Author Paul WIlborn's new book "The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall" is based on the life of a actual Tampa mobster. The real Charlie Wall died in 1955 in a murder that was never solved. In this book, he survives that murder attempt and is alive in 1985 and looking back at his life.
Tampa, for most of the 20th century, was one of the most corrupt cities in America. gambling, open brothels, drugs, fixed, elections, bribery. mob murders, Tampa had it all. The question wasn't which elected officials were on the take, but which ones weren't.
Charlie's story is told by his driver and bodyguard, an aspiring writer named Trip Armstrong. Like Charlie, he is the black sheep son of a prominent Tampa family. And like Charlie, he chose a life of crime. He sold marijuana and mushrooms. He takes the job with Charlie, who is retired, in an effort to go straight.
For more information, visit wilbornwrites.com
UPCOMING BOOK SIGNINGS
· Tuesday, April 29, 7 p.m. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg.
· Friday, May 8, 8:00 a.m. Café Con Tampa, at The Portico
· Sunday, May 17, 3:30 p.m., Oxford Exchange, Tampa. With readings by Eugenie Bondurant
· May 28 – St. Pete Museum of History…Doors 6. Talk 6:30
