The Black Hand

What a terrific read! Through incredible historical research and a detective's eye for the telling detail, Stephan Talty chronicles Joseph Petrosino's dogged pursuit of cold-blooded extortionists and killers. It's a story about immigration, urban life, and the struggle of law enforcement to confront the terror spread by a start-up criminal underworld at the turn of the 20th century -- Dick Lehr, author of the New York Times bestseller Black Mass The Black Hand is a fascinating immersion into an almost forgotten time and culture in which a mysterious criminal enterprise terrorized immigrants seeking a new life in America. Stephan Talty's book provides a richly woven, engrossing tale of one man determined to help his fellow Italian-Americans resist the threat and prosper. A solid addition to the American history library -- Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500 Stephan Talty is a marvelous storyteller, and with The Black Hand, he's hit a gusher: the true tale of one of New York City's greatest detectives at war with a lethal secret society and at odds with his own department. In Talty's hands, this is a thrilling instant classic. -- Robert Kolker, author of the New York Times bestseller Lost Girls Given the secret nature of the Black Hand - which terrorized New York and the nation a century ago - Talty's account is extraordinarily detailed. Even more intimate is the portrait of Petrosino, chief Mafia detective. An important and gripping book. -- A. J. Baime, author of The Arsenal of Democracy