Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family 1900-1950

A riveting new biography about organized crime in Kansas City, Open City documents an era that continues to hold great fascination for history buffs as well as lovers of mystery and drama. It relates the roots of the secret crime societies of Southern Italy and Sicily. When they arrived in Kansas City, they became known as the Black Hand. From modest beginnings, the development of the criminal outfit is traced through Prohibition, its alliance with the Pendergast Machine, the roaring 20s and the birth of La Cosa Nostra. The story is told by a man who chose a career to fight the crime families of Kansas City. William Ouseley, who at one time held the position as Supervisor of the Organized Crime Squad, then spent years researching the rest of the stories and facts that led the city to be known as a center for organized crime activity in the first half of the twentieth century. The book that could be a novel is amazing in its detail. Many of these stories have never been published.