Coming to the EV History Center:

Gangster in our Midst: Bookkeeper, Lieutenant, and Sometimes Hitman for Al Capone (2017), written by Iowa native Betty Brandt Passick, won a 2019 Notable Indie Book Award from Shelf Unbound book review magazine. This is the first book in her gangster series. Her historical crime novels are loosely based on her hometown of Fairbank, Iowa.

The EV History Center at 108 N. Main St. in North English will be featuring Betty Passick and her books on Sunday, April 21, at 2:00 p.m.

This 221-page novel tells the fact-inspired story of an Italian American mobster, Louie La Cava who comes to the small Midwestern town of “Oxbow” in the 1920s, and who claims to be a bookkeeper for Chicago Kingpin Al Capone. His presence sets the whole town on edge. He resides in the town for the next sixty years.

Betty Passick tells the rest of the story as the La Cavas were among the New York mafia families who lived and died by the rules of La Cosa Nostra. Since a young child, Betty Passick believed she would grow up to write books. She finally launched a career as an author ten years after retiring from a Fortune 500 company.

All are invited to attend this event at no charge. Donations are accepted.