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

by Paul Bleakley Narrated by Joe Barrett

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.

Editorial Reviews

Jay S. Albanese

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.

Jeffrey Sussman

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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191959245
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged