No Haven: The Connecticut Mob and the Rise of America's Model City

by Paul Bleakley

Overview

With Boston to the north and New York City to the south, Connecticut’s history of organized crime is often overlooked. This is the untold story of New Haven’s illegal past.

One of America’s most historic and enduring cities, New Haven has wrangled with a perpetual identity struggle, torn between worlds that occasionally converged in chaos and violence. In the 1930s, Connecticut became a region where Mafia families like the Genoveses, Gambinos, Colombos, and Patriarcas shared turf—working together with enough profits to go around or descending into open war to rival that experienced in any major city. Central to this conflict were three men who were, at different times, cautious allies or sworn nemeses. Representing the Genoveses, Midge Renault reigned supreme thanks to his reputation for wanton violence. Meanwhile, Colombo capo Ralph “Whitey” Tropiano maintained a lower profile, which belied his reputation as a vicious killer. But it was his lieutenant, Billy “The Wild Guy” Grasso, who ultimately rose to the top after joining the New England Patriarca Family, enjoying a short rule that ended with a murder plot that left him on the wrong end of a bullet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538192900
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Paul Bleakley is assistant professor of criminal justice and University Research Scholar at the University of New Haven. He is vice chair of the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Historical Criminology. Paul has worked at universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Before entering academia, he worked as a journalist in both London and Sydney. He is the author of several books on historical crime, including Under a Bad Sun (2021) and The Australian Gamble (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). He currently lives in West Haven, Connnecticut.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Elm City Takes Root

Chapter 1: Midge Rises Above

Chapter 2: A Reluctant Mafioso

Chapter 3: Political Animals

Chapter 4: The Wild Guy

Chapter 5: Irish Goodbyes

Chapter 6: Cops on a Wire

Chapter 7: The Boys are Back

Chapter 8: The Killing Season

Chapter 9: A War of Conquest

Conclusion: Just Like Fall Leaves

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Told as a narrative history, No Haven recounts a century of mob infiltration in New Haven, Connecticut, by organized crime families from neighboring states. New Haven has a legacy of mob involvement stemming from overlapping organized crime influences from surrounding New York City, Providence, and Boston. Using three major mobsters from the Genovese, Profaci, and Patriarca families as prime examples, this book offers a fascinating look into how multiple illicit activities produced self-interest, occasional allies, and sometimes brutal murder. At its core, this is the story of a city that suffered for many decades from the impact of organized crime.

Jay S. Albanese

No Haven is a fascinating and gripping account of a little-known segment of the mob. Paul Bleakley 's research is top drawer. I highly recommend this book.

Jeffrey Sussman