Lord High Executioner

ALBERT ANASTASIA’S STORY IS TOLD IN THE FILM THE ALTO KNIGHTS, WRITTEN BY NICHOLAS PILEGGI AND DIRECTED BY BARRY LEVINSON

From acclaimed true-crime author Michael Benson and real-life "Mafia Survivor" Frank DiMatteo, the gripping account of the life and crimes of the most infamous mafia boss of all time: Albert Anastasia, the man whose name is synonymous with Murder, Inc., and whose actions helped create the American Mafia.

The blood-soaked saga of the Murder, Inc. legend who helped create the modern American Mafia--one body at a time--featuring shocking eyewitness accounts...

Umberto "Albert" Anastasia was born in Italy at the turn of the century. Five decades later, he would be gunned down in a barbershop in New York City. What happened in the years in between--and why every crime family had reason to want him dead--is one of the most brutal and fascinating stories in the history of American organized crime. This in-depth account of the man who became one of the most powerful and homicidal crime bosses of the twentieth century from Mafia insider Frank DiMatteo is the first full-length book to chronicle Anastasia's bloody rise from fresh-off-the-boat immigrant to founder of the notorious killer's club Murder, Inc.--featuring never-before-told accounts from those who feared him most...

They called him "The One Man Army." "Mad Hatter." "Lord High Executioner." Albert Anastasia came to America mean and became a prolific killer. His merciless assassination of Mafia godfather Vincent Mangano is recounted here in chilling first-hand detail. He set the record: the first man in the history of American justice to be charged with four separate murders--and walk free after each one. But in the end, he was the last obstacle in rival Mafia hoodlum Vito Genovese's dream of becoming the boss of bosses--and paid the ultimate price...Praise for the work of Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson
  
“Carmine the Snake, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank DiMatteo’s personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss.” —The Washington Times
  
“DiMatteo tells what it was like to grow up with mob royalty.” —VICE on The President Street Boys
  
“The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins . . . don’t shy away from discussing Gallo’s flaws . . . fans of true crime and mafia stories will appreciate the insider’s look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York mob life in the 20th century.” —Library Journal on Mafia Hit Man

“The President Street Boys is nothing like any other mafia-related book I’ve ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all.” —Crimespree Magazine
 
“At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it's humorous. No matter what part you're reading, it'll remain a tour-de-force.” —Criminal Element on The President Street Boys
  
“This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details.” —Library Journal on Lord High Executioner

"Takes me back as if it was a time machine . . . compelling reading.  I loved the book because I was there.” —Sonny Girard, author of Blood of Our Fathers on The President Street BoysFrank DiMatteo is a lifelong Brooklynite, Mafia “survivor,” and publisher of Mob Candy magazine. He is the author of Mob Candy’s Brooklyn Gangsters and Manhattan Gangsters, and the co-author, along with Michael Benson, of more than half a dozen nonfiction books on the history of organized crime, including his acclaimed memoir, The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia. A retired gangster and the son of a Mob hitman, his past interviews and appearances include the New York Post, VICE, Business Insider, Late Night with Johnny P, One on One with Steve Adubato, and as an expert source in the HISTORY TV documentary American Godfathers: The Five Families.

Michael Benson is the acclaimed author of nonfiction history and crime books, including Gangsters vs Nazis, Hollywood vs Nazis, Evil Season, Betrayal in Blood, and Moguls, co-authored with Craig Singer. He is also one of America’s most accomplished and popular Mafia experts, having co-authored with numerous books on the subject, including Carmine the Snake, Mafia Hit Man, Lord High Executioner, Red Hook, and Carlo Gambino with Frank DiMatteo and Mafia Secrets with Gianni Russo. He is a regular commentator, appearing on numerous radio and television shows such as On the Case with Paula Zahn and Deadly Sins on ID: Investigation Discovery channel. A recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award, he can be found on Facebook @authorMichaelBenson.