Thank you to Michael Cannell, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley, who provided me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cannell's true crime masterpiece follows Abe Reles' meteoric rise from small time crook and corner boy to the head of The Commission's Murder, Inc.- a division of organized crime responsible for carrying out hits on designated targets- and examines his subsequent transition to stool pigeon as he turned state's witness to testify against his closest colleagues, friends, and confidantes.

I'm impressed with how well-researched and well-structured this book is. Cannell clearly put a whole lot of time and effort into not only obtaining all of this information, but into assembling it into a clear story with a driven plotline, as well. I've read a number of non-fiction books that are mere regurgitations of lists of facts- dry, bland, and boring. This one was anything but. The subject matter is already interesting, but Cannell manages to weave it all together so that there's a sense of momentum that propels you onward as you read.

I did feel that the last chapter was a little bit unfocused compared to the rest of the book- Cannell spends some time talking about the fates of some of the prosecutors and government officials who tried the mobsters and members of Murder, Inc. I definitely wasn't as interested in these individuals as I was in Kid Twist, his cohort, and his mysterious death.

All in all, this was a great read! I learned a lot about the history of organized crime in America that was previously unknown to me. This would be a great read for fans of true crime and legal procedurals, history buffs, or anyone who wants to learn a little bit about the roots of organized crime in the US.

Note to publisher: This review will be posted in the next few weeks to my Instagram (@shelfshocked). I have also shared my review on Amazon, however it is still pending approval, so I am unable to share a link at this time.

Abe Reles had ruled the underworld for many years with an unforgiving attitude. He seemed untouchable until a new prosecutor decided he was going to make his city better. The prosecutor has gotten some informants to talk but they needed someone higher up in the organization. Who would turn and would they survive?

What a wonderfully crafted documentation of the history of the most prolific snitch in the history of Murder Inc. The year is 1941 and Abe Reles, an executioner for profit member of Murder Inc., has become the worst thing he could be to his cohorts, a turncoat. He is talking and talking and then talking some more to the Feds. He has turned his back on everyone he had been in “business” with and holding nothing back in exchange for police protection. He tells them everything. How he became involved and how Murder Inc came to be. Who, how, how many and with great specificity, the brutality, and given proof about EVERYONE. Shortly before he was to testify his body was found battered and broken on the rooftop outside his supposedly heavily guarded hotel room. How did it happen, who was responsible for his death? Was he targeted and killed by those he turned on or did he have regrets and kill himself? Though graphic in detail it is an interesting and compelling read. Not easy due to the nature of the business and heinous crimes, but spellbinding. These are terrible and twistedly sick people that the author humanizes, but in no way glorifies. I’ve read a lot about this period of time and the people involved, but this one by far gives the most insight into these terribly brutal cold hearted people and times.

I very much enjoyed this deep dive into American mob history. I'm a huge true crime fan but the mob is not a topic I've learned much of in the past so I looked forward to starting this one right away. I wasn't disappointed! Though there are a ton of names (all important to the cases discussed), it reads at a great narrative pace for nonfiction and I felt totally engrossed as the story edged closer to the known ending. The true-life characters are truly fascinating, from the man who was never suspected of turning to the seeming-hero who caught him but isn't too clean himself.

It's a really interesting look at not just the workings of the mob itself but what the public thought about it and how these particular cases (and the men, mostly, who worked them) went on to impact future ones. I'd definitely recommend it to any true crime fan, especially if you know nothing about the mob because this is a great place to start.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

“The canary sang but he could not fly.”

I have been on a true crime/court room thriller obsession lately. Books, podcasts, tv shows or movies, I love it all! I was very excited then to be given the chance to to read an advance copy of A Brotherhood Betrayed which is out Tuesday, Oct. 6th

This book is all about Abe Reles and Murder Inc. Murder Inc was the enforcement arm for the mafia, mob and other organized crime groups in the 1930s & 1940s in New York. Reles was one of their most trusted executioners until he turned and became a snitch for police protection. Before he could testify he was was found dead on a rooftop outside his heavily guarded hotel room.

