Meh. It was ok. It would have been a lot better as a straight history of the mafia rather than focusing on one Italian American detective. There was too much detail about this one detective's life - like the author felt compelled to include all his research into the final book. I didn't need to read an entire chapter about his funeral. Yawn. Two or three paragraphs would have been plenty. I would not recommend this book to anyone. The only positive thing I got from reading this book was a desire to read Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

this book was beautifully written, very researched & had the suspense of a mystery thriller

What I enjoyed about this book:
- Discovering the Black Hand society, it's crimes, tactics, sheer ruthlessness, and shocking follow-through
- Learning, through specific stories, about what life was like for Italian immigrants at this time in history
- Of course, the accounts of the brave and ceaseless Detective Joseph Petrosino

What I didn't enjoy:
- I think it's important to note that the bio for this book is false advertising (the descriptions say "gripping true story" "rich story" "fast-paced narrative")
- It read like a history book. A lot of the accounts of what happened were very similar, and rather than going deep into a few rich examples, the book told a seemingly unending number of repetitive stories. By the halfway point, I found myself saying, "we get it! what else happens?"
- The writing, right off the bat, was pretty surface level

The premise sounded interesting, but I just could not get into this book. It was not very well written and for a non-fiction book gave way too much credence to what might have happened or what the main character might have felt. If I wanted that, I'd read a novel.

Not a bad book at all! In today's social climate, a true crime book that touches on racism and police brutality/reform feels pretty relevant. I hadn't heard of Petrosino or the Black Hand before so this was a really interesting read. My only complaint is that side characters were only introduced or mentioned when they were relevant to Petrosino's life and I would have enjoyed a more steady timeline with them, rather than just when their lives touched on the detective's.

This is a wonderfully told story that gives deep insight into the people and era it surrounds. The stories of those featured are so detailed and well informed, it was a journey that my imagination could clearly see.

A fascinating non-fiction book about Joe Petrosino, a pioneering police detective fighting the Black Hand at the turn of the 20th century and the movement his actions and eventual death spawned. His funeral had 250,000 people, which was 2.5 times more people than silent film star Rudolph Valentino had at his funeral two decades later!