Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero (Thorndike Press Large Print Crime Scene) - Hardcover

Perry, Douglas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410468704 ISBN 13: 9781410468703

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2014

Synopsis

The true story of Eliot Ness, the legendary lawman who led the Untouchables, took on Al Capone, and saved a city's soul
Eliot Ness is famous for leading the Untouchables against the notorious mobster Al Capone. But it turns out that the legendary Prohibition Bureau squad's daring raids were only the beginning. Ness's true legacy reaches far beyond Big
Al and Chicago.
"Eliot Ness" follows the lawman through his days in Chicago and into his forgotten second act. As the public safety director of Cleveland, he achieved his greatest success: purging the city of corruption so deep that the mob and the police were often one and the same. And it was here, too, that he faced one of his greatest challenges: a brutal, serial killer known as the Torso Murderer, who terrorized the city for years.
"Eliot Ness" presents the first complete picture of the real Eliot Ness. Both fearless and shockingly shy, he inspired courage and loyalty in men twice his age, forged law-enforcement innovations that are still with us today, and earned acclaim and scandal from both his professional and personal lives. Through it all, he believed unwaveringly in the integrity of law and the basic goodness of his fellow Americans.

About this title

Review:

"Don't believe what you've seen in the movies. The true story of Eliot Ness is better than the Hollywood version, and Douglas Perry tells it brilliantly, with hard-nosed reporting and graceful prose. This book is so good even Al Capone would have enjoyed it, though perhaps grudgingly."
--Jonathan Eig, author of "Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster"
"Douglas Perry is telling three stories here, those of Eliot Ness, of criminal empires, and of America, each done with equal grace and skill. His superb research is matched by his understanding of Ness as a microcosm of these larger tales, and he recreates a man and a slice of American history with marvelous results. A truly remarkable book."
--Michael Koryta, New York Times Bestselling author of "The Prophet"
"There's so much more to the complex life and career of Eliot Ness than the Untouchables and Al Capone, and now we finally have the whole fascinating story. Douglas Perry proves that well-researched truth always trumps one-dimensional mythology, especially when presented by a gifted storyteller. "Eliot Ness" is that rarity - an authentic page-turner."
--Jeff Guinn, author of "Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson"
"In this true crime page turner, Douglas Perry cuts through the myths surrounding the legendary lawman to reveal a figure far more flawed, complex--and fascinating--than the squeaky-clean do-gooder of "Untouchables" fame. Readers will be riveted by Perry's gripping account of Ness's post-Chicago career, where, among other adventures, he found himself on the trail of one of America's most savage serial murderers, the maniac known as the Cleveland Torso Killer."
--Harold Schechter, author of "The Mad Sculptor: The Maniac, the Model, and the Murder that Shook the Nation"
"Finally, you can forget the over-dramatized accounts and Hollywood-hyped film portrayals of the past, and read Douglas Perry's masterfully resea

About the Author:

Douglas Perry is the author of "The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago." Percy's an award-winning writer and editor whose work has appeared in the "Chicago Tribune," "The San Jose Mercury News," "The Oregonian," "Tennis," and many other publications. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1410468704
• ISBN 13: 9781410468703
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 655