Moonshine by Moonlight

By the light of the moon, hidden in the rolling hills of 1923 Carroll County, Iowa, illegal whiskey flows from homemade stills. Defying Prohibition, farmers-turned-entrepreneurs turn their hog houses, barns, and basements into moonshine operations to feed their families and save their land while dodging the ever-present federal regulators led by Alvin Truly, the newly deputized agent for the northern district. To stay ahead of the law, the distillers band together into a syndicate, led by a kingpin unknown to all but one man. The anonymous bootleg king builds an empire of whiskey with thousands of gallons of moonshine flowing across Iowa’s borders while conjuring bigger and better ways to get their product across state lines--some going to the famous Chicago mobster--before federal agents can discover their schemes. Agent Truly, however, has his own plots to trap the bootleggers and bring them to justice. Federals against farmers, Wets against Drys, Protestants against Catholics, Moonshine by Moonlight weaves together a fictional story of the bootlegging era while representing the authentic legacy of Carroll County’s underground whiskey industry during one of the most raucous periods of American history. Ann Hanigan Kotz’s third novel exposes the power struggle between the law and the lawless and once again brings readers to Iowa’s past.

Ann Hanigan Kotz was born in Denison, Iowa, and lived on a farm southwest of town with her parents and five siblings. During her summers, she spent time at the Carnegie Library, where reading becoming a passion early in her life. After high school, Ann attended the University of Northern Iowa and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. She started her education career in 1988 and continued teaching high school English for thirty-three years, finishing at Waukee High School in central Iowa. She also received a Master of Arts in Education from Viterbo University. As a teacher, Ann was passionate about making her students better writers and readers. She credits her writing ability to studying and teaching the craft. Later in her profession, Ann taught college-level classes to high school students who themselves wanted to become teachers. Ann considers teaching one of the most honorable professions. Retired from teaching, Kotz currently resides in Adel, Iowa, with her husband, John.