Carbon City, 1925: A Novel, by James Alan Gill
“An intense, Prohibition-era historical thriller rich with authenticity.” — Booklife
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, March 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Castoff Press announces the forthcoming publication of Carbon City, 1925, a new novel by James Alan Gill that blends fiction with the documented violence of 1920s Southern Illinois. Drawing on real events involving labor violence, the gang wars between Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers, and the rise of nativist paramilitary groups led by S. Glenn Young, the novel reconstructs a coal town gripped by fear and opportunism with “dialogue accurately capturing period speech and unflinching depictions of racism, gender oppression, and the casual brutality that defined the era,” according to an early review by Booklife.
Nearly a century later, the same themes resonate in current debates over immigration enforcement, civic power, corporate influence, and the resulting violence in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Coal money built Carbon City, but corruption and brutality sustain it. When the paramilitary Law Enforcement League terrorizes immigrant workers, city officials and clergy applaud “True Americanism,” mine owners profit, and most citizens look away.
But Jackson Hall, the last independent newspaperman in town, refuses to. Determined to uncover the truth about a masked vigilante who haunts the rooftops, Hall finds the line between reporting and involvement blurring as he is pulled deeper into Carbon City’s violent center.
Along with Hall, five unforgettable characters are swept into the turmoil of a city at war with itself:
– Adelaide Belden, Hall’s young protégé, refuses to temper her bold reporting or her unapologetic sexuality.
– Bell Allen, a mixed-race veteran of the Great War, transforms into a masked vigilante, driven by vengeance and the hope of redemption.
– Vera Kay, torn between her gangster employer and her affair with Hall, lives on the knife’s edge of loyalty and independence.
– Dr. Elijah Frank, owner of a medical practice in the neighboring African American community of Grayson, is a trusted ally and a steadfast voice of reason and pragmatism in the fight against the KKK and other threatening forces.
– Jacob Grace, a teenage coal laborer saved from violence in a Carbon City alley, becomes a zealous street evangelist bent on saving the souls of this forsaken place.
Based on events that shook Southern Illinois coal towns between 1922 and 1927, Carbon City, 1925 delivers a hard-edged portrait of a city at war with itself. In an author’s note prefacing the book, Gill says, “This is a story where fictional characters interact with historical figures, made-up places coexist alongside real locales, and actual happenings collide with those only imagined. It is a meticulously researched lie that tells the truth.”
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CARBON CITY 1925
“What distinguishes this novel is Gill’s commitment to the texture of the period. He capably reconstructs a world rendered with a specificity that suggests deep archival work, [and his] prose moves between journalistic clarity and something more lyrical when the moment demands it. Yet there’s still room for quieter moments that provide space to breathe between the violence. Gill’s ambition is considerable, but he succeeds in intertwining historical events with invented characters while examining justice, power, and what happens when institutions fail.” — Booklife
“It’s hard to believe a novel set in a 1920s coal town could feel this sharply modern… This is a beautifully drawn and profoundly immersive book. I was completely transported.” — Emily Everett, author of All That Life Can Afford, a Reese’s Book Club pick
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Alan Gill was born and raised in rural Illinois, not far from where Charlie Birger’s Shady Rest once stood. He studied history and creative writing at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and his first book, Not Dark Yet: Stories (Castoff Press, 2024), was a Minnesota Book Award nominee. His work has also appeared in The Common, Colorado Review, Prime Number Magazine, Crab Orchard Review, and Midwestern Gothic. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two cats.
ABOUT CASTOFF PRESS
Castoff Press is an independent publisher based in Minneapolis, led by Editor-in-Chief Britt Lang. It focuses on distinctive literary projects often overlooked by corporate publishing.
AVAILABILITY
Carbon City, 1925 will be released by Castoff Press on March 24th, 2026.
Brittany Lang
Castoff Press
editor@castoffpress.com
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