The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History

· Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Ebook
338
Pages
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About this ebook

This “gripping account” of the early 20th century organized crime ring chronicles “a lurid and little-known episode in American history” (The Washington Post).

Beginning in the summer of 1903, an insidious crime wave stirred New York City, then the entire country, into panic. The children of Italian immigrants were being kidnapped and dozens of innocent victims gunned down. Bombs tore apart tenement buildings. Judges, senators, Rockefellers, and society matrons were threatened with gruesome deaths. 

The perpetrators’ only calling card was the symbol of a black hand. Standing between the American public and the Society of the Black Hand was Joseph Petrosino. Dubbed “the Italian Sherlock Holmes,” Petrosino was an ingenious detective and master of disguise. As the crimes grew ever more bizarre, Petrosino and his all-Italian police squad raced to capture members of the secret society before the nation’s anti-immigrant tremors exploded into catastrophe. 

The Black Hand is a “taut, brisk, and very cinematic” true crime history of America at the dawn of the 20th century (Newsday).

About the author

STEPHAN TALTY is the award-winning author of Agent Garbo,Empire of Blue Water, and other best-selling works of narrative nonfiction. His books have been made into two films, the Oscar-winning Captain Phillips and Only the Brave. He is also the author of two psychological thrillers, including the New York Times bestseller Black Irish, set in his hometown of Buffalo. He has written for the New York Times Magazine,GQ, and many other publications. Talty now lives outside New York City with his family.

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