Author: vicfoster80

The underworld in New England existed in a fractured environment. Raymond Patriarca lorded over his illegitimate enterprises from a perch in Rhode Island, his scheming underling Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo ran his money making ventures out of Boston. Their tenuous allies coexisted in Charlestown, Somerville or South Boston. The New England Mob profited from partnerships with Irish Mobsters like James “Buddy” McLean, the McLaughlin Brothers, Italians Steve and Vincent Flemmi and Portuguese Joe Barboza. The mob had weathered through ambitious prosecutors and incorruptible lawmen seeking a notch on their belts in rounding up the gangsters in one arrest or another. The troublesome law enforcement types were merely an inconvenience to the overall profitability of their operations. The real trouble emerged in 1961, when a drunken moment involving one of the McLaughlin men and the girlfriend of another gangster precipitated a murderous gang war lasting six years and leaving scores dead.

Joe “The Animal” Barboza’s true allegiance was to himself. Loyalty didn’t pay the rent. He could turn on a friend, quicker than the cocking of a trigger. Barboza performed the role of executioner for Raymond Patriarca’s family, but Barboza’s wildcard nature along with his not being Italian meant he would never attain the status of a made man. Barboza ran with other sociopaths such as the Flemmi brothers. They cut a swath through Boston and its suburbs, bodies strewn about. Barboza’s allegiance in the destructive gang war was shaky at best, yet he leaned to Buddy McLean and his Winter Hill mob. Patriarca and his crew were intent on staying inert on the sidelines, waiting for a clear winner to emerge. However, as time went on, the violence generated outrage in its brazen nature. Headlines and law enforcement scrutiny was the last thing La Cosa Nostra desired. The war would end with McLean and two of the McLaughlins in the ground. The reputations of the Flemmis would be cemented along with other survivors who had been wily enough to avoid getting a bullet or arrested.

Barboza would have a falling out with Patriarca and Angiulo. He would become an FBI informant in mid 1967. He had felt betrayed in business and other ways by Patriarca and his crime family. Barboza’s testimony verged to the schizophrenic, as the truth was somewhere in the ether of anything he uttered. The FBI, served to enable Barboza’s perjury with the corrupt actions of agents Paul Rico and Dennis Condon. The FBI sought to protect their double dealing informants such as Barboza and Vincent Flemmi. This was illustrated in the murder of Edward “Teddy” Deegan. The suspects arrested, tried and convicted in the brutal gangland killing were innocent (or 90% of them) were. But Barboza’s testimony would convict them. Barboza would prove to be problematic for the FBI and its new Witness Protection Program, as Barboza clung to the life of a criminal.

As Barboza spiraled out of control, the New England mob grasped onto its very existence. Patriarca dealt with the looming prospect of a long jail sentence from his former hitman’s damning testimony, meanwhile his underlings pondered Raymond’s disappearance from the scene altogether. The survival of the mob revolved around Barboza’s demise. Barboza would ultimately play right into their hands in the end.

Marc Songini’s history of the Boston Underworld is comprehensive and ambitious. The book would appear on the surface to be a rehash of the Whitey Bulger days, but not so. Bulger’s appearance is as a footnote. The deadly machinations of Organized Crime in New England are penned with depth and skill, the moves plotted in devious and deadly ways. The action can occasionally be muddled, but that fits well in with the nature of those hectic times. The reality of the psychotic violence and paranoia inhabiting the mob life has never been so stark. The duplicity and crimes engaged in by the FBI, function as an appetizer for the Whitey Bulger-Steve Flemmi-John Connolly days. A great true crime book.

The end of 2019 approaches, but the reading continues unabated. The variation of topics covered with books chosen or occasionally assigned has provided a wealth of books to pick from. The written word continues to enthrall, entice, scare and draw in readers young and old. The following releases from this year deserve special mention:

The Border-Don Winslow: The Final installment in Winslow’s epic trilogy covering the destructive War on Drugs picks up where “The Cartel” left off, with the reader gasping for air. Art Keller’s past role in this war and his actions have come full circle, the battles in Mexico continue, the body count reaching astonishing levels, the hypocrisy in the federal government continuing unabated…Forty years of duplicity, double dealing and lies having taken their toll. Keller is now determined to bring the last act to a climax, even if it means destroying himself in the process. Winslow’s work is masterful, compelling and has painful resonance.

