Notorious New Jersey : 100 true tales of murders and mobsters, scandals and scoundrels / Jon Blackwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blackwell, Jon, 1970-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Crime--New Jersey.

Crime.

New Jersey.

Physical Description:

xii, 406 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rivergate Books, [2008]

Summary:

Notorious New Jersey is the definitive guide to murder, mayhem, the mob, and corruption in the Garden State. With tabloid punch, Jon Blackwell tells riveting accounts of Alexander Hamilton falling mortally wounded on the dueling grounds of Weehawken; Dutch Schultz getting pumped full of lead in the men's room of the Palace Chop House in Newark; and a gang of Islamic terrorists in Jersey City mixing the witch's brew of explosives that became the first bomb to rock the World Trade Center. Along with these dramatic stories are tales of lesser-known oddities, such as the nineteenth-century murderer whose skin was turned into leather souvenirs, and the state senator from Jersey City who faked his death in a scuba accident in the 1970s in an effort to avoid prison.

Blackwell also sheds light on some historical whodunits-was Bruno Hauptmann really guilty of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby? Who was behind the anthrax attacks of 2001? Not forgotten either are notorious characters who may actually be innocent, including Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, and those who have never been convicted of wrongdoing although they left office in scandal, including Robert Torricelli and James McGreevey. Through 100 historic true-crime tales that span over 300 years of history, Blackwell shows readers a side of New Jersey that would make even the Sopranos shudder.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Old rascals : crime and infamy before 1900

Dead wrong : infamous murders

Mob paradise : the Jersey underworld

Power corrupts : politicians and other crooks

Enemy action : terrorists, radicals, spies, and invaders

Causes celebres : controversies and whodunits

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-391) and index.

ISBN:

9780813541778

0813541778

OCLC:

77829889