Publisher's Synopsis
New York. New Jersey. Boston. Everyone knows the stories --the families, wiseguys, wannabes, and woulda beens--tied to those high profile East Coast "territories." But, much like the concert industry, Connecticut was often negligible beneficiary thanks to proximity. Why wouldn't Sinatra's stretch limo pit-stop in New Haven on its way from Hoboken to the Hudson? Further, why not conduct a little business, and even have a bite to eat, after the gig?
Connecticut Cosa Nostra pulls back the curtain on a Connecticut that housed many a mobster whose dealings were outside the state. Conduct business in the Garden State then come home to Elm City--far away from daily racketeering and rivalries. It was perfect.
But, soon enough the "Jersey wing" of one family was taking over New Haven, while a "Springfield, MA wing" was seizing control of Hartford. These are the stories of those years, those families, those days of summering in Old Saybrook that turned into burying bodies in the Naugatuck Valley.
Featuring tales of mob life right here in the Constitution State from the 1920s through the 1950s, Connecticut Cosa Nostra shows the Connecticut that was--with its manicured suburban lawns, bustling city life, thriving restaurants and bars (many of which are still open to this day), and hitman hideaways. The biggest names in mob lore had ties here, with rivalries emerging from within the confines of families and murders left unsolved.
With the building of I-95 and the birth of burgers and pizza taking place simultaneously, Connecticut operated largely beneath the radar. Unlike our New York and Massachusetts neighbors, we talk very little about these wiseguys. Until now.