This Storm-James Ellroy: The confusion and paranoia of World War II in the United states is in high gear, most especially in Los Angeles. The smoldering ruins of Pearl Harbor have a reach far beyond Hawaii, as internment camps have sprung up across the United States. Los Angeles bears witness to the incalculable racism against Japanese Citizens, worrying that even the most docile of them are waiting to be triggered against the populace. Hideo Ashida is utilizing his skills in science for the LAPD and the malevolent Dudley Smith to shield his family from the pending imprisonment. Ashida has sold a little of his soul, but bigger problems are on the horizon with a multi-murder involving cops. New alliances will be forged, but no one will ever be the same. Ellroy shows no signs of slowing down in his second installment of the prequel to the LA quartet, the action and drama fierce and uncompromising.

The Chain-Adrian McKinty: What would you do to for family? To save the one closest to you, would you do something contrary to your nature? Would you be willing to break the law? Rachel is faced with this decision when her daughter is abducted before she gets to school. She receives a call informing her that she needs to obtain ransom money but also ensure the durability of the chain. A psychological tour de force that doesnt let go of its powerful grip until the end. The acclaim being heaped on McKinty is long overdue.

Stone Mothers-Erin Kelly: Marianne’s life is wracked with crisis. Her daughter is mentally ill, Marianne and her husband seek to be closer to her. The new home her husband purchases is close to a shut down asylum. This opens up a pandora’s box of long buried issues for Marianne. As the story progresses, the reader learns why the past is best left interred forever. Kelly’s latest mystery drama is splendid.

A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself-William Boyle: Rena is a grieving widow who was married to a mobster. She is estranged from her daughter and by extension her granddaughter. Her life changes when she virulently rejects advances from her amorous neighbor. She meets Lacey Wolfstein, a retired adult film actress and con-artist after attempting to seek shelter from her daughter. Lacey takes a shine to Rena and offers Rena access to her granddaughter. Rena and Lacey’s lives take a topsy turvy turn when Rena’s daughter’s boyfriend attempts a power play in his crime family resulting in multiple murders and Rena, Lacey and Rena’s granddaughter on the run. Boyle’s story packs a wallop of dark comedy, thrills and heart.

The Better Sister-Alafair Burke: Chloe Taylor’s life changes when she receives a phone call from her brother-in-law Adam about her sister. Her sister Nicky has been battling the demons of alcoholism for years and now has put her son in harms way while under the influence. Chloe decides to take action and get Adam and Nicky’s son out of harms way. 14 years later, Chloe is a successful magazine publisher, but events are slowly spinning out of control in her personal life….Soon Adam is found dead, and the suspects are too close for Chloe’s comfort. Burke has penned another fantastic mystery with enough twists to have the reader experiencing vertigo.

Last of the Gladiators-James LaRossa Jr: James LaRossa is one of the fiercest & most staunch defenders of the infamously accused. His list of clients run the list of the tabloid roll call from white collar scamsters to Mafiosi to religious officials. Skillful tactics and brutal cross examination in court left him in high demand when the wealthy and troubled needed a great defense. In the late 2000’s, LaRossa was engaged in an insurmountable battle for his life. His son, James Jr, liberated him from a hospital in NY and took him to California for his care. Father and son shared memories, nights filled with lush dinners and the occasional brushes with death as LaRossas health ebbed and flowed. A bittersweet story of love and honor interspersed with the occasional legal tangle.

