If The Last Kings of Hollywood hooked you with archival gossip shaped into scenes, keep that momentum alive with Empire of Sin by .
Buy on AmazonWhy It's Your Next Read
- Cinematic pacing meets archival treasure hunting
- Glamour & grime collide in Jazz Age
- Power networks exposed w/ investigative rigor
- Morally complex portraits—no heroes or villains
If you loved The Last Kings of Hollywood for its archival excavation delivered with scene-by-scene momentum, Empire of Sin offers the same intoxicating payoff: primary sources shaped into cinematic sequences, glamour glazed over institutional rot, and the humane yet unsparing portraits that make moral ambivalence feel like intellectual honesty rather than evasion.
Krist maps the collusion of politicians, police, and vice lords with the same bookish rigor and insider anecdotes you craved in Fischer—context that connects gossip to systems, scandal to scaffolding.
This is what happens when a historian writes like a director and refuses to romanticize.
What Readers Are Saying
"This is certainly not a dry book of facts; it is as vibrant and fascinating as the city itself... I found this a wonderful read, totally engrossing and full of fascinating characters and some truly shocking stories." — Susan, Goodreads
"Krist brings New Orleans of the 1890s into clear focus...a riveting history of the colorful life of the Crescent City that was, and still is, unique in both Southern and American cultural history. 'Empire of Sin' shows the uniqueness of New Orleans history that is an very enjoyable read and is highly recommended..." — Matt, Goodreads
"I felt like I was there in the city, at that time, getting to know all these people... The sights and sounds, the people and the politics, all of it came to life as I read." — Darcia Helle, Goodreads
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