Overall, Gangsters of Harlem was a great read. The book ends with two 'tacked on' chapters, one on numbers kingpin Spanish Raymond Marquez (excellent), the other on police corruption (boring). It's new and fresh information, maybe that's why I liked them. Chepesiuk delivers the story with plenty of quotes from cops and DEA agents who were there at the start of the crack 'epidemic.' Though street gangs are not my favorite crime subject, I have to say these are the best chapters in the book. Some of the most violent criminals you'll ever read about plied their trade in Harlem. Crack is the name of the game and gangbangers take control of the streets. Familiar names like Nicky Barnes and Frank Matthews (who is still on the lam after 25 years - take that Whitey Bulger!) are mixed in with Bumpy Johnson.īy the time the 1980s comes along, all hell breaks loose. Ironically it's just as the neighborhood begins its gradual state of decline. But the book really starts to take off when we get to the 1950s and the rise of the black crime figures. It's some of the same material I've seen in other places. The early part of the book deals with the Mafia activity in the 1920s and '30s. The book is a good overall picture of the various criminal elements that have held sway over the legendary Manhattan neighborhood.

I just finished the new book by Ron Chepesiuk, Gangsters of Harlem. Lee across the GW Bridge, has been putting out mob books on topics other than Al Capone and John Gotti.

My publisher, Barricade Books, based out of Ft. Mark's Place that had a picture of a machine gun-toting gangster with the caption, 'New York City, Family owned and operated since 1920.' So true. New York has always been the epicenter of the American gangster scene.

Gangsters of Harlem by Ron Chepesiuk