q1903 Angelo LaPietra died on March 28, 1999, at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. He was 78 years old. His wife Mildred sat nearby, along with his daughter Joanne, his son Angelo Jr., three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The machines beeped, then they didn't. One of the most feared men in the … Read more
On April 2, 1994, inside the security housing unit at Corcoran State Prison in California, four inmates were released into a small, high-walled concrete exercise yard. Two belonged to one gang faction. Two belonged to a bitter rival faction. The correctional officers in the control booth knew this, because they controlled the yard lists and … Read more
Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America" is widely regarded as one of the greatest crime films ever made. The sprawling, operatic epic stars Robert De Niro, James Woods, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, and Joe Pesci. Leone, who directed classic westerns such as "For a Few Dollars More," "The Good, the Bad and the … Read more
In December 1991, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, George Adamo was sitting inside a car just outside his home. He had grown up around the Mafia. His father had ties to the Gambino family. After his father was murdered, one of the most powerful men in the Bonanno family entered George's life: Anthony "Old Man" Sparo. Sparo … Read more
Few moments in Breaking Bad have sparked as much debate as the scene in the season four episode "End Times," when Gustavo Fring walks toward his car, slows down, and then simply turns around and walks away. Walter White is watching from a nearby rooftop with binoculars, having planted a bomb under Gus's vehicle. It … Read more
À 6 h 07, le matin du mariage de mon frère, un camion de traiteur s’arrêta devant la porte de service de Blue Heron Meadows. Le conducteur s’attendait à décharger de la nourriture pour près de deux cents invités. Au lieu de cela, il trouva une lourde chaîne noire tendue en travers de l’entrée. En … Read more
La veille de notre premier vrai voyage en voiture depuis trente ans, j’ai reçu un courriel. Pas un appel, pas un message sur le répondeur, mais un courriel, comme si la nouvelle méritait d’être consignée quelque part, noir sur blanc, pour que je ne puisse pas prétendre l’avoir mal entendue. La famille d’abord, c’est ce … Read more
Mon téléphone vibra sur la table de nuit à 2 h 52 du matin, et je le sais parce que je m’en souviens avoir regardé l’heure pendant que l’écran s’allumait. C’était un texto de ma belle-fille, Savannah, et il disait juste : « La chute à fleurs est encore là. Il faut qu’on se parle. … Read more
In the pitch darkness of August 30, 1944, a convoy of U.S. Army trucks raced west along muddy roads near the Belgian border. Rain hammered against their canvas roofs. The drivers were not afraid of German snipers or landmines. They feared the American military police. These men were not on a supply run. They were … Read more
In February 1945, near Metz, a muddy and frozen prisoner-of-war enclosure held hundreds of captured German soldiers under the watchful eyes of American guards. Rain glistened on the barbed wire. Among the crowd stood Major Kurt Meier, 42, a defeated Wehrmacht officer in a dirty uniform, clutching a torn, water-damaged page in trembling fingers. It … Read more