Biographies & Memoirs

Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero

Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero

The true story of Eliot Ness, the legendary lawman who led the Untouchables, took on Al Capone, and saved a city’s soul

Eliot Ness is famous for leading the Untouchables against the notorious mobster Al Capone. But it turns out that the legendary Prohibition Bureau squad’s daring raids were only the beginning. Ness’s true legacy reaches far beyond Big Al and Chicago.

Eliot Ness follows the lawman through his days in Chicago and into his forgotten second act. As the public safety director of Cleveland, he achieved his greatest success: purging the city of corruption so deep that the mob and the police were often one and the same. And it was here, too, that he faced one of his greatest challenges: a brutal, serial killer known as the Torso Murderer, who terrorized the city for years.

Eliot Ness presents the first complete picture of the real Eliot Ness. Both fearless and shockingly shy, he inspired courage and loyalty in men twice his age, forged law-enforcement innovations that are still with us today, and earned acclaim and scandal from both his professional and personal lives. Through it all, he believed unwaveringly in the integrity of law and the basic goodness of his fellow Americans.

Introduction: The Real Eliot Ness

Part I - Rising Star

Chapter 1. Hardboiled

Chapter 2. Mama’s Boy

Chapter 3. The Special Agents

Chapter 4. Flaunting Their Badness

Chapter 5. The Capone Fans

Chapter 6. Good-Hearted Al

Chapter 7. The First Step

Chapter 8. Kid Stuff

Chapter 9. How Close It Had Been

Chapter 10. The Untouchables

Chapter 11. A Real and Lasting Impression

Chapter 12. It’s Just Tuesday Night

Part II - Center of the Universe

Chapter 13. Chasing Moonshine

Chapter 14. Real Work

Chapter 15. Tough Babies

Chapter 16. This Guy Ness Is Crazy

Chapter 17. The Boy Wonder

Chapter 18. Right to the Heart of Things

Chapter 19. Victim No. 4

Chapter 20. The Original Mystery Man

Chapter 21. The Sadistic Type

Chapter 22. Social Workers

Chapter 23. The Virtues of Courage

Chapter 24. Gun, Blackjack, and Brass Knuckles

Chapter 25. Against Racketeers

Chapter 26. The Doctor

Chapter 27. An Unwelcome Surprise

Chapter 28. Full of Love

Chapter 29. Clearing House

Chapter 30. L’Affaire Ness

Chapter 31. This Is War

Part III - Falling Star

Chapter 32. Falling Star

Chapter 33. Starting Over

Chapter 34. Ness Is Necessary

Chapter 35. Eliot-Am-Big-U-ous Ness

Epilogue: Literary Life

Photographs

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

If you find an error or have any questions, please email us at admin@erenow.org. Thank you!