The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America's Forgotten Capital of Vice

Written by David Hill

Narrated by George Newbern

One of "21 books we can't wait to read in 2020" —Thrillist

A New York Times Book Review summer reading pick
A Kirkus Reviews hottest summer read | A Publishers Weekly summer reads staff pick

The incredible true story of America's original—and forgotten—capital of vice

Back in the days before Vegas was big, when the Mob was at its peak and neon lights were but a glimmer on the horizon, a little Southern town styled itself as a premier destination for the American leisure class. Hot Springs, Arkansas was home to healing waters, Art Deco splendor, and America’s original national park—as well as horse racing, nearly a dozen illegal casinos, countless backrooms and brothels, and some of the country’s most bald-faced criminals.

Gangsters, gamblers, and gamines: all once flocked to America’s forgotten capital of vice, a place where small-town hustlers and bigtime high-rollers could make their fortunes, and hide from the law. The Vapors is the extraordinary story of three individuals—spanning the golden decades of Hot Springs, from the 1930s through the 1960s—and the lavish casino whose spectacular rise and fall would bring them together before blowing them apart.

Hazel Hill was still a young girl when legendary mobster Owney Madden rolled into town in his convertible, fresh off a crime spree in New York. He quickly established himself as the gentleman Godfather of Hot Springs, cutting barroom deals and buying stakes in the clubs at which Hazel made her living—and drank away her sorrows. Owney’s protégé was Dane Harris, the son of a Cherokee bootlegger who rose through the town’s ranks to become Boss Gambler. It was his idea to build The Vapors, a pleasure palace more spectacular than any the town had ever seen, and an establishment to rival anything on the Vegas Strip or Broadway in sophistication and supercharged glamour.

In this riveting work of forgotten history, native Arkansan David Hill plots the trajectory of everything from organized crime to America’s fraught racial past, examining how a town synonymous with white gangsters supported a burgeoning black middle class. He reveals how the louche underbelly of the South was also home to veterans hospitals and baseball’s spring training grounds, giving rise to everyone from Babe Ruth to President Bill Clinton. Infused with the sights and sounds of America’s entertainment heyday—jazz orchestras and auctioneers, slot machines and suited comedians—The Vapors is an arresting glimpse into a bygone era of American vice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781713500599

David Hill

David Hill is a writer from Hot Springs, Arkansas. His work has appeared regularly in Grantland and The Ringer, and has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, GQ, and New York magazine, as well as on This American Life. He lives in Nyack, New York, with his wife and three children, where he serves as the vice president of the National Writers Union.

Reviews for The Vapors

[dorritt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure why I enjoyed this quirky little book so much. Was it the opportunity to travel back through time to revel in the nostalgic mid-century dazzle of cocktail dresses and fedora hats, Friday dances and varsity football, boxers and hard-living Hollywood stars, resorts and race meets and spectacular MCM architecture? Or perhaps it was the vicarious thrill of learning more about the internal operations of mid-century mobsters, sans most of the most objectionable horror? (You can think of Hot Springs as a sort of “Chicago Light”: all the mobsters, none of the Tommy-gun massacres.) Maybe it's the way better-known historical events and milestones lace their way into the narrative – the role of Jimmy Hoffa’s Teamsters in laundering mob money, the birth of the amphetamine crisis, the Cuban revolution, Robert Kennedy’s anti-mob vignette, Hollywood scandals, the Little Rock Nine, Bill Clinton, and more?Or could it have been the opportunity about an aspect of history that was, until now, totally unfamiliar to me? Going in, I had no idea going into this that Hot Springs, Arkansas came so close to rivaling Las Vegas as America’s gambling destination! The author cleverly parallels the story of the rise and fall of Hot Springs with the rise and fall of his grandmother Hazel, providing an opportunity for him to tell his tale not just from the point of view of the “big shots” whose names we recognize but who lived lives most of us can only imagine, but also from the point of view of the many innocent citizens of Hot Springs whose lives were irrevocably intwined in the towns’ booms and busts. By the time the Baptists finally manage to shut down gambling in Hot Springs in the 1960, some Hot Springs residents will have emerged as winners, some will have been lucky enough just emerge unscathed, but others – like Hazel – will have lost themselves in the whorl of alcoholism, drug addiction, petty cons and lost dreams. Who cares which of the above kept me turning the pages? All I can say is that I tore through this in a weekend and have already recommended it to several friends. Informative and fun!

[loraineo_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hot Springs, Arkansas! What a great detailed look at the history from the 1930's-1970's...Lots of gambling, mafia and the sad life of the author's grandmother.. Very interesting, great book.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This books covers the once popular gambling town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. We visited there in the 1970's and I had no idea about its history as a gambling Mecca. The book follows two of the town's gambling kingpins and a woman whose life is negatively affected by the Hot Spring's various temptations. The book follows the town's struggle to keep the national mob out at the same time fight against local and state officials who wanted to close them down. The book covers the 1920's to the mid 60's Very interesting.

[menshevixen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Juicy, compulsively readable Americana.

[maryreinert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting look at a city few even know about today. As a child, I remember my parents going to Hot Springs; I made one trip with them and can remember a long row of big white buildings -- bathhouse row. But even without the connection, anyone interested in gambling, the Mob, Arkansas, or just want a good historical read, this is the book.The author's grandmother, Hazel Hill, plays a large part in the book. Hazel, abandoned by her father at the age of sixteen, lives a hard life as a single mother, an alcoholic, a part time worker in the casinos. Another main character is Owney Madden, a New York mobster who lands in Hot Springs after a crime-filled life in New York. Dane Harris, is a local boy, the son of a bootlegger, who becomes Madden's protege. Harris rises from poverty to become a slick lawyer, a good golfer, and eventually the boss gambler of Hot Springs. Harris builds the spectacular casino that brought in top notch entertainment from the coasts such as BB King, Mickey Rooney, etc. The lives of all three of these individuals are intertwined which makes for an interesting personal story as well as a detailed look at a very unique part of the country.