An expose of organised crime and its unholy alliance with world leaders, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement, Double Deal is a 40–year saga told with unflinching honesty by mob insider and former Chicago chief of police Michael Corbitt. Growing up poor and angry, Michael Corbitt fought his way up the ranks of greasers and street gangs until he attracted the attention of Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana, who placed him on the Willow Springs, Illinois, police force. By the time Corbitt was appointed chief of police, he'd also moved up the Outfit's ranks and was living the high life of a respected mobster. Corbitt's luck turned when he was indicted on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. Although there was a mob contract on his life and he was facing a 20–year jail sentence, he refused to testify against organised crime figures under the witness protection programme, maintaining instead the Mafioso's code of silence – until his release from prison. Now Corbitt breaks that silence, holding back nothing–including the account of his personal involvement in the brutal murder of the wife of Chicago mob attorney Alan Masters. Corbitt bares his soul, confessing in graphic – sometimes horrific – detail a life lived as both saint and sinner, a life that moved back and forth between the conflicting worlds of the police officer and the gangster with ease.
The true story of the vicious Chicago underworld from a New York Times bestselling author. With a contract out on his life, Nicholas "Nicky Breeze" Calabrese turned government witness and revealed the truth about the murders of a notorious Mob enforcer and his brother-culminating in a criminal case that would challenge the Mob from the street to the highest seats of power.
One of the most feared Chicago mobsters Sam Giancana clawed his way to the top of the Mafia hierarchy by starting as a hit man for Al Capone. He was known as one of the best vehicle escape artists, a tenacious business man, and a ruthless killer. He partied with major stars such as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe and did business with agents ranging from the CIA to the Vatican to the shah of Iran. When politician Joe Kennedy gave Giancana the chance to use mob muscle to get his son John elected, Giancana jumped at the task. But the Kennedy brothers double-crossed him, waging full-out war on organized crime throughout the United States. And Giancana went after them. Written with suspense and conviction, we learn about how the CIA asked Giancana to assassinate Fidel Castro. The book includes Giancana's testimony about the truth of his involvement in the deaths of Monroe and others, among others. Chuck Giancana, Sam's brother, contributes a unique perspective of the mobs relationship with the Bay of Pigs and many other pivotal events of the 60's and beyond. Double Cross is an eye-opening account of the interworking of the government and the mob and how this relationship has impacted American history.
Some time in the early 1960s, during the golden age of organized crime in America—the era that would inspire The Godfather; Goodfellas, and even The Sopranos—federal investigators pulled every known piece of information on more than 800 Mafia members worldwide into a thick, phone-book-sized directory. From old-school gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Mickey Cohen to young turks like Paul Castellano and Vinny "The Chin" Gigante, the guide offered at-a-glance profiles of small-time thugs and major dons alike... and was allegedly the book Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy used to investigate the mob. Recently discovered, and published for the first time in this facsimile edition, Mafia is a treasure trove of info on the underworld in mid-century America—a revelatory artifact and an irresistible read.
Sam 'Mooney' Giancana started as a hitman for Al Capone. Brutually violent and ruthlessly ambitious, he clawed his way to the top of the Mafia hierarchy. In Hollywood he was the Mafia. He 'did business' with major stars, with Frank Sinatra, with Marilyn Monroe, with the CIA, Cuba, the Vatican, Ferdinand Marcos and the Shah of Iran. And when Joe Kennedy gave him the chance to use mob muscle to get his son John elected, he jumped at it. JFK would be in the White House - and Giancana would be the power behind the throne. But then the Kennedys double crossed him. With crusading zeal they went after the Mafia. So Giancana went after the Kennedys - and altered the course of American history. Only one person knew the whole story: Giancana's brother Chuck. With his son Sam he tells it in its chilling, apalling entirety - and reveals the truth behind the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and JFK.
Marty English, advertising executive, seems to be leading the perfect life-no one knows that he is really the estranged son of Chicago's Mafia Don. When he pulls in a multi-million dollar account with Isaac Arrow Pharmaceuticals to promote its new herbal line, it looks like he's a shoe-in to replace the aging president of his agency. The only problem is that the ad must be completed for airing during the Superbowl, less than three weeks away-with practically no time to head to Belize and shoot a commercial that will highlight Isaac Arrow's ecological commitment. Unbeknownst to Marty, the heads of Isaac Arrow have long been in cahoots with the Mob, the CIA, and the heads of Planetlife, a bogus eco-resort that is really a front for the manufacture of a highly potent drug. When Tony Inglesia, Marty's father, refuses to go in on the distribution of this new drug, the others in the crime ring plan to "eliminate this roadblock" as soon as he relinquishes his CD-Rom disk which contains one third of the code necessary to access a Swiss bank account containing millions. But their plan is thwarted; Tony's right hand man murders his boss to get in on the action, and now all that matters to them is that they recover the disk (which is now, unmarked, with its significance unexplained, in Marty's possession). For the first time, Marty must depend on the help of a county cop, and his beautiful long-time companion Reiki to help him crack the mysterious code the disc contains and bring down the crime ring...and stay alive in the process.