A Lie Too Big to Fail-Lisa Pease: June 5 1968…..Minutes after besting his opponents in the California primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is felled by numerous bullets in the Ambassador Hotel. The alleged assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, is quickly apprehended in a chaotic scene. Everything on its surface appears clear cut. But cracks in the official story of lone gunman appear immediately…particularly a girl in a polka dot dress exclaiming…”We shot him”. 51 years have passed since the shooting….Author Lisa Pease has dedicated decades of her life in pushing through the muck and preconceived notions of that night. Questions of number of shots fired, the proximity of the alleged assassin and the kill shot delivered are the most important, but not only queries enabling the mystery of that night to survive. Pease is dogged in her work and posits all the right questions in examining other suspects and co-conspirators. A masterful work for many years to come.

Chaos-Tom O’Neill: Charles Manson, his ragtag group of murderous and felonious followers and the crimes they committed have been examined ad nauseam for 50 years. But the motives behind the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 1969 have generally held…Helter Skelter….Murders serving as a raison d’etre for an apocalyptic race war. At the very least, they helped convict Manson et. al in court and in the public. Author O’Neill is tasked with examining the murders effect on Hollywood in 1999. Once talkative witnesses have clammed up, Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi sees any poking into his work as counter-productive. As O’Neill delves deeper into the murders, clarity is the furthest thing to be had. What really happened that night? Why were the murders committed? Who enabled Charles Manson to evade the law once paroled from prison? O’Neill’s work taps into dark forces at play then and now. The reader will truly wish this was fiction instead of enduring mystery.

Haig’s Coup-Ray Locker: The Watergate break-in of 1972 and the resulting cover-up by the Nixon administration has been viewed through the lens of many….Countless biographies, History books, True Crime entries write about motives, alternate theories and the plethora of personalities figuring into the narrative. The motives of those defending Nixon, particularly his Chief of Staff from 1973 until the August 1974 resignation, have received minimal focus (with exceptions of work by Jim Hougan, Len Colodny & Robert Gettlin.) Ray Locker has aimed his sights on Haig in his latest book. Haig’s actions take on new meaning when examined with fabricated statements of the subject, documents and eyewitness testimony highlighting Haig’s duplicitious nature. Locker has contributed a valuable entry in the Watergate library. History at its best

Music possesses the ability to enrapture listeners and hold a powerful grip long after the sounds have faded and the lone voice has trailed off. Albums were initially composed of a jumble of songs put together by the artist, but usually overseen by overbearing record company executives. The blood, sweat and tears shed composing a 10 track labor of love would be whittled down to the commercial singles and what’s left was considered filler. The musician(s) valued the art, the record company calculated possible sales in each market. The possibility of not seeing eye to eye was quite high. The concept album, consisting of a story or idea explored throughout, was anathema. Pink Floyd would not be the first artist to bombard the stereos and airwaves with the idea, but they would dominate with a few of them. “The Wall”, released in November 1979 set them apart from their contemporaries. The band reached new pinnacles in success throughout the decade with six albums released, including the seminal “Dark Side of the Moon”. The recognition of the band and their rising celebrity began to gnaw at Roger Waters, bassist and pre-eminent lyricist starting with Dark Side of the Moon. The fanatic nature of certain Floyd acolytes led to the idea of a wall between the band and the audience. But the album delves into many themes: Alienation, Abandonment, Tyranny of Schooling, Fascist government, Insanity…The album can be played on a loop as the last song ends…”Is this where”….While the opening track starts “We came in”?

The album is a masterpiece in its entirety from “In the Flesh” to “Outside the Wall”. The listener joins the world weary journey of “Pink” from birth and growing up without a father to the abuse suffered at the hands of brutes posing as teachers. His complex relationship with his Mother stunts his own relationships. “Pink” becomes a rock star, but happiness is fleeting, the road is his home, but he finds no solace with groupies or other vices. He has cut himself off, furthering the construction of an inner wall. Drugs have numbed him into a semi catatonic state. The show must continue as Pink is found, a carbon copy sent in his place to rile the masses and showcase the force of the fascist government. The real “Pink” stands before a court, possibly of his own creation to face up to his failings, leading to his exposure/and or commitment. The album is powerful in incalculable ways, strong lyrics and even more incendiary music blazing its way throughout. The themes explored resonate as deeply now as then.