I have been reading this book here and there over the last month. I found it so interesting and captivating reading all about Reles from his younger days to becoming a ruthless killer to his last days as he turned informant. This book was well researched and detailed. I was intrigued reading about the inner workings of Murder Inc, but also about law enforcement on their mission to put these monsters behind bars.

I recommend this for true crime fans, be warned there is a lot of details and murders discussed.

Thank you to @netgalley @minatourbooks and @stmartinspress for this advanced copy in return for my review.

I had heard of Murder, Inc. before but, other than a rudimentary knowledge of being connected with the Mafia, I had never bothered to investigate further Author Michael Cannell gave me what I needed, and more.

The book goes into great detail starting when Abe Reles was just another punk on the street to his eventual rise as the shot caller of Murder, Inc., and all the way to his time in court and his eventual demise. While the description talks about the court case, the majority of the book details what had happened before. One can only be amazed at the coldhearted outlook Reles had concerning another life and how easily he was able to move from one murder to the next.

Mr. Cannell takes great care to make sure the reader doesn’t get confused with the multiple characters, gently reminding us who everyone was on a regular basis. The book comes close to the inventiveness of a novel at times, as real life can sometimes be much more than we could ever imagine. Readers are treated to intimate looks at people on both sides of the law. At the end of the book, the author shares an extensive list of sources for the material.

I recommend this book to readers of history and true crime. It is well-written and entertains the reader from start to finish. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

This history of the attempted takedown of the Commission, the original organization of mafia heads, alternated between really interesting and kinda boring.
I usually like to read about different aspects of the Mob, so it’s hard to pinpoint why I wasn’t very excited about reading this book; it took ten days to finish which, for me, is a long time.
There were so many mobster names brought up throughout that I had trouble keeping them straight. Was Socko alive and in hiding, awaiting trial, or ice-picked and buried? Don’t ask me, I can’t remember.
When a new storyline was introduced, like the beginning of a trial or the introduction of the district attorney, it would get interesting again. For a while.
Maybe it was just too long for me. Or too bogged down with minutiae. Whatever it was, I’ve read better mob stories.
Thanks to #netgalley and #minotaurbooks for this ARC of #abrotherhoodbetrayed in exchange for an honest opinion.

The phrase "when truth is stranger than fiction" describes this book very well. A contract killer operating a company dedicated to killing the enemies of the mafia decides to turn court's witness. His entire life has been built around the execution of people who think they can testify against the mob bosses who run New York's underground businesses. What makes him think he will get away with his life? He doesn't.

A fascinating look at a side of life that works hard to remain invisible to mainstream America. True crime, yes, but it's also one of the best murder mysteries I've read in awhile.

A Brotherhood Betrayed is the story of Abe Reles, a gangster that was part of Murder, Inc., which was essentially the enforcement division of a nationwide mobster network. Abe was responsible for the deaths of many, but eventually turned his back on the organization and became a star witness against the very group he was a part of. When he was found dead on the roof of a hotel outside his police-protected room, many questions arose as to how he died? Was it a botched escape or was he murdered?

I found this book to be very informative. I knew very little about the mob prior to reading this book, and I feel like I have a much better understanding of the inner workings of the mob after reading it. I'm shocked and appalled at how ruthlessly these mobsters could kill. They are never referred to as "serial killers" in the traditional sense, but that's really what some of them were. They seemed to be without remorse, and I was shocked to learn that a common tactic was to use a close friend of the victim to draw the victim to their death.

While overall I did like the book, there were points at which it felt a bit tedious. The first half of the book felt less about the story of one man (Abe Reles), and more about the details of one murder after another. While each victim certainly deserved to be acknowledged and recognized, it simply because upsetting and tedious to read about over and over. It felt like that part of the book lacked direction, though I also realize it was laying the groundwork for what was to come about in the second half.

I did feel that it picked up speed in the second half of the book, once Abe began talking to the police. I was definitely interested to learn about how he was protected during that time, as well as how the court cases proceeded. It was also interesting to learn about the theories of how Abe ultimately died.