Las Vegas in 1960 was a gas, according to Frank Sinatra. Even the visitor knew something deliciously sinister was not only constantly lurking in Las Vegas' dark underbelly, but some nefarious deed could be taking place at that very moment. Tales of Old Las Vegas describes some of the mystery and excitement the town held for visitor and native alike. Some of the characters are famous people you may have heard of. Others are the little known but colorful people of the streets of Las Vegas who enjoyed the good life in their own way. The Las Vegas atmosphere in the 50s and 60s was particularly heady and magical. It was the era of the Rat Pack and Ocean's Eleven. Dean Martin was dealing "21" at the Sands for fun and driving the pit bosses crazy. Frank Sinatra was getting into fist fights with hotel managers and driving his dentist crazy. Those were the days when $5 for the show room captain could get you a seat close to the stage for almost any show, except Frank and Dean's show. A $500 bill couldn't buy a seat at those performances. Those who lived in the city were smug in the knowledge that it was an insider's playground, a familiar turf that was fun to know and move around in. Tales of Old Las Vegas brings us into the lives of the adventurers who lived in that magical era. It shows how they were affected by a free rolling city and the violent people who made and enforced the rules. .
One of the most feared Chicago mobsters Sam Giancana clawed his way to the top of the Mafia hierarchy by starting as a hit man for Al Capone. He was known as one of the best vehicle escape artists, a tenacious business man, and a ruthless killer. He partied with major stars such as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe and did business with agents ranging from the CIA to the Vatican to the shah of Iran. When politician Joe Kennedy gave Giancana the chance to use mob muscle to get his son John elected, Giancana jumped at the task. But the Kennedy brothers double-crossed him, waging full-out war on organized crime throughout the United States. And Giancana went after them. Written with suspense and conviction, we learn about how the CIA asked Giancana to assassinate Fidel Castro. The book includes Giancana's testimony about the truth of his involvement in the deaths of Monroe and others, among others. Chuck Giancana, Sam's brother, contributes a unique perspective of the mobs relationship with the Bay of Pigs and many other pivotal events of the 60's and beyond. Double Cross is an eye-opening account of the interworking of the government and the mob and how this relationship has impacted American history.
Former Chicago police officer and mafia associate Fred Pascente is the man who links Tony Spilotro, a central character in Nicholas Pileggi's Casino and one of Chicago's most notorious mob figures, to William Hanhardt, chief of detectives of the Chicago Police Department. Pascente and Spilotro grew up together on Chicago's Near West Side, and as young toughs they were rousted and shaken down by Hanhardt. While Spilotro became one of the youngest made men in Chicago Outfit history, Pascente was drafted into the army and then joined the police department. Soon taken under Hanhardt's wing, Pascente served as Hanhardt's fixer and bagman on the department for more than a decade. At the same time, Pascente remained close to Spilotro, making frequent trips to Las Vegas to party with his old friend while helping to rob the casinos blind. Mob Cop tells about the decline of traditional organized crime in the United States, and it reveals information about the inner workings of the Outfit that have never been publicly released. Fred Pascente's positions as an insider on both the criminal and law enforcement fronts make this story a matchless tell-all. Fred Pascente was a Chicago police officer for twenty-six years and a professional thief with close ties to the mafia. He died in 2014. Sam Reaves is the author of ten novels and has served as president of the Midwest chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.
Just before he died, Pope Paul VI is alleged to have said, The smoke of Satan has entered the Church, it is around the Altar.This is a critical indictment of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. This is the story of various Roman Catholic Priests and Laity who have blended their autobiographies. They relate diabolical activities by clergymen, their Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals, which has caused a massive sex scandal within the church. This has caused much injury and harm to thousands of our young men and women and their families. A priest from New Mexico, a friend of Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes And The confessor to various Mafia leaders relates the activities of these men and their relations with the Pope, and Cardinals, and how these churchmen benefited financially from this association. Joseph Bonano, one of the Godfathers of the five Mafia families in New York City was unknowingly safeguarded by a priest, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for many months in northern New Mexico. Joseph Valachi, a made member of the Mafia La Cosa Nostra was an informer against his own crime family and he was placed in a Catholic parish in northern New Mexico under the FBI's protective program. The conspiracy by members of the Mafia and others to murder Marilyn Monroe is related here by a priest and a former foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury. They present information as to why the names of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had to be made part and parcel of the conspiracy to commit the perfect crime.