Conspiracies have existed in our world for a long time. With the election of Donald Trump in 2016, a spotlight has been thrown on Conspiracy Theories and those who believe in them. The “deplorables” who voted #45 into office espouse them, or so sayeth the mainstream media. The media cherry picks certain personalities who support Trump and apply that to the rest. Whether Alex Jones, Jerome Corsi, Roger Stone’s name surface in relation to the President, the labeling and libeling of skeptics with derision and scorn continue. Trump has promised transparency in relation to the JFK assassination and long held records of the CIA. The October 2017 release date came with further obfuscation, truth withheld. The JFK assassination is just one dark hole of many that our government wishes the public not go down. Conspiracies do not solely consist of the act itself, so much as the cover-up that follows. A priest who abuses children has committed a lone act, but the Church shuffling him to another parish and not reporting him to authorities constitutes a conspiracy. The media prefers to have events tied up in a immaculate package, relegating skeptics to the lunatic fringe. “American Conspiracies and Cover-Ups” attempts to break through the mold in getting the background of the conspiracy, interviewing the authors and developing a dialogue. It is up to the reader to determine their belief in said theory.

The conspiracies listed in the book range from foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor to LBJ’s possible role in John F. Kennedy’s assassination to 9/11. The author does his homework on the theories and asks hard hitting questions to each author. The reader may not agree with every theory mentioned or the individual author’s conclusions, but the book encourages one to think beyond the official story. Questions about the origins of the plague like AIDS virus to possible Cancer cures will rattle your mind days after the book has been put down. The chapter on corporate ownership of the media is timely, especially as more consolidation of the media continues. This is a book worth a read if not multiple viewings.

Jack Goldsmith had made himself a footnote in history when he ran across issues with the Warrantless Wiretapping and Extraordinary Rendition programs being run by the United States government in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. His persistence in raising questions about illegalities in both programs led to a near revolt at the hierarchy of the Justice Department and FBI in 2004. While Goldsmith was researching case law, he stumbled across a case involving two men who figured into his life…His Stepfather, Charles “Chuckie” O’Brien and Jimmy Hoffa, O’Briens surrogate father.

Goldsmith had been estranged from O’Brien since the early 1980s when he decided to relinquish his stepfather’s surname in his everyday life. O’Brien had been fingered as an accomplice in Hoffa’s July 30, 1975 disappearance, and Goldsmith had felt the hostile glare from the guilt by association. After Goldsmith discovered correlations between the O’Brien, Hoffa cases and the extra-legal powers of the governments programs, Goldsmith reached out to O’Brien in an attempt at reconciliation. O’Brien, who possessed a heart that would make most envious, forgave his stepson and buried the hatchet. Memories and good times were had and shared, but the elephant in the room remained with a palpable tension.

O’Brien’s life had revolved around Jimmy Hoffa for most of his life, serving as his aide-de camp while Hoffa reigned as the most powerful labor leader in America. O’Brien witnessed the rise and fall of Hoffa as head of the Teamsters Union. The background for most of this period was the threatening presence of the Mafia, the only differences lay in which Mafia family was present. O’Brien’s fortunes were forever altered when Hoffa disappeared and was presumed murdered. His tentative answers to authorities, his willingness to lie for a reputed Mafioso for an alibi, and his fallout with the Hoffa family led to him being a person of interest. Goldsmith prodded O’Brien for answers, while seeking information through government FOIA requests. The mystery is still no closer to being solved, but one aspect seems to be cleared up: O’Brien became “The Wrong Man”.