I was fascinated by Abe's impeccable memory, and it's crazy to see how that memory ended up being very beneficial once he needed to provide information in order to secure his freedom. That said, having to always live under police protection, he never really was "free".

This book also opened my eyes to what a scary time that must've been to live in NYC. It was incredible to read stories of all the places that shots were fired, as well as drive by shootings, people getting shot as they walked down the street, etc. We hear so much in the media today that it seems like the world is so much worse than it's ever been, but reading this book put some things into perspective for me.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting, informative book that would be great for anyone that is interested in learning more about gangsters or the inner workings of the mob.

A Brotherhood Betrayed is a very interesting and eye opening read. I didn't know much about the mob in the 30s and 40s, but now I definitely know a lot. The book is very detailed and therefore pretty long. I felt all the information was necessary though. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the players and kept looking them up to see their pictures. All in all, I really liked it and would recommend to anyone wanting to look into this topic!

I don't read a whole lot of nonfiction and true crime, so I thought I'd broaden my horizons when this came up on Net Galley. I found I would lose interest and skim often and not pick it up for days at a time. I'm sure this was just me not relating to the book or the subject matter because most everyone who has read this has loved it. I always found myself wondering how the author would know what small details and conversations took place around a hundred years ago, and I guess that as a reader I need to have an understanding that I shouldn't take it at 100 % face value but believe the main body of the details and facts. This was only OK for me. No worries, thanks to Net Galley anyways.

A very fascinating look back at the history and circumstances surrounding the actors associated with what was referred to as Brooklyn’s notorious Murder Inc. The author has done a marvelous job of presenting the facts in a way that keeps the reader interested at every turn of the page. In doing so he has not added his opinions but just presented everything as they happened and makes you want to dig even deeper into the issue.

A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder Inc. is a well-researched and fascinating book about the underworld. It details the life and impact of Abe Reles, the man who was the head of Murder Inc., a gang of assasins who did the "wet work" of the Commission. When Reles turned states evidence, he put away several of the heads of some of the largest crime families within the whole Commission.

The reader knows from the book jacket and the subject that the contents will be raw, gruesome and brutal. It is impossible, however, to understand how the details of the cold-blooded, sadistic, killings will affect you until you're in the midst of it. These men, who tout codes of honor and loyalty, betray and kill with a chilling non-chalance to increase their power. The darkness and evil embodied by these men is not only hard to fathom, but deeply disturbing as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Book for letting me read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind The Rise And Fall Of Murder Inc. was a fascinating read. I am giving it four stars.

3.5 stars

This book is a veritable "who's who" of NYC gangs back in the day! It follows several gangsters and the rise and fall of Murder Inc, the hitman branch of the mob. The second half follows all the trials and court apprarances of the mobsters. This book was good, very thoroughly researched, but got a bit bogged down with extraneous details and so, so many names. All in all a good read though!

I am all for true crime! Especially about the Mob, and everything it entails, it gets me going! Like fuel! It’s amazing! This book was so good! I never knew of Reles and his betrayal, and even his death. When I read this book I knew a lot of the men named on here, I was like “omg! I know about this person!” But aside from that it was very informative I felt like I was watching it on Netflix that’s how good it was, It got straight to the point and I love that!

Reles went through some stuff, but he wanted more, more than his own family can offer, he was a troublemaker, had a little group of friends who together formed the Schlammers, they were like big bullies but VIOLENT as hell, ok maybe not bullies, or maybe, it depends how you look at it, anyway so he drafted out a plan to be on top, and if that meant snitching people out then be it, at least after a while, he was a hired hit man once he got older and branched out on his own.

This book has so much crazy info! It’s worth the read. Thanks Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this book, it’s coming out soon!!! Can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this.

I enjoyed this book though I did not think it was particularly well written. It really is a comprehensive story of Murder, Inc and organized crime in the thirties ,forties and fifties with emphasis on Abe, Kid Twist , Reles and his death while in police custody about to testify against his hoodlum compatriots, especially Albert Anastasia and Louis Lepke. There is a lot of information in this book, especially a litany of stories about various mob murders. If you like this kind of stuff, and I do, you will really like this book. It’s juicy, lurid and fun. Recommended.

