Product Description
It remains one of the most enduring mysteries in gangland lore: in 1941, while Abe Reles and three other key informants were under round-the-clock NYPD protection, the ruthless and powerful thug took a deadly plunge from the window of a Coney Island hotel. The first criminal of his stature to break the underworld’s code of silence, he had begun “singing” for the courts—giving devastating testimony that implicated former cronies—with more to come. With cops around him day and night, how could Abe have gone out the window? Did he try to escape? Did a hit man break in? Or did someone in the “squealer’s suite” murder him? Here’s the gripping story, packed with political machinations, legal sleight-of-hand, mob violence—and, finally, a proposed answer to the question: How did Abe Reles really die?
Murder mysteries:
Why didn’t police investigate the mysterious sounds they heard on the night that Reles died?
Why did the lead investigator fail to gather crucial evidence at the hotel—or follow police procedure for interviewing witnesses and securing the crime scene?
What do previously classified FBI documents reveal about Brooklyn DA William O’Dwyer, who had plans to run for mayor of New York?
Why was the note “Withhold information by order of D.A.” scribbled on Reles’s autopsy report?
Why was Abe’s widow so bitterly opposed to reopening the case?
Why doesn’t the official story add up?
About the AuthorEdmund Elmaleh was born in New York City and currently works for the Chicago Board of Trade. He is affiliated with the International Association of Crime Writers and the Organization of American Historians. This is his first book.
has anyone read this yet? If so let us know how it is.
4 comments:
I saw that in Barnes & Noble last week. It looked like it's worth checking out, but I didn't buy it. I was suffering from a wee bout of "empty wallet syndrome." Maybe next time.
Ah yes, EWS hopefully that will be scourge eradicated in our life time.
Pat - I finished it just over the weekend as was gonna post a short review on my blog in the next couple of days. Its a pretty interesting read - and he comes up with his own theory as to who may have actually pushed Reles out the window which is pretty interesting and arguably quite possible. Its the first book which has dealt deeply into Reles's case after his death...
It's quite unfortunate that the writer passed away before publication,after apparently spending close to a decade in putting it together.
Thanks Pat! I will have to check it out. Yeah I just found out that it was published posthumously. That's the lesson of the day folks; quit stalling! Do what you want to do before it's to late.
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