A Brotherhood Betrayed

A highly engaging and interesting piece of literary work. A compelling story that will keep you turning the pages. The story and characters are well developed and you cannot put this down till you finish it. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Murder, Inc did exactly what its moniker would suggest. When the mafia powers needed to eliminate a problem or settle a score or deliver a message, they called on Murder, Inc. Abe Reles was part of the machine. A hitman with great skill and loyalty. But, then he became an informant, a rat as it were, and helped bring down the organization he helped build. This is a slice of Americana that many would prefer to forget but must remember. Michael Cannell has brought this story alive with novel-like suspense and incredible research. You will love this book. Guaranteed.

DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, and story consultant.
www.dplylemd.com

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. I thought I had a good grasp of mob history but I had never heard of Abe Reles. This book was a fascinating look into the most dangerous crew of mobsters. This book was a page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Any fan of mob history will like this book.

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

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.

A Brotherhood Betrayed by Michael Cannell

I am a huge fan of the genre and I found this read to be both exciting and interesting. I definitely recommend.

Murder, Inc is one of the most notorious gangs (or organized crime groups) that people don't know about but think they do. They know the legends but not the real stories. "A Brotherhood Betrayed" is an inside look at the actual history of this group.

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 players by becoming a snitch for the District Attorney. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the events that took place involving the battle between the Commission and the Law.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page

Outstanding book. Had a hard time putting it down and was sorry when it ended. I guess, for me, what made this book were the amazing characters! Bravo!

A must read for any true crime fan. Tells the true tale of the mafia and some of the things they did.

What is it with gangsters and other bad guys? We hate and fear them, with good reason, yet we tend to have a love affair with anything gangster related when it comes to literature and film. There seems to be no end to the amount of works one can find on the subject. Many are fictional, taking their cues from real life. Then there are the ones that delve into the history and details of those authentic characters and dastardly deeds that define the genre. A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind The Rise And Fall Of Murder, Inc. by Michael Cannell is such a book.

Cannell presents us with the history of a branch of organized crime called Murder, Inc. which was, in part, the domain of a man called Abe Reles; aka, Kid Twist. During the 1930s, a few high level mobsters, such as Lucky Luciano, formed a branch of The Syndicate they dubbed Murder, Inc. for the sole purpose of taking out individuals they felt were either a threat to the mob or wanted removed for various other purposes. Abe Reles was the man who ran that stable of cold hearted thugs who would murder their best friends, and had done so, if that was the job given them.

Reles, the quintessential street thug, grew up in Brooklyn where he learned his criminal ways at a ripe young age, only to emerge as the chief executioner for Murder, Inc. But then one day, something happened. A twist of fate for the cocky and brazen scourge of all who knew and feared Kid Twist. Reles moves on to become a very dependable stool pigeon against his very own colleagues.

There's much to tell about Reles and what he squeals about to the authorities. The book is loaded with true crime stories and chock full of history about many of the players on both sides of the law. To this day, there are still questions about Reles' death as well as a bit of intrigue regarding several of the politicians and other so called good guys. Cannell does not try to sway a conclusion but, instead, presents the facts with theories and let's us try to decide on our own what might have really happened. His portrayal of each individual is done in a way that easily paints a picture, along with their mannerisms and other peculiarities that you easily get a sense of knowing these people. He also takes us on several Murder, Inc. assignments, complete with some of the unsavory details.

This is a highly readable and fascinating account of the life and death of the man who made death his life's work.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the eBook for a fair and honest review.