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World Chase Me Down A Novel Andrew Hilleman Books

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World Chase Me Down A Novel Andrew Hilleman Books

This is my favorite type of book--historical fiction set in the early nineteenth century with a picaresque bent. Based on a true crime(first real kidnapping of a wealthy family member--precursor to Lindbergh), the narrator is Pat Crowe, the actual kidnapper. He tells a story of his life and times, the kidnapping and the trial that followed his capture. The story leads all over the west and mid west ,not to mention a sojourn in South Africa during the Boer War. The author gets the tone almost right--my only criticism is the blood is slightly over written. Anyways i liked the story, and look forward to more from this author.


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World Chase Me Down A Novel Andrew Hilleman Books Reviews

Patrick Crowe was a very complicated man. He was raised right as a child to be hard working, straight forward, and honest. He was also raised to stand up for himself and what he believed. He labored hard in the stockyards and slaughter houses of Omaha trying to earn a decent living and got not much more than a sore back. Pat saved a down trodden, alcoholic co-worker, Billy, from a bad beating by some of the bullies at the slaughter house. Good intentions, bad idea. Pat took his butchering skills and tried to start a butcher shop. with Billy. In order to raise start up money, he asked the local political boss for a loan. Good intentions, bad idea. He gave credit to hard working but poor families, who needed food but earned a starving wage from, Mr. Cudahy the local owner of the slaughter house. Good intentions, bad idea. Pat was smitten by a lady with golden hair and a preference for big spenders. He promised himself to make her his wife. Good intentions, bad idea. Cudahy bought out Pat’s loan from the political boss and promptly called in the loan. Pat told him he had no intention of giving up his dream to some swindler. Good intention, bad idea. The clash would result in Pat loosing his business, his wife, his child, and his temper. Pat Crowe would pull off the successful kidnapping of Cudahy’s son, that would net him and his partner, Billy, $25,000 dollars in gold and a life on the run. Bad intentions, bad idea. The author is a true wordsmith. He can conjure up some of the most descriptive, colorful passages that you can imagine. A first rate story from a first rate writer.
Although "World, Chase Me Down" is based on a forgotten kidnapping that occurred in the "Old West", readers of O. Henry will recognized similarities to "The Ransom of Red Chief" throughout the story. Andrew Hilleman updates the story, making it more adult through various elements. These include the narrator's romance with Hattie who was once the mayor of Omaha's mistress, the narrator's sister who operates a brothel, and a cigarette-smoking kidnapped scion of the Cudahey family.

Narrated in the first person, chapters alternate between a time prior to the crime and that during and following it. In these, the narrator talks about his past and the circumstances that led to the crime as well as his moral conflicts in committing the kidnapping. An intelligent individual, his narrative is laced with sophisticated vocabulary and references.

I loved the personalities and the wit Andrew Hilleman created and displayed on the pages of "World, Chase Me Down" and would have rated it five stars were I not familiar with "The Ransom of Red Chief".
Good read, I enjoyed it.
AWEOME book! Enjoyed every word of it. A definite must read!
World, Chase Me Down delves into early twentieth-century America where the hard-scrabble life of the common man meets the corruption of Gilded Age robber barons and beef trust monopolists. Its protagonist, the real-life antihero Pat Crowe, strives for what we now call a middle-class life, but the powers-that-be don't intend to share their wealth. After losing his business and marriage, Crowe turns to violent crime. For much of the book, we follow his adventures fleeing capture across the American West and beyond. Enjoy the ride and don't try to count how many people are killed or maimed along the way or how often Crowe himself is shot. In the end, Crowe's eloquence draws the reader to his side. We (and a jury) accept the choices he makes as inevitable and see him as victim as well as perpetrator. In addition, there's a cast of colorful characters, fast-paced action, and ever-present pithy descriptions of landscape, food, emotions, weather, gunshot wounds, dirty clothing, rot-gut alcohol, you-name-it. You'll appreciate the parallels to social injustices of our time even as you are immersed in the past. Like the best historical fiction, it's informative without being preachy, entertaining but with depth. Enjoy it on many levels! I certainly did.
I enjoy historical fiction and this was particularly entertaining because it provided a glimpse into a completely different era via a fast-paced story that kept me engaged throughout. It was interesting to learn more about the early days in Omaha and the surrounding area. I also liked the approach of telling the story via time jumps back and forth to see how the pieces all fit together. I definitely recommend this anyone that enjoys historical fiction.
This is my favorite type of book--historical fiction set in the early nineteenth century with a picaresque bent. Based on a true crime(first real kidnapping of a wealthy family member--precursor to Lindbergh), the narrator is Pat Crowe, the actual kidnapper. He tells a story of his life and times, the kidnapping and the trial that followed his capture. The story leads all over the west and mid west ,not to mention a sojourn in South Africa during the Boer War. The author gets the tone almost right--my only criticism is the blood is slightly over written. Anyways i liked the story, and look forward to more from this author.