{"product_id":"the-vatican-connection-the-true-story-of-a-billion-dollar-conspiracy-between-the-catholic-church-and-the-mafia-paperback","title":"The Vatican Connection: The True Story of a Billion-Dollar Conspiracy Between the Catholic Church and the Mafia - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRichard Hammer\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Edgar Award: The riveting account of an audacious fraud scheme that stretched from a Mafia hangout on the Lower East Side to the Vatican.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With a round, open face and a penchant for tall tales, Matteo de Lorenzo resembled everyone's kindly uncle. But Uncle Marty, as he was known throughout the Genovese crime family, was one of the New York mob's top earners throughout the 1960s and '70s, the mastermind of a billion-dollar trade in stolen and counterfeit securities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the spring of 1972, de Lorenzo and his shrewd and ruthless business partner, Vincent Rizzo, traveled to Europe to discuss a plan to launder millions of dollars worth of phony securities. Shockingly, the plot involved Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the scandal-plagued president of the Vatican Bank. Unbeknownst to de Lorenzo and Rizzo, however, the NYPD was already on the case--thanks to the crusading work of Det. Joseph Coffey. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Coffey, the legendary New York policeman who investigated the Lufthansa heist and took the Son of Sam's confession, first learned of the scheme in a wiretap related to the attempted mob takeover of the Playboy Club in Manhattan. From those unlikely beginnings, Detective Coffey worked tirelessly to trace the fraudulent stocks and bonds around the world and deep into the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and Rome. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Meticulously researched and relentlessly gripping, \u003ci\u003eThe Vatican Connection \u003c\/i\u003eis a true story of corruption and deceit, packed with \"all the ingredients of a thriller\" (\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichard Hammer is the author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction books, as well as numerous short stories, articles, and essays for major publications worldwide. He has won two Edgar Awards for Best Fact Crime, for \u003ci\u003eThe Vatican Connection\u003c\/i\u003e (1982) and \u003ci\u003eThe CBS Murders \u003c\/i\u003e(1987), and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for \u003ci\u003eThe Court-Martial of Lt. Calley \u003c\/i\u003e(1971). Both the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and the\u003ci\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e named \u003ci\u003eOne Morning in the War \u003c\/i\u003e(1970) and \u003ci\u003eThe Court-Martial of Lt. Calley \u003c\/i\u003eone of the ten best books of the respective years in which they were published. Hammer's first book, \u003ci\u003eBetween Life and Death \u003c\/i\u003e(1969), explored the case that led to the landmark Supreme Court decision in \u003ci\u003eBrady v. Maryland \u003c\/i\u003eand its repercussions. He wrote and narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary \u003ci\u003eInterviews with My-Lai Veterans\u003c\/i\u003e (1970), and has been involved in many TV films and motion pictures. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer, he wrote for the\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eand its Week in Review section, where he covered the war in Vietnam, the civil rights struggle, and most other major stories of the times. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Hammer attended Mount Hermon School, earned degrees from Syracuse University and Trinity College, and did postgraduate work at Columbia University. He and his wife currently reside in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 380\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.85 x 8 x 5.25 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 06, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47647895191805,"sku":"9781504049382","price":33.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/3414\/0157\/files\/eFljdFVKeHgxZ0xaWjFaUnp4QnlHdz09.webp?v=1780606693","url":"https:\/\/booktolia.com\/products\/the-vatican-connection-the-true-story-of-a-billion-dollar-conspiracy-between-the-catholic-church-and-the-mafia-paperback","provider":"booktolia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}