A Brotherhood Betrayed, Michael Cannell
A Brotherhood Betrayed, Michael Cannell
1 Rating(s)
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A Brotherhood Betrayed
The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc.

Author: Michael Cannell

Narrator: Gary Galone

Unabridged: 12 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2020


Synopsis

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 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

About Michael Cannell

MICHAEL CANNELL is the author of A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc, and three other works of non-fiction. He has worked as an editor at The New York Times and contributed to The New Yorker and many other publications. He lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on July 05, 2020

This is a well-written mob story about Murder, Inc. that I enjoyed recently. It tells the tale of the group that was formed to handle the punishments or hits for the mob after the families became equal under the Commission. This was brought about by Lucky Luciano when he killed the last of the Musta......more

Goodreads review by Don on October 04, 2020

I had heard of Murder, Inc. before but, other than a rudimentary knowledge of being connected with the Mafia, I had never bothered to investigate further Author Michael Cannell gave me what I needed, and more. The book goes into great detail starting when Abe Reles was just another punk on the stree......more

Goodreads review by Kristin on June 03, 2020

Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. A Brotherhood Betrayed follows the rise and fall of Abe Reles, one of the main members of the notorious Murder Inc. This book follows his life and how he would eventually turn on those he worked for and be......more

Goodreads review by Casey on August 08, 2020

This book is an engaging history of the development of the Commission, by Lucky Luciano, which comprised the five main Mafia families and the role that Abe Reles played in the organization of Murder, Inc. which took care of problems for the Commission and his role in bringing down some of the major......more

Goodreads review by Laura on May 11, 2020

Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Cannell and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. If you are a fan of Goodfellas, Boardwalk Empire, or just a lover of American history.. especially the darker side, this one is for you! The story itself, is fascinating and fast pace......more