Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Chriss Lyon author of A Killing in Capone's Playground: The True Story of the Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive

For more than twenty years Chriss has been a public safety professional and historian, who has not only walked the beat, but shot the most famous Thompson submachine guns in the world, all while documenting and researching the historic era of the The Roaring Twenties.

Her passion in Prohibition-era gangsters, maritime, and aviation history as well as historical weather has afforded opportunities to write articles for various magazines and journals and assist other authors with historical research. 

A graduate of Grand Valley State University’s Film/Video School, Chriss began working behind the scenes at CNN Headline News but now is out in front of the camera. She has appeared in an episode of the PBS series, History Detectives as well as documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, Travel Channel, Investigation Discovery Channel, and the American Heroes Channel.

Norm: Good day Chriss and thanks for participating in our interview.

What is a public safety professional?

Chriss: The field of public safety involves police, fire, medical, specialty teams, communications, coast guard, and any local, state, or federal agency assigned to protect the safety of the general public. As for my role, I started in 1993 as a Reserve Police Officer, then in 1995 was hired as a 911 dispatcher. I have been promoted to 911 Supervisor and now I’m taking on the role of Quality Assurance Supervisor. 

Norm: Why do you write and how long have you been writing? As a follow up, what was the first article you had published?

Chriss: I began transcribing headstones in cemeteries for our local genealogical society so that we could essentially print up a booklet with all the known burials, even those without headstones. I was really taken aback by all the burials in one cemetery that was filled with unknown bodies that had washed up on the Lake Michigan beach or fished out of the river; never claimed by any family members.

I went to the library to look up articles that might give more information about these burials and some were described as bums, or drunks, but I thought of them as someone’s father, grandfather, brother, etc. I think this is where I became interested in unknown burials and the sadness some families must be feeling not knowing what ever happened to their loved one.

Norm: What has been your greatest challenge (professionally) that you’ve overcome in getting to where you’re at today? 

Chriss: There have been many challenges during the writing process because I never thought of myself as an author but more of a researcher and historian. My original draft started out in chronological order and my publisher/editor explained to me that no one would read this if I started out with, “The history of Prohibition….”

I did agree and although they had no knowledge of gangster history, I trusted them and the suggestion of writing in narrative novel style. I had many quotes and I could use them to tell the story. Once I got used to the “red pen” on my drafts, I learned to focus on my two main characters and not over-write on people who only played minor roles in the story.

Norm: In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of the writing process and what do you think most characterizes your writing?

Chriss: The most difficult part was portraying the characters as the real people that they were; so once I got the blessing of living family members, I felt much more in tune with them. My style is in the details.

While writing, I’m picturing a movie in my head of the scene, so I’m trying to think with all my senses; what does it smell like, what do I hear, is everything true to the 1920s and 1930s? One part of the book has a character calling her husband on a payphone in 1929.

I had to research if there were payphones back then and did you have to put a coin in or was it free? I wanted to make sure that everything I was writing was correctly associated with that time frame.

Norm: What did you find most useful in learning to write? What was least useful or most destructive?

Chriss: My first coaching lesson when I was going to begin this journey was to read other non-fiction narrative novels. I was instructed to take in the style of “teasing” certain elements to keep the reader wanting to know more and not giving away the entire story after each chapter. I found that I could follow these methods but trying to put them to use in my own was difficult. So, my publisher/editor really came in and outlined it for me. I found some the constructive criticism a little harsh and I cried many tears over the red marks and rewritten text.

Norm: As mentioned in your bio, you have used techniques of forensic genealogy combined with investigative research, that has  enabled you to uncover little known facts about the people and events surrounding the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, revealing them at presentations at schools, museums, genealogical, and historical societies. Would you care to briefly tell our readers what is this all about? 

Chriss: The great thing about the research process of my book is that I was an avid genealogist long before and this hobby became a useful tool for professionals seeking out relatives to identify aviation crash victims. But in this case, we weren’t going backwards in time, we were starting with the old records and trying to find a living relative today.

