Jack "legs" Diamond: Anatomy of a Gangster

Prohibition was tailor-made for Jack "Legs" Diamond. Already an army deserter, a hijacker, and a car thief, diamond moved readily into the new opportunities offered by the public's thirst for illicit alcohol. Along with easy profit, he found notoriety and power. He was fawned on by society women and pursued by the press. A survivor of four shootings, he appeared to lead charmed life. That life is revealed in a vivid biography, Legs Diamond: Anatomy of a Gangster. At the height of Prohibition, Legs Diamond moved to Acra in Greene County with his bodyguard, his gang, his wife, and his mistress. There, he alternately charmed and terrorized his neighbors as he sought control of bootlegging in the Hudson Valley. The public avidly followed his wild parties, his battles with rival gangs, his love affair with the gorgeous showgirl "Kiki" Roberts, and his contempt for the police and the courts. What was not apparent at the time was the broad range of diamond's criminal activities, including the sale of narcotics and a beer distribution network that covered the Northeast