The true story of the vicious Chicago underworld from a New York Times bestselling author. With a contract out on his life, Nicholas "Nicky Breeze" Calabrese turned government witness and revealed the truth about the murders of a notorious Mob enforcer and his brother-culminating in a criminal case that would challenge the Mob from the street to the highest seats of power.
Marty English, advertising executive, seems to be leading the perfect life-no one knows that he is really the estranged son of Chicago's Mafia Don. When he pulls in a multi-million dollar account with Isaac Arrow Pharmaceuticals to promote its new herbal line, it looks like he's a shoe-in to replace the aging president of his agency. The only problem is that the ad must be completed for airing during the Superbowl, less than three weeks away-with practically no time to head to Belize and shoot a commercial that will highlight Isaac Arrow's ecological commitment. Unbeknownst to Marty, the heads of Isaac Arrow have long been in cahoots with the Mob, the CIA, and the heads of Planetlife, a bogus eco-resort that is really a front for the manufacture of a highly potent drug. When Tony Inglesia, Marty's father, refuses to go in on the distribution of this new drug, the others in the crime ring plan to "eliminate this roadblock" as soon as he relinquishes his CD-Rom disk which contains one third of the code necessary to access a Swiss bank account containing millions. But their plan is thwarted; Tony's right hand man murders his boss to get in on the action, and now all that matters to them is that they recover the disk (which is now, unmarked, with its significance unexplained, in Marty's possession). For the first time, Marty must depend on the help of a county cop, and his beautiful long-time companion Reiki to help him crack the mysterious code the disc contains and bring down the crime ring...and stay alive in the process.
Brainstorm is an amazing five-year probe into the mysterious death of beloved movie star Natalie Wood by a real-life criminal law authority who determinedly pursued the truth in the face of Los Angeles County officials hell-bent on keeping it buried forever. “After four decades, there is still more to learn about Natalie Wood’s tragic drowning. Brainstorm is one man’s passionate quest to unearth the truth.” —Beth Karas, Host of Oxygen’s Snapped: Notorious, former prosecutor, and investigative journalist “If you have any interest in deciding for yourself whether someone got away with the murder of Natalie Wood, this book is for you.” —Marilyn Wayne, eyewitness Brainstorm: An Investigation of the Mysterious Death of Film Star Natalie Wood is the first-person account of Sam Perroni’s probing investigation of the actress’s death. Through lawsuits, freedom of information requests, and persistent digging, Perroni obtained unseen and confidential files, documents, photographs, and information from long-lost witnesses revealing the true circumstances surrounding Natalie Wood’s drowning.
Reason for Reading: This is not just another book about Kennedy's assassination. It is a complete fact-filled book about Oswald, his time in Russia, and conspiracy theories. Synopsis: There were conflicting reports about the number of shots and from the direction they came. Soon a policeman would be shot and killed and Oswald would be arrested for both murders. Two days later Jack Ruby would kill Oswald. Why I wrote this book: My passion is to search for the truth in real crimes. Did Oswald kill President Kennedy? Why would he do it? Did he have accomplices? Was he part of a conspiracy? Why did Jack Ruby kill Lee Oswald? Why you should read this book: This easy to read book has answers to the above questions, backed by credible evidence. Why you may avoid this book: There is an unconscious desire by many to find greater meaning in the death of President Kennedy than is possible based upon the historical case. So for them, there will always be a conspiracy. It just has to be, no matter what.
Las Vegas in 1960 was a gas, according to Frank Sinatra. Even the visitor knew something deliciously sinister was not only constantly lurking in Las Vegas' dark underbelly, but some nefarious deed could be taking place at that very moment. Tales of Old Las Vegas describes some of the mystery and excitement the town held for visitor and native alike. Some of the characters are famous people you may have heard of. Others are the little known but colorful people of the streets of Las Vegas who enjoyed the good life in their own way. The Las Vegas atmosphere in the 50s and 60s was particularly heady and magical. It was the era of the Rat Pack and Ocean's Eleven. Dean Martin was dealing "21" at the Sands for fun and driving the pit bosses crazy. Frank Sinatra was getting into fist fights with hotel managers and driving his dentist crazy. Those were the days when $5 for the show room captain could get you a seat close to the stage for almost any show, except Frank and Dean's show. A $500 bill couldn't buy a seat at those performances. Those who lived in the city were smug in the knowledge that it was an insider's playground, a familiar turf that was fun to know and move around in. Tales of Old Las Vegas brings us into the lives of the adventurers who lived in that magical era. It shows how they were affected by a free rolling city and the violent people who made and enforced the rules. .