And using mTDNA, we were looking for a female that was related to the male in question. In 2008, we were successful in naming the remains found on an Alaskan mountain as that of a merchant marine from Virginia; and the link that proved this as fact was a gentleman who lived in Ireland. This was a fascinating way to use genealogy as a tool to help people and we basically coined it Forensic Genealogy because it wasn’t traditional genealogy looking for our own family but we were investigating a trail to find someone to test once we had eliminated the 29 other men on board.

We had to go back to 1800, then come forward to today and the man was a perfect match to the remains. A person he had never heard of in a different country, who died before he was born. The best part was getting a free trip to Ireland where we met the man and his family, then giving a presentation to the local townsfolk. Nothing like traditional Irish Stew!

Norm: How did you become involved with the subject of A Killing in Capone’s Playground: The True Story of the Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive?

           Chriss: I remember my grandmother telling me about how a gangster killed a police officer downtown St. Joseph, my hometown. As a 6-year old, it wasn’t anything I was interested in, but it always stuck in the back of my mind.

Now in 1995, when I was hired in at the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, I got a chance to see a couple of Thompson submachine guns kept in the armory and was given a short history on how these were the guns used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Of course, my question, and everyone else’s question was, how did our department get these guns? While attempting to write an article about this in 1999 or so, I realized that this was meant to be a book. I realized that I had to explain why gangsters were in Southwestern Michigan, what was Prohibition, why gangsters were living in our area and why people allowed it, then the officer that died; he was he and what was his life like before?

I committed myself to one of my “bucket list” items well before I intended but it was the absolute perfect story that deserved and needed to be told. Who knew that Al Capone used to hang out in my hometown? No one!

Norm: In your opinion, why is there a fascination about reading about mobsters?

Chriss: I think people see them as “classy criminals.” They were, turf warriors, not general killers. They wore expensive suits and ties, they treated their women with diamonds, furs, whatever they asked for. The gangs were supplying a need of booze to the people who wanted it. Even Prohibition couldn’t stop the production of booze and the want for it.

Once the gangs established turfs, then the violence would break out if someone crossed the line. They weren’t looking at innocent victims, just the ones who violated the gang code. Again, even though these guys were killers, people still find the fact that Al Capone got away with just about everything as fascinating. The nicknames were also thought of as humorous. But unlike today, gangs back then coveted a certain amount of respect. The cities of New York, Chicago, Las Vegas would be much different if it weren’t for the early gangsters.

Norm: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

Chriss: My goal was to have everyone who read my book to remember the name of Charles Skelly. He was the innocent police officer killed without knowing why, and certainly not knowing the impact his death would bring to the science world.

Experts can honestly say that if the gangster didn’t shoot and ultimately kill the police officer, the massive amount of weaponry hidden in his house just a few miles down the road would have been snatched up and taken wherever and guaranteed to be used to kill again.

By the quick actions of our police agencies working together, they arrived at the gangster house before he did and were able to collect and archive everything, which was a professional hitman’s kit.

These items seized were taken to Chicago where the Godfather of Ballistics, Colonel Calvin Goddard had been working on the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre evidence, gladly tested what was found.

Finally, the two Thompson submachine guns were a match to those used to kill 7 men in the garage at 2122 N. Clark, Chicago. And these guns were returned to Berrien County where they were found and remain so to this day. All because Charles Skelly died. He is the true hero in this story but is never mentioned in any history book, never taught in our schools, and I thought it was about time that he is honored for his 25 years of life and the gift of life he gave to so many by having those weapons removed and placed into police hands.

Norm: What process did you go through to get your book published and what do you believe makes your book different from others that deal with the same topic?

Chriss: I have lived in St. Joseph, Michigan, all my life, minus a stint when I was in college and living in Atlanta. I live about ½ mile from the site of the shooting. Using my genealogy skills, I learned that Charles Skelly was a German from Russia, in which there was a large settlement in one of our farming townships in Berrien County.

