Dodge Dynasty; The Car and the Family That Rocked Detroit

[6], 360, [2] pages. Illustrations. A Note on the Sources. Index. Black mark on bottom edge. The definitive biography of the Dodge family, whose fortunes and misfortunes rocked Detroit, the automotive industry, and America for the better part of the 20th century. Derived from a Kirkus review: Latham and her collaborator offer a fast-paced chronicle that takes the star-crossed clan from its roots in southwestern Michigan to the present day. By far the most compelling characters in the generation-spanning saga are the patriarchs--John Francis and Horace Elgin. The brothers Dodge, both skilled machinists, moved to Detroit in 1886. They prospered almost from the outset and amassed great fortunes as suppliers to and financial backers of Henry Ford. After an inevitable split with Ford, the Dodges invested the substantial settlement in a motor vehicle company of their own. Both died in 1920--at the height of their fame and fortune. Latham and Agresta then focus on ne'er-do-well sybarites. The scandalous behavior of feckless Dodge heirs and their travails with drink, drugs, divorce, or allied woes of the well-heeled are described as are the unseemly scrambles for money from the estates and trust funds left by the family's founders.…