Description
Charles Luciano, better known as Lucky Luciano is one of the most researched, discussed and dissected American mobsters of all time. His name has become synonymous with New York City’s high drama gangland days of prohibition bootlegging, the formation of the infamous five families, and controversy over his alleged “Last Testament.” However, there exist many fascinating and lurid tales and theories regarding Lucky’s rise and fall from the mob’s top spot.
Some of these stories are known, but still incite debate, such as the origins of his nickname and menacing facial scars. Other legends are not so well known to the general public. Luciano’s involvement with actress Thelma Todd and her untimely death is an example. Did he actually ever murder anyone? Then there are incidents such as the alleged carving of his initials into a witness’s thighs and the wild theories that abound following his death in 1962. These are just a few of the unusual tales that surfaced over and beyond Lucky Luciano’s lifetime.
With information culled from rare news articles, government documents and numerous books written on the subject, this book will give readers a chance to discover Luciano in a way that engages the mystery of his pop culture status, while encouraging further debate over the facts and fallacies that exist about his true role in the history of the American Mafia structure.
Based in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, Chris Cipollini has been a freelance writer and journalist in the realms of entertainment, human interest and true crime history for over a decade. A graduate of Seton Hill University, he holds a BA in Corporate Communications. He is the author of Diary of a Motor City Hit Man: The Chester Wheeler Campbell Story (Strategic Media Books, 2013). As a contributor to diverse types of publications, his works have appeared in the Tribune-Review, Asylum.com, Urban Ink Magazine and Mob Candy magazine. Cipollini has covered everything from community news to celebrities to organized crime through interview and narrative. He is also the co-founder of a mob-history themed clothing and décor company and freelance designer of book covers for other authors.