A familiar villain in America"s past was Murder, Inc. The organization was made up of professional killers who were employed by The Commission, a group of mob bosses that ran all mob activity coast to coast. Michael Cannell tells the story through the lens of Abe Reles. Eles was the chief of Murder, Inc.. who was assassinated in November of 1941. The book will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys reading about organized crime. It is also a good of when the mob was at the zenith of its power.

We’ve all heard stories—or can guess at—what happens to gang members who talk to the cops. At the height of the mob’s power in New York City, the late 1930’s, a band of mobsters known as Murder, Inc. took money to eliminate witnesses who were willing to testify against their fellow mobsters to escape punishment themselves—until the head of Murder, Inc. became a rat himself. A Brotherhood Betrayed comes out next Tuesday, October 6, and is available for preorder now.

This book is loosely framed around the life of Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, using his rise through the mob ranks to describe the movement of mob politics from the 1920’s to 1940’s. Cannell doesn’t just tell the story about how Reles eventually turns against the mob to save his own skin, but builds up to it by describing his early days as a “schlammer” before moving on to the early political careers of men like William O’Dwyer, who would end up working with Reles to prosecute mob bosses like Lepke Buchalter.

This is a very dense book, although it isn’t particularly challenging to read. If you try to remember every person’s name, you will have a tough time because there are a lot of moving parts. However, I think Cannell did a great job organizing the book in such a way that it isn’t overwhelming—different people feature for a few pages at a time, and then fade into the background; there are a few people who end up being important later, but Cannell frequently reminds the reader about their formerly described crimes in order to refresh our memory, and I didn’t find many instances where I needed to really remember a scene from earlier in the book. In fact, if you’re the type to keep a book on your coffee table and read it in short bursts over the course of months, this would be the perfect candidate.

I wouldn’t call it light reading, though, at least not in terms of subject matter. This book is about a man who, in order not to be taken to court for the 11 murders he committed, turned state witness against other men who took money to kill people, and those murders are often described in horrific detail. This book is not for the faint of heart. If you’re the type (like me) to listen to true crime documentaries on the regular, then this will be right up your alley; however, if you are at all squeamish, this may be a book you should pass on.

As far as I can tell, this book has been extremely well researched, and compiles tons of information into one easy-to-read narrative. One thing lacking in my digital ARC was photography; I’m not sure if the publisher intends to add photo spreads in the final publication, but I found myself googling images of mobsters several times (particularly at a point where Cannell described a photo of Joe Masseria), so I think it would be a worthy addition.

The one aspect of this book I struggled with were the descriptions of various mobsters, particularly Reles himself. I found that Cannell relied on contemporary descriptions to a fault, and often parroted them, such as when he described Reles as looking “like a hairy, thick-lipped troglodyte with a street-dumb Brooklyn accent.” His frequent, disparaging comments about Reles’ appearance led me to search for an image of Kid Twist, who didn’t look at all like how I felt Cannell was describing him. I ended up feeling uncomfortable with this because I was concerned about whether Cannell was falling into antisemitic descriptors of Reles (in early chapters of the book, Cannell spent a lot of time discussing the politics between the Jewish mob, which Reles was a part of, and the Italian mob), or at the very least, repeating descriptions from sources with antisemitic views. I don’t think this was done intentionally, but I would have preferred more photos and fewer physical descriptions, or more factual descriptions rather than opinions, whether they were Cannell’s or someone else’s.

In the end, though, I did find this to be an enjoyable and informative book about New York City mobsters, and their downfall. I think it takes a lot of talent to weave together so many loose ends into one coherent narrative, and Cannell has certainly taken the time to do his research properly. If you are at all interested in early 20th-century gangsters or mobs, I think this would be a worthwhile book for you to pick up.

A Brotherhood Betrayed gives a brutal account of the American Mafia and their sub-organization of mob enforcers known as Murder Inc. A fantastic read for lovers of true crime. The book is comprehensive and well researched; fascinating page turner! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review.