A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc. (Murder Inc.)

A Brotherhood Betrayed tells the true story of Murder, Inc.'s rise and fall, centered on Abe Reles, an executioner for the organization who became an informant. In fall 1941, Reles agreed to testify against Murder, Inc.'s leadership—the enforcement arm of a coast-to-coast mob network called the Commission—in exchange for police protection. He was prepared to implicate figures including Albert Anastasia and Bugsy Siegel. Before he could testify, his body was found on a rooftop outside his heavily-guarded hotel room in Coney Island. The circumstances of his death remain unclear: whether it was a failed escape attempt or retribution for his betrayal. Michael Cannell traces Reles' trajectory from street punk to murder chieftain to informant, documenting Murder, Inc.'s history during a period when crime became organized. The narrative captures a world of money, power, corruption, and hits carried out by figures with names like Buggsy Goldstein and Tick Tock Tannenbaum. Set in Brooklyn just before World War II, this account examines a pivotal moment in mob history defined by questions of trust and betrayal.