On my dad’s side of the family, we are, too, Germans from Russia, and I thought just what if we were related? Originally, I pitched the idea of writing this book once I knew it was way bigger than an article to In-Depth Editions, Inc., located in Holland, Michigan, known of course for their windmills and tulips.

They are a small independent press and up until then, they had published mostly shipwreck and local history books. They liked the idea of spreading into different categories. I explained to them that no book had been written about what happened after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. A small number of local history books mentioned in a few sentences or a paragraph at most about the incident, but I thought that was unacceptable. I also found in some professional author’s work that gets the story completely wrong.

These authors are published by the big houses and probably get paid way more than I’ll ever see but to get main point wrong tells me that they don’t care about the content, just the paycheck. I am completely the opposite; I’d rather not get a dime and be commended for my work than to ever slack.

Norm: Can you tell our readers a little about the book and can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

Chriss: My book is quite an emotional read, at least to me. There are many sad stories, besides the death of Charles Skelly. When people ask what my book is about, I usually say it’s the story of what happened after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

I do include the Massacre in the book to establish the time frame and specifics that were noted. As most people will catch early on, I’m a big detail person and I love to know what someone was wearing, what the weather was like, just anything to take you to the time period.

During my researching period, I spoke with the niece of Charles Skelly who told me the family was given back his uniform jacket, which was woollen. I guess this was something expensive for the time and to have a warm coat was much needed, however, the bullet holes were still visible. The niece said that one of his younger sister’s just sewed them up and wore the coat. Eventually they used it in their barn and had it hanging from a hook. I asked in desperation if the jacket was still around and unfortunately it was gone. The niece passed away a few years ago, as well as many others I interviewed. I believe it’s very important to interview as many family members as you can because this is the type of information never reported in newspapers; this comes right from those who were there.

Norm: For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?

Chriss: One of the first websites that really got me interested is run by Mario Gomes and is called My Al Capone Museum. I think of Mario as the absolute expert on Al Capone, hands down. He has done this all on his own time and has met plenty of famous people. He is humble but he is full of knowledge.

Norm: Have you watched Making of the Mob, the eight-part docudrama? If so, what do you think of it?

Chriss: As of this moment, I have not seen it. Since my book has already been written, I tend to just stick with what I know rather than what is on a TV-show. I sometimes find myself critiquing things and I must remember that Hollywood does things differently than real life. I do appreciate the interest they generate in the topic though but eventually I hope to do my own docu-series. 

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and A Killing in Capone’s Playground: The True Story of the Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive?

Chriss: You can certainly start with my book and bio found on my PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE. Book can also be purchased online in the usual places like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

I’ve received mostly 5-star reviews, which I’m very proud of and in 2015, I won an Indie Excellence Award for the True Crime genre.

Of course, that is a great honor, but even better was I received a photo of Burt Reynolds holding my book. He read it in 2 days and loved it. I didn’t realize that his father was a police officer and he was from Lansing, Michigan. He said he knew all the locations in Michigan. He had me send him a signed copy. How do you sign a book to a celebrity? RIP Burt 

Norm: What is next for Chriss Lyon?

Chriss: Well, I have one year to retire from my 911 job, and everyone wants me to write another book and I just don’t know if I can find a topic that gives me the same passion. Plus, my book was very dark and I’m not sure I want such a depressing topic to consume me. I might do a photo book with the photos I didn’t use before. We shall see!

Norm: As this interview comes to an end, what question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?

Chriss: Where would you like to see your book sold? I know museums and bookstores go through different distributors, but I really would love to see my book displayed and sold at the new National Law Enforcement Officers Museum in Washington, DC. There are several officers named in my book who were killed in the line of duty and that is the very purpose of this museum. I would love to give a presentation there as well. 

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all your future endeavors