Presents a tribute to the Hollywood entertainer-turned-author. Covers her close friendship with Judy Garland, contributions as a celebrity trainer, and creation of the mischievous six-year-old Plaza mascot, Eloise.
For decades, the Gabor dynasty was the epitome of glamour and fairy tale success. But as biographer, film historian, and Gabor family friend Sam Staggs reveals, behind the headlines is a true story more dramatic, fabulous, and surprising than their self-styled legend would have you believe . . . In 1945, after barely escaping Hitler’s invasion of Hungary followed by “liberation” of the country by the Red Army, three members of the Gabor family—Jolie, her ex-husband Vilmos, and their daughter Magda—arrived in New York City. In Hollywood, their other daughters, Zsa Zsa and Eva, had worked feverishly throughout the war years to secure their rescue from the Nazis’ plan to exterminate the Jews. Stepping off the boat, Jolie, the iron-willed matriarch, already had a golden future mapped out for her sharp-witted, cosmopolitan beauties. Over the next six decades, with twenty-three husbands between them (suave All About Eve star George Sanders would wed both Zsa Zsa and Magda), scores of lovers, and roller-coaster rides in film, television, theater, and business, the elegant yet gloriously bawdy, addictively watchable Gabors carved a niche in the entertainment industry that made them world-famous pop-culture icons. But beneath the artifice of Dior and diamonds was another side to the story they never revealed: the whole truth. This first verifiable history of the Gabors casts a startling new light on these extraordinary women. Finding Zsa Zsa reveals the tumultuous and often unforgiven battles between mother and daughter, sister and sister, wife and husband; Eva’s “bearded” romance with Merv Griffin that allowed them both to seek same-sex lovers; Zsa Zsa's involuntary confinement in a mental hospital; her life-long struggle with bipolar disorder; and her last—unconsummated—marriage to the manipulating faux prince Frederic von Anhalt. Here too is the untold story of Zsa Zsa’s daughter, Francesca Hilton, a gifted photographer who eschewed the Gabor lifestyle and paid a sad price for her independence. The story of family patriarch Vilmos Gabor, who returned to Hungary only to be trapped behind the Iron Curtain, reads like a Cold War spy thriller. Culled from new interviews with family, colleagues, and confidantes, and the unpublished memoirs of the author's friend Francesca Hilton, Finding Zsa Zsa finally introduces fans to the Gabor family they never knew, including many never-before-seen photos. It’s a riveting, outrageously funny, bittersweet, and affectionately honest read of four women who were vulnerable, tough, charitable, endlessly fascinating, and always glamorous to a fault.
Deftly combining the intelligent wit of David Sedaris with the allure of the Rat Pack, this scathingly funny debut novel tells the story of what can happen when a workaday salesman becomes obsessed with Frank Sinatra.
To every explorer with his map upside down, to every air-traffic controller suddenly receiving Magic FM through his headphones, to every astronomer whose new planet turns out to be a bit of bran-flake on the eyepiece of his telescope, Sod's Law says: you are not alone. Sam Leith tells the hilarious—and painful—stories of the unsinkable boat that sunk, the unbeatable horse that lost, and the fireproof theater that burned to the ground. Sod's Law demonstrates that the entire universe is actually set up to ensure that your toast always lands butter side down and, what's more, that it lands precisely where the cat has shed hair all over the carpet. In this age of doubt, fewer and fewer of us are able to believe that a higher power takes an interest in our fate. This book reassures us that indeed it does—and that that higher power is hell bent on buggering things up. Only by laughing heartlessly at the misfortunes of others can we make ourselves feel better. Sod's Law enables us to do just that.
Most Trek books revel in trivia that would puzzle Spock himself How can a latecomer to Star Trek ever catch up? Here, in a funny and easy-to-read format, is everything that those unfamiliar with the Star Trek universe need to know to be brought up to warp speed with their significant Trekking other. Coping With Your Trekker discusses the history of Star Trek, important episodes from all the different series, weird aliens and memorable characters, as well as the movies, the technology...plus "Really Cool Things to Say to Impress a Trekker", how to survive a Star Trek convention, and more After each chapter, a quiz helps readers hone their knowledge A handy Trek-to-English dictionary makes sense of it all. For new fans and reluctant mates this book will make the viewing of yet another Star Trek rerun -- arm-in-arm with a pointy-eared loved one -- a happy experience!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.