes in more depth. Instead, he devotes over half the book to the exploits and misadventures of Ray Terrill, Herman Barker, Elmer Inman, Q.P. McGhee and others who had little or nothing to do with the story. Sometimes three or four chapters in a row on the Barker-Inman-Terrill gang! In between are recitals of Kimes gang robberies, usually ending with a few lines about how it was doubtful that Ray Terrill was there. Very pointless, actually, and soon monotonous. If you're looking for a book covering both gangs, Dee Cordry's recent work on the early history of the Oklahoma Crime Bureau works better. If you want a great history of the Kimes gang, I think it's probably yet to come.

An outstanding telling of the infamous Kimes Gang saga.Also crammed with much information concerning nearly all the roving gangs of Oklahoma bank bandits of the day.If one has an interest in 1920s bank robbers and the lawmen who pursued them, this lengthy informitive narritive neatly fills the void... R.D.Morgan, Author of "The Tri-State Terror: The Life and Crimes of Wilbur Underhill."

When most people think of Depression Era Gangsters, they think of names like Dillinger and Floyd and Barrow and Nelson. Before any of these names hit the front page, however, there were some fellows in Oklahoma who made their mark in outlaw history. In their day - when Al Capone was fighting for control of the Chicago rackets, a teenage Clyde Barrow was still boosting cars and rustling turkeys with his big brother, John Dillinger was cooling his heels in an Indiana reformatory, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd was trying to live down his unfortunate nick name in the Missouri State Prison - Matt and George Kimes and the gang they ran with were the scourge of the Oklahoma banking business. In many ways, their career was longer and stranger than any of the big names everybody remembers. They did the crimes and then did the time and then got out and did the crimes again for over 20 years. Their careers ran from the Roaring Twenties to the end of World War Two, but, until now, they were unknown except to a small group of researchers. Thankfully, Mike Koch has finally remedied that with a meticulously researched and well written history of the Kimes brothers and the others who ran with them in Oklahoma of the '20s. Digging deep into the government records and newspaper accounts as well as interviews with family members, Mike has brought to light a story every bit as interesting, sad, and ironic as any coming from the more famous outlaws of the period. For irony, it's hard to beat the story of Matt Kimes who was a bank robber, cop killer and convict for 20 years, finally gets out on leave, robs a couple of more banks, eludes all police pursuit, and then steps off a curb and gets run over by a chicken truck! All this and a LOT more can be found in Mike Koch's excellent account of these Arkansas brothers and their partners in crime. For anyone interested in the outlaws of the Depression, this is new stuff you'll want to see.

Jim Knight
Author of Bonnie and Clyde:A 21st Century Update

I recently picked up a copy of "The Kimes Gang" by Koch and found it to be a truely different kind of a true crime book. The main bandmen are from Arkansas, and by the mid-1920s they possibly may have become the worst group of outlaws to hit the southwest. They robbed two banks on the same day, twice, WOW!!! Unfortuneately, the gang was also responsible for the deaths of at least two law enforcement officers in Oklahoma, and possibly one in Texas. The author explores all the gangs activities and braches out to other criminal elements of the 1920s. I would higly recommned it to any true crime readers.

This book is riddled with errors. Dates and names are wrong with many names misspelled. Just because someone uses footnotes and endnotes doesn't mean that his sources are correct. Mr. Koch should have doubled checked his sources before printing fact. I thought he would have done better than this.

Oklahoma has a fascinating history, particularly with regard to law enforcement. Well into the early part of the last century, the lawlessness of the pre-statehood days often prevailed, with many gangs of dangerous criminals finding Oklahoma a haven for their lawless activities. Mike Koch examines in great detail one such group of outlaws, the infamous Kimes brothers, whose criminal resumes are most impressive. Koch has presented a thorough account which appears to be meticulously researched. This book as well places the Kimes brothers in the general context of the times, and should appeal to readers wishing to know more about Depression era life.

This is the first book written on this subject matter that I am aware of. It is filled with information on this outlaw gang from Oklahoma during the 1920s, which included Matt & George Kimes, some of his family member, Ray Terrill and others. It is well researched and documented. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about a forgotten gang of bandits.

The Kimes Gang is the fascinating story of Matt and George Kimes who began their outlaw ways at a young age as little more than petty thieves but made a quick progression to bank robbery and eventually murder. The Kimes Gang studies the various crimes which covered several southwestern states including Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, while also including well researched histories of the brothers Roy and Clyde Brandon, Herman Barker, Elmer Inman, and the notorious safecracker Ray Terrill. The Kimes Gang is a highly recommended read for all students of crime in the southwest United States during the 1920's and the prohibition era.

"The Kimes Gang" is a good new true crime book about a group of outlaws who robbed and killed their way in to history during the mid 1920s, in the State of Oklahoma primarily. This is a well documented book with footnotes and a bibliography. There are also several photo's, which I have never seen. I think this book would be a good book for anyone to read. Good job!