KIRKUS REVIEW:
"A debut set of true crime essays explores San Francisco's dark side. Drexler wrote the column "Notorious Crooks" for the Sunday San Francisco Examiner from 2014 to 2018 and runs walking tours of the area's crime hot spots. In this work, he collects bizarre, seedy tales of notorious culprits and unsolved mysteries, covering a century from the 1870s through the 1980s. The infamous characters surveyed include Juanita "Duchess" Spinelli, a "modern-day Fagin" who ran a crime school and was "the first woman to be executed in California"; obese "gambling czar" Elmer "Bones" Remmer; and Dorothy Ellingson, who in 1925 killed her mother for threatening to send her to reform school--her insanity plea failed. The press blamed cars and music for the 16-year-old's degeneracy, branding her a "Jazzmaniac." Drexler takes readers on a sprightly tour through the car thefts and holdups of the Terror Bandits, attempted jailbreaks (both Folsom Prison and San Quentin are in the general vicinity), murders, and more. The stories of female criminals feel less familiar and thus tend to stand out, especially those of Inez Burns, an abortionist who performed as many as 30 procedures a week and was rumored to have had Rita Hayworth as a patient, and Sally Stanford, who ran a speak-easy and then a brothel. The disparity in how these two women fared says something about the shifting morality of the 20th century. While Burns, whose services had formerly been considered a "necessary evil," was indicted in 1946, serving two years in prison and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, Stanford went on to run for the Sausalito City Council (she won on her sixth attempt) and was later elected mayor. A longer, final section deftly focuses on the Zodiac Killer case, which Drexler (who has appeared on television as an expert on the crimes) calls "the most famous unsolved murder mystery of modern times." The author makes good use of primary sources such as court transcripts, providing an appropriate level of detail that never seems gratuitous or overly sordid. Black-and-white photographs are provided for many of the historical figures discussed. A lighthearted, informative take on rather grim events." - Kirksus Reviews
"This book paints a broad strokes view of San Francisco's most infamous criminals, a fascinating lineup of desperadoes, con men (and women), thieves and murderers. It should be required reading of anyone seriously interested in the underground history of Baghdad By The Bay." - John Lescroart
"Among the many true crime books now available...San Francisco Notorious stands out. The quality of Drexler's writing telling these sinister tales of the past provides a unique and exciting book any true crime fan will enjoy reading from cover to cover." - Crime Traveller
"Paul Drexler takes us on a trip into San Francisco's underworld that's entertaining, fascinating, and insightful. From 'jazzmania' to'zodiology, 'Notorious San Francisco provides a jaw-dropping glimpse into the city's criminal history." - MegGardiner, author of UNSUB
"Crime Historian Paul Drexler takes the reader back to a time when San Francisco was a bustling port city with an impressive criminal underworld that you never knew about. Murders and scams litter the streets of San Francisco like last week's SF Weekly. Drexler names names and gives out addresses. He writes about these long dead celebrity criminals without moralizing or glorifying their actions, but with a knowing grin." - David Kulczyk, author of Death inCalifornia