Murder, Inc. The Inside Story of the Mob

by Sid Feder and Burton B. Turkus

Book Overview

Before "The Sopranos," there was The Syndicate-a ruthless group of men guilty of committing a thousand murders in the late '30s and '40s. From the highest levels of the U.S. government to the lowest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: B001JE43T0
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Manor Books

Customer Reviews

Murder inc.

The kind of book that tells you what The Godfather films doesn’t. A real eye opener about the “MOB”. Those wise guys that are romanticized are not so romantic.

Murder Inc. - Now, these were Tough Guys!

What an organization! This was the general public's 1st look at a well-structured criminal organization operating on a domestic and more importantly, a national scale "a nationwide cartel". We're brought back to a time where bodies were being found on every other street corner in Brooklyn, and the generally accepted view was: to mind your business and don't get involved. We get introduced to so many startling characters namely, "Kid Twist" Reles, "Judge Louis" Lepke, Charlie "The Bug" Workman, Mendy Weiss, and "Pittsburgh Phil", to name a few, along with a bunch of others that are more well-known. This book breaks down the details regarding these racketeers, their criminal activities, and their attention to detail in the murder department. These men were seasoned professionals who set the benchmark in their industry; the industry of Murder! The book goes into tremendous detail of Kid Twist, his career and his cooperation with the government. They explain how he shed light on the underworld machinations of the Syndicate. Before his collaboration, law enforcement may have known of their existence, but they couldn't prove a thing. There were never any evidence, motives, witnesses, etc. Reles helped to send some of the Syndicate's top intricate players to jail where they received either the electric chair or life imprisonment. If he hadn't "fell/been thrown" from a building, he would have sent a few more there as well. I will definitely read this book again and use it as a guide for this field. There is extensive information here, and you have to familiarize yourself with the time, the characters, etc. From here, I'm going to read Paul Kavieff's "The Life and Times of Lepke Buchalter". We get introduced to him in Murder Inc. and they go into significant detail, but a character as powerful and as well-connected as him deserves his own book without question.

A chilling, thoroughly researched presentation

The collaborative work of Burton B. Turkus (who was the Assistant District Attorney of Kings County, Brooklyn during the original Murder, Inc. investigations) and veteran journalist Sid Feder, Murder, Inc.: The Story Of The Syndicate is the factual chronicle and history of an infamous and feared American criminal organization that prospered in the 1930's and 40's, making their mark in American criminal history for their efficient and utterly ruthless means of eliminating rivals and enemies; controlling and corrupting local, state, and federal officials; and for resisting prosecution by the law until one of their members (Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, known for his habit of strangulation) turned state's evidence and exposed to public view a secret and lethal criminal organization with national implications. A chilling, thoroughly researched presentation, Murder, Inc. is a strongly recommended contribution to American Organized Crime supplemental reading lists.

A Book Review of MURDER INC.

MURDER INC. is an excellent informative source on the subject of organized crime in the United States and murder in New York City in particular. The book is written by the authors in plain english and legalese is avoided. The book reads like a whos who in the world of the Syndicate. The reader must be cautioned that this book contains intricate details of actual murders and may not be suitable to all, particularly individuals offended by material of this nature.The author makes his arguments well and is persuasive enough to have the reader wondering if murders which appear in the daily papers as unsolvable, could possibly be related to the world of organized crime. In addition it makes one wonder about many political decisions being made by our elected officials today and if these officials have in some manner been influenced by crminal organizations such as the Syndicate.The author clearly justifies his argument that the Brookly faction of MURDER INC. was a gang of violent thugs who employed almost every conceivable method to carry out their chosen trade. Mr. Tukus further points out that this faction is not unique to the syndicate as a national organization.The book describes among other methods, murder by ice pick, drowning, hacking by cleaver, and strangulation. The murders, as argued by the author, seem to be performed for the purposes of ensuring continued criminal operations. This book is well written and is highly recommended to all who are serious students in the field of Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement as well as anyone interested in just reading an entertaining history of crime in the U.S. and New York City.

Amazing!

One of my the many things that history has given me is the myths and legends of the underworld and the mafia. Murder, Inc. is the answer to the myriad of question history class never answered.For over 20 years I have been reading about men like Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Buggsy Siegel, Frank Costello, Johnny Torio and Albert Anastasia, and until this book I was misinformed about a number of things.From the early 30's and into the 40's and 50's, follow along and watch the trail of over 1,000 brutal and horrific murders were committed by one the most ruthless groups of individuals ever assembled.Read along and watch Murder Inc. bring and end to prohibition, and how this same group was taken down as the author, a former Brooklyn DA, sent seven of the men to the chair. This book ranks number 2 in my reviews for 1999!

Fantastic & real in this time of Mafia decline

Mr Turkus pre-emptively has one-upped Peter Maas and Joseph Valachi in this book. Written in 1950, it tells the unbelieveable story of how the Mob solidified and the murderers that made it work. And it tells of the aftermath, the early days of the Mob eating itself alive...no one gets out. Incredibly informative and lightened by Mr Turkus's narrative and emotion. Exciting and brutal...