How To Con A Crime Boss


Book Description

His life is in her hands. Seth Wellington needs protection, but he never expects for that protection to arrive in the ever-so-sexy form of Harley Adaire. Their initial meeting is electric, and each time that he is around the deceptively delicate Wilde agent, his attraction to her grows. But this isn’t the time for Seth to be falling for someone. The world thinks he’s a master criminal. Just because his father maybe, sorta, okay, yes, was a master criminal. Now the FBI wants Seth to take over his father’s organization. The Feds want him to work undercover and bring down some very, very bad people. The problem is that those bad people want to destroy him. So in strolls Harley. A woman with a thirst for adventure, a smile meant to tempt, and a body that will rule his fantasies for years. She can be his bodyguard and his partner. She’ll stay by his side, and they’ll trip up the criminals surrounding them. Sounds easy. But…it isn’t. Because Seth has to pretend to be someone completely different. Someone dark and dangerous, and the more he pretends, the more he starts to lose sight of his real self. And the more he wants her. Possessive, passionate, deadly—that’s the man Seth has to be. Only when he’s with Harley, the possessiveness and the passion are all too real. Too bad they are surrounded by criminals who are hell bent on wrecking Seth’s world. The danger is mounting, the desire Seth feels for Harley is raging out of control, and, unfortunately, the body count may be starting to rise. Because when you try to con a crime boss, you’re playing a very, very dangerous game… Step one: Show no fear. Step two: Prepare to fight dirty. Step three: Become the man everyone fears. Everyone, but her… A man isn’t supposed to get territorial when it comes to his bodyguard, but Harley is no ordinary bodyguard. She’s the woman who is quickly coming to obsess Seth. In this new, dark world around him, she’s also the only person he trusts. Now, if they can just stay alive and bring down the bad guys, maybe he can get his bodyguard to fall for him. Maybe.




The King of Con


Book Description

A Jersey boy with a knack for numbers, a gift for making people trust him, and an all-consuming hunger to rule the business world, Tom Giacomaro could convince anyone of anything. As a teenager, Tom Giacomaro began working in the mob-laden New Jersey trucking industry. A charming, brash-talking salesman with a genius-level IQ, he climbed the ranks and let his lust for money and relationships with New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago crime families send him spiraling into a world of drugs and violence. And that's only the beginning. In The King of Con, Tom details how he hashes out a deal with the FBI, agreeing to become a crime informant in an effort to avoid jail time—only, he continues his high-finance, white-collar scheming, luring celebrities and other high-profile contacts to invest multimillions in his new business ventures. When it all comes crashing down, Tom is thrown in prison for over a decade, yet, even behind bars, he's able to get what he wants from anyone . . . and he eventually finds a way to get released early. Cowritten by journalist Natasha Stoynoff, The King of Con is the unforgettable true story about a man who became hooked on living life to thrilling and dangerous excess, until he was humbled by the FBI, by the US Attorney, and by life itself. Now, Tom is back in his old New Jersey neighborhood. His old business cronies and mob contacts are calling, his palms are itching to make billions again, and the US Attorney's office is watching. Will he stay on the straight and narrow, or will he steal back his crown of crime as the King of Con?




Al Capone


Book Description

At the height of Prohibition, Al Capone loomed large as Public Enemy Number One: his multimillion-dollar Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime, and law enforcement was powerless to stop him. But then came the fall: a legal noose tightened by the FBI, a conviction on tax evasion, a stint in Alcatraz. After his release, he returned to his family in Miami a much diminished man, living quietly until the ravages of his neurosyphilis took their final toll. Our shared fascination with Capone endures in countless novels and movies, but the man behind the legend has remained a mystery. Now, through rigorous research and exclusive access to Capone’s family, National Book Award–winning biographer Deirdre Bair cuts through the mythology, uncovering a complex character who was flawed and cruel but also capable of nobility. At once intimate and iconoclastic, Al Capone gives us the definitive account of a quintessentially American figure.




Gangster Squad


Book Description

"Read this man's book." --James Ellroy Gangster Squad presents a harrowing, edge-of-your-seat narrative of murder and secrets, revenge and heroism in the City of Angels—the real events behind the blockbuster Warner Brothers film starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. GANGSTER SQUAD chronicles the true story of the secretive police unit that waged an anything-goes war to drive Mickey Cohen and other hoodlums from Los Angeles after WWII. In 1946, the LAPD launched the Gangster Squad with eight men who met covertly on street corners and slept with Tommy guns under their beds. But for two cops, all that mattered was nailing the strutting gangster Mickey Cohen. Sgt. Jack O'Mara was a square-jawed church usher, Sgt. Jerry Wooters a cynical maverick. About all they had in common was their obsession. So O'Mara set a trap to prove Mickey was a killer. And Wooters formed an alliance with Mickey's budding rival, Jack "The Enforcer" Whalen. Two cops -- two hoodlums. Their fates collided in the closing days of the 1950s, when late one night "The Enforcer" confronted Mickey and his crew. The aftermath would shake both LA's mob and police department, and signal the end of a defining era in the city's history. Warner Brothers developed the film Gangster Squad based on the research award-winning journalist Paul Lieberman conducted for this book, which reveals the unbelievable true stories behind the film. He spent more than a decade tracking down and interviewing surviving members of the real police unit as well as families and associates of the mobsters they pursued. Gangster Squad is a tour-de-force narrative reminiscent of LA Confidential.




