Bailey's Blood: Moonshine, Murder, and Wild Women"With masterful storytelling, Dr. James Bailey breathes life into the violent characters of his Eastern Kentucky heritage. We are drawn into the infamous Bailey-White Feud as Bill and Martha Bailey's sons exact revenge to preserve their family's mountain pride. Bailey's Blood will hold you spellbound to discover who will survive hot tempers and moonshine madness." -Edwina A. Doyle, author, From the Fort to the Future: Educating the Children of Kentucky and The Bless Mark. "Moonshine, wild women and murder! James Bailey takes a hard look at the roots of clan feuds and violence in this tragic historical family saga set in rural Kentucky." -Kris Neri, author of High Crimes on the Magical Plane. Based on actual events, the book is a fictionalization of violent lives of three Bailey brothers in southeast Kentucky between 1907 and 1931. Jim Bailey is the youngest son in a proud, violent and fearful family. To escape his family's deadly lifestyle, Jim needs to commit himself to his sweetheart Sarah, the daughter of a Baptist deacon. Again and again, he tries to satisfy Sarah's requests, but he is repeatedly unable to separate himself from his mother's demands for loyalty and his brother's murders. Disgusted, Sarah finally leaves Jim and he spirals down the evil path of his family. In the end, Jim is murdered by one of those brothers in an argument over a still that he sold to one of them. The story includes nine separate murders and several other run-ins with the law. Five of the killings occur as part of a feud with the White family. The story also includes the manufacture of moonshine whiskey and parties with wild women. Many actual newspaper articles are included as facts around which the fiction is spun. Dr. Bailey is an Engineering Professor Emeritus from Arizona State University. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he received his education. With his wife Petra, he spends his time in Mesa and Pinetop, Arizona. They have four children. He retired early to pursue a second career as a historian and novelist. The facts underlying the story are presented in another of his books, The Baileys of Southeast Kentucky. |
