They'd never kill a reporter.... On the morning of April 29, 1948, a West Side pier hiring boss was shot on his way to work. The murder reminded theNew York Sun's city editor of a similar docks killing from the year before, and so he called over his best general assignment man, Malcolm Mike Johnson, telling him, Lots of unrest down there. Maybe you can get a story out of it. Johnson certainly did, discovering the greatest story of his long career, and a waterfront jungle with rich pickings for criminal gangs. His crime series ran on theSun's front page for twenty-four days in the fall of 1948, raising a national scandal and bringing death threats on him and his family. Johnson alleged the existence of an international crime syndicate, at a time when J. Edgar Hoover would not admit that such a syndicate, let alone a Mafia, existed.
Herein, Nathan Ward tells the original Mob story, revealing a spiderweb of union corruption and outright gangsterism....His story has everything (New York Sun), makingDark Harbora modern true crime classic.
Nathan Ward, who was an editor with
American Heritage, has written for
The NewYork Timesand other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, not far from the Red Hook piers. He is the author of
Dark Harbor: The War for the New York Waterfrontand
The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett. Meticulous reporting, a keen eye for detail, and an elegant writing style...terrific. Jonathan Eig, The New York Times Book Review
True crime done right, sharply researched and written with an economy of language...as atmospheric as a two a.m. stroll down the wharf on a late October night. Allen Bara, The Daily Beast
Brilliant. New York magazine
Riveting. New York Post
This gritty examination of the corrupt New York City waterfront...has all of the local color, rich detail, and notorilÓ
![Dark Harbor The War for the New York Waterfront [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/5/1/1/2_216075.jpg)