The History of the Mafia


Book Description

The Mafia began on a small island in the Mediterranean, Sicily. It grew to become a major political force in Italy, while its tentacles penetrated every aspect of life in the United States. Through drugs, it spread its influence to Britain, Canada and Australia. And through the gangster movies of Hollywood, including The Godfather and Goodfellas, it permeates popular culture. The History of the Mafia is full of blood-chilling characters, from Al Capone, who ran Chicago during Prohibition, and hitmen Louis Lekpe and Alberto Anastasia who founded Murder, Inc, to Totò Riina, 'boss of bosses', John Gotti, 'the Teflon don', and Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano, who hid out from the law in a farmhouse for 43 years... These were extraordinary men who lived through extraordinary times. The History of the Mafia tells the story of their lives, their families, their codes, their crimes and their cold-blooded murders. A long and enthralling tale, drenched in blood and scored with betrayal.




Awakened by Sin


Book Description

Carmen Pyre had it all until her husband was murdered by a madman who threatened everyone she loved. Now that her husband has been avenged, it's time to move on... she just doesn't know how. Two men who fill her husband’s former roles offer to help her move forward with her life. Should she choose the dangerous new crime lord who will feed her dark cravings or the man who will anchor her and give her the deepest desires of her heart?




Son of the Mob


Book Description

Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids-his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good.




The Big Con


Book Description

This book examines a broad range of infamous scams, cons, swindles, and hoaxes throughout American history—and considers why human gullibility continues in an age of easy access to information. Covering American cons and hoaxes past and present, including the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, the controversy over "subliminal messaging" (do bands, filmmakers, and advertisers really put secret messages in their works?), the panic about "satanic" daycare operators in the 1980s, and recent Internet scams, this book provides a fascinating, fact-based look at infamous frauds across the centuries. Offering an engaging mix of history, sociology, and psychology, author Nate Hendley gives readers an appreciation of how prominent scams, cons, "confidence men," and hoaxes have impacted American society, past and present. Each entry details the scheme or hoax and the pertinent con artist/schemer involved, examining the sociological, cultural, political, and/or economic effect of the scams. Each topic is accompanied by a short bibliography of further reading selections. As the old saying goes, "There is a sucker born every minute"—and there has always been a keen-eyed swindler to take advantage of the situation. The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History explores this sordid underbelly of American civilization and invites readers to revel in the felonious experience.




La Famiglia


Book Description

"Never question my heart, my courage, my loyalty! To my men and to this family I am all things. But to my wife I am only one. Husband." - Don Giovanni Battaglia. The year is 1992. The Battaglia family awaits the birth of the newest members to their clan. Twin boys will be born to the capo di tutti capi of the Neapolitan clans. By an African American woman who has married the most powerful and feared Mafia boss in all of southern Italy. Before the birth Don Giovanni Battaglia makes a decision that shocks the family. He will move his wife out of the Campania to his homeland of Sicilia. Against the advisement of his consigliere and uncle, the family relocates to the beautiful seaside beach town of Mondello. And unbeknownst to the Don the lies and secrets he keeps from his wife are already unraveling as well as his empire. His cousin Lorenzo Battaglia who has suffered a humiliating banishment plots secretly to return. The men of the Camorra, organize against him to take control of a region they feel he has left open to his enemies. And the most powerful Don in Sicily, Marsuvio Mancini, is determined to expose his famiglia tie to Mirabella Battaglia. It is an old Mancini family secret that will bring forth cataclysmic consequences. And while Giovanni and Mirabella fight to hold onto their marriage, the family bonds that keep them strong begin to crumble. Will the Don realize the true meaning of preserving honesty, love, and faith in his marriage in time? Will Donna Mirabella find the strength to forgive her husband of his lies to keep the family safe from his wrath? And what will become of the others who are caught up in their cyclone of drama?




Confident Women


Book Description

The true crime author of Lady Killers presents a roundup of history’s most notorious female con artists and their bold, outrageous scams. From Elizabeth Holmes and Anna Delvey to Frank Abagnale and Charles Ponzi, audacious scams and charismatic scammers continue to intrigue us. As Tori Telfer reveals in Confident Women, the art of the con has a long and venerable tradition, and its female practitioners are some of the best—or worst. In 18th century Paris, Jeanne de Saint-Rémy scammed the royal jewelers out of a priceless diamond necklace by pretending to be best friends with Queen Marie Antoinette. In 19th century Rochester, NY, Kate and Maggie Fox accidentally started a religious movement by pretending they could speak to spirits. In the 20th century, a woman named Margaret Lydia Burton embezzled money all over the country—and stole upwards of forty prized show dogs. A few decades later, a teenager named Roxie Ann Rice scammed the entire NFL. Confident Women investigates how these and other notorious women were able to so spectacularly dupe and swindle their victims . . .