The riveting true story of the rise and fall of Murder, Inc. and the executioner-turned-informant whose mysterious death became a turning point in Mob history. In the fall of 1941, a momentous trial was underway that threatened to end the careers and lives of New York’s most brutal mob kingpins. The lead witness, Abe Reles, had been a trusted executioner for Murder, Inc., the enforcement arm of … enforcement arm of a coast-to-coast mob network known as the Commission. But the man responsible for coolly silencing hundreds of informants was about to become the most talkative snitch of all. In exchange for police protection, Reles was prepared to rat out his murderous friends, from Albert Anastasia to Bugsy Siegel–but before he could testify, his shattered body was discovered on a rooftop outside his heavily-guarded hotel room. Was it a botched escape, or punishment for betraying the loyalty of the country’s most powerful mobsters?
Michael Cannell’s A Brotherhood Betrayed traces the history of Murder, Inc. through Reles’ rise from street punk to murder chieftain to stool pigeon, ending with his fateful death on a Coney Island rooftop. It resurrects a time when crime became organized crime: a world of money and power, depravity and corruption, street corner ambushes and elaborately choreographed hits by wise-cracking foot soldiers with names like Buggsy Goldstein and Tick Tock Tannenbaum.
For a brief moment before World War II erupted, America fixated on the delicate balance of trust and betrayal on the Brooklyn streets. This is the story of the one man who tipped the balance.
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“A Brotherhood Betrayed” documents the history of “Murder, Inc.” probably the worst ring of killers in American history. The tale begins at the end on November 12, 1941, in Brooklyn; Abe Reles, the assassin-in-chief, plummeted from a hotel room to his death on a roof below. What follows is a look at how the participants came to this point in time, how the “mob” came to wield so much power and wreak so much havoc on the world. It is compelling and frightening. The dark true-life opera unfolds as readers are taken back in time to when it all started, to the humble beginnings in small time neighborhoods and how people evolved into villains, potentates, and snitches.
“A Brotherhood Betrayed” reads like fiction, but it is only too real, and vivid descriptions pull readers into the scenes. This is not a dry history of crime; this is an exposé on people who just happen to be criminals, who are deadly adversaries to both friend and foe. I received a review copy of “A Brotherhood Betrayed” from Michael Cannell, St Martin’ Press, and Minotaur Books. It is frightening and compelling. It also contains detailed sources, references, and notes, and including a YouTube link to Estes Kefauver’s appearance on “What’s My Line.”
I received a free electronic ARC of this telling of intimate details of the rise and fall of the Murder, Inc. crowd from Netgalley, Michael Cannell, and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this history piece of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of the work.
Michael Cannell takes us into the inner reaches of the New York mob connections during the 1940s. And he does take us there, with colorful prose and unexpected nuggets of information. Makes me really glad that I don’t live in those times, although politicians are getting there, in line to take their place in our society today. A book I am glad I read. It puts some of the seemingly unacceptable acts taking place in the here and now into perspective.
by follows the rise and fall of Abe Reles, one of the main members of the notorious Murder Inc. This book details important moments throughout his life that would eventually lead him to turn on those he worked for and become an informant for law enforcement, only to be found dead before he could testify in court.u2063
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I loved that this book reads more like a story, an adventure in some ways, rather than a drawn-out biography and touches on multiple people Reles was involved with, allowing for a break from “just the facts” to let the drama build. I was immersed in their world and loved the time period. u2063
What a wonderfully crafted documentation of the history of the most prolific snitch in the history of Murder Inc. The year is 1941 and Abe Reles, an executioner for profit member of Murder Inc., has become the worst thing he could be to his cohorts, a turncoat. He is talking and talking and then talking some more to the Feds. He has turned his back on everyone he had been in “business” with and holding nothing back in exchange for police protection. He tells them everything. How he became involved and how Murder Inc came to be. Who, how, how many and with great specificity, the brutality, and given proof about EVERYONE. Shortly before he was to testify his body was found battered and broken on the rooftop outside his supposedly heavily guarded hotel room. How did it happen, who was responsible for his death? Was he targeted and killed by those he turned on or did he have regrets and kill himself? Though graphic in detail it is an interesting and compelling read. Not easy due to the nature of the business and heinous crimes, but spellbinding. These are terrible and twistedly sick people that the author humanizes, but in no way glorifies. I’ve read a lot about this period of time and the people involved, but this one by far gives the most insight into these terribly brutal cold hearted people and times.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.
A very fascinating look back at the history and circumstances surrounding the actors associated with what was referred to as Brooklyn’s notorious Murder Inc. The author has done a marvelous job of presenting the facts in a way that keeps the reader interested at every turn of the page. In doing so he has not added his opinions but just presented everything as they happened and makes you want to dig even deeper into the issue.
I love True Crime books and this one I enjoyed a lot. Who doesn’t like a book that makes you wonder who did it?
Michael Cannell wrote a well researched book on Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. was the mafias way of getting rid of snitches, people who offended them, or just anyone they wanted to get rid of. It was told what who needed to go by the Commission. The Commission were the Italian and Jewish bosses in the 1920’s to the mid 1940’s.
Abe Reles, who the book is about, was the leader of Murder, Inc. He decided who joined it’s ranks. After the Commission said who they needed gone, Reles would plan how, when and where it would happen. Prosecutors decided to go after Murder, Inc. to clean Brooklyn up. After this, it was a race between the Prosecutors and Murder Inc. to see which one could get to a person first. Prosecutors would protect you if you squealed and Murder Inc. would kill you.
Reles decided to turn on the mob. Before he could testify about the bosses, he was killed. The question is, who killed Reles?
If you enjoy True Crime books, or mobster books, I recommend you read this book. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Cannell for a copy of the book for my honest opinion and thoughts.
I really enjoy reading about true crime because it interest me about how and why some people act the way they do. This book was very intriguing because it gave a lot of information about the mafia, at least the mafia in New York in the 1920s and 1930s Sometimes I had to tell myself that what I was reading was true and not fictional. If you enjoy true events this is a must read for you.
#ABrotherhoodBetrayed #NetGalley
Michael Cannell’s A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind The Rise And The Fall Of Murder Inc. is a very informative and graphic story about organized crime back in the day and how things worked. Not only does this book describe killings but also the participants. I recommend this book for any one with an interest in the Mob. Mafia or organized crime. However, for the casual reader it would not be to their liking.