Kennedy's extensive historical research resulted in what he called in his O Albany! essay on Diamond "a novel that is historical in outline." The narrative sequence of actual events tracing Diamond's rapid rise and demise during the years 1929-1931 includes his murder of Red Cassiday (Tim Regan in the novel) at the Hotsy Totsy Club in 1929, his involvement in the killing of Harry Western (Charlie Northrup in the novel) in 1930, his trip to Europe to buy narcotics and avoid questioning in the Western murder, his near assassination by rival gangsters after returning home, his kidnapping and torturing of Grover Parks (Clem Streeter in the novel) during his convalescence, his two trials for that crime and his defense by prominent Albany attorney Daniel H. Prior (not to be "associated directly" with lawyer Marcus Gorman in the novel), and, finally, Diamond's murder shortly thereafter in 1931.

References to prominent contemporaries appear...