The Black Hand

The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History

By: Stephan Talty

Narrated by: Scott Aiello

The gripping true story of the origins of the Mafia in America - and the brilliant Italian-born detective who gave his life to stop it.

Film rights optioned by Paramount Studios, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Beginning in the summer of 1903, an insidious crime wave filled New York City, and then the entire country, with fear. The children of Italian immigrants were kidnapped, and dozens of innocent victims were gunned down. Bombs tore apart tenement buildings. Judges, senators, Rockefellers, and society matrons were threatened with gruesome deaths. The perpetrators seemed both omnipresent and invisible. Their only calling card: the symbol of a black hand.

The crimes whipped up the slavering tabloid press and heated ethnic tensions to the boiling point. Standing between the American public and the Black Hand's lawlessness was Joseph Petrosino. Dubbed the "Italian Sherlock Holmes", he was a famously dogged and ingenious detective and a master of disguise. As the crimes grew ever more bizarre and the Black Hand's activities spread far beyond New York's borders, Petrosino and the all-Italian police squad he assembled raced to capture members of the secret criminal society before the country's anti-immigrant tremors exploded into catastrophe. Petrosino's quest to root out the source of the Black Hand's power would take him all the way to Sicily - but at a terrible cost.

Unfolding a story rich with resonance in our own era, The Black Hand is fast-paced narrative history at its very best.

©2017 Stephan Talty (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Incredible Story of an American Immigrant

I picked up this audio book to help prep for a Call of Cthulhu campaign. What I got was the story of a Italian police officer who put everything on the line to stand, often alone, against some of earliest organized crime in America. The narrator was engaging and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, American history, or incredible individuals.

good listen

I thaught this was a great book. I had never heard of The Black Hand. Love the time period as well. All around good listen.

Listen and Learn.

I think if you come at this book with the expectation of a history lesson, you will enjoy it much more (if you like learning). It was a very interesting read. I never even heard of the Black Hand Society and the author did a great job teaching me.

Great historical storytelling.

This book is a rare glimpse into the repeating battle that each immigrant group must fight with earlier settlers and with itself in order to become Americans.
More than anything else it is a tribute to an amazing American.

Fascinating

I had no idea about the black hand and found the whole story fascinating. It was an easy listen and really informative.