Jack Goldsmith has authored a book that merits an attentive read. There have been many books written about Hoffa and his disappearance, while only a few could truly be considered reputable(see The Hoffa Wars by Dan Moldea, The Teamsters by Stephen Brill)….Goldsmith’s book challenges preconceived notions about a long maligned figure residing at the heart of the investigation. This book should bring about O’Briens vindication, but also a more in depth investigation into Hoffa’s disappearance. A must read for 2019

What is the cost of patriotism? What are the lengths human beings will go to defeat an enemy? Is the path to hell paved with good intentions? Can Dr. Jekyll co-exist with Mr. Hyde? Dr. Sidney Gottlieb’s life and work might provide a skeleton key to unlocking these enigmatic questions. Gottlieb faced major hurdles early in life, a clubfoot and a painful stutter. Gottlieb’s persistence and inner strength led to both handicaps becoming just annoying footnotes. Gottlieb took to scientific academics and their disciplines with aplomb. When World War II drew the United States into the global inferno, Gottlieb wanted to serve his country. However, his clubfoot sidelined him. He was crushed, but found other ways to contribute in the government. His road to infamy would be sealed once he joined the nascent CIA in 1951 and becoming the de facto head of the Technical Services Staff. The paranoia unleashed by the Cold War compromised Allied countries scruples in the post World War II years. The idea to work with Nazis, with a lean towards discovering their scientific knowledge, led to Project Paperclip. The experiments conducted on Jews and other prisoners at concentration camps and other ill reputed locations were zeroed in on for further study. Fighting fire with fire emerged as a rationale for developing biological warfare programs in the United States. Sidney Gottlieb was at the forefront of this study at the CIA. Biowarfare soon gestated into ways to alter the mind, how to make a prisoner talk or render them silent in enemy hands. An unholy group of projects…..Bluebird, Artichoke, MK-Ultra were born. Dr. Gottlieb oversaw MK Ultra and its subprojects, bringing in Federal Agent George Hunter White to test LSD on unwitting subjects. White personified a cowboy mindset, running safehouses on both coasts where drug effects were tested and viewed. The 1953 dosing of Frank Olson with LSD and his subsequent death(murder or accident) threatened to scuttle the search for mind control. But Dr. Gottlieb came out relatively unscathed, at least until the greater threat of exposure and Congressional oversight reared their ugly heads. The man who worked in the shadows faced the danger of perpetual spotlight.

Stephen Kinzer conveys a true paradox in recounting the life of Sidney Gottlieb. A man who operated in a cloak and dagger world, working on devices to kill and harm, while remaining the quintessential family man at home. Kinzer details the contradictions that enveloped Gottlieb’s life from the 1950’s onward..The lies he told, the ones he had to live with….The lives ruined in the name of helping your country seldom regretted. Gottlieb is mostly considered a footnote to American History, but this book shows the Footnote is what the CIA and the US government would rather have. History/True Crime/Biography/Sciences all rolled into one enthralling, captivating book.

Libby Reese is a budding author who’s first release is about to hit the bookshelves. She is tired, yet knows the deadlines for the next book are soon to rear their ugly head. Her literary agent grants her a temporary reprieve by booking a trip to a Florida resort where she can recharge and relax with her young son Ethan. Libby is divorced, her husband Mason having removed himself from the family dynamic shortly after Ethan was born. Libby dotes on her only child, but is exhilarated by the prospects of sun and fun.

Libby arrives down in Florida, surrounded by a picturesque resort dominated by ample swimming pools and luxury accommodations. Her overprotectiveness of Ethan is transparent, even when she makes the acquaintance of a couple who enjoy her and Ethans company. Libby lets her hair down, but she suffers a shock to the system when Ethan suddenly disappears after getting on an elevator alone. She searches floor after floor, Security is soon alerted…..Libby soon finds Ethan, but his captor is an all too familiar face……And long buried secrets are surfacing.

What would you do to have a child of your own? What would you do to protect them? Are there any limits to your capabilities when it comes to either?

Haylen Beck has written a book that tears at your core humanity and doesnt release until the last sentence. The roller coaster highs and lows leave you questioning every emotion felt. “Lost You” is a worthy follow up to Beck’s “Here and Gone”, entertaining, heartrending, brutal emotion. A must read for 2019 and beyond.

How long should one be denied answers to haunting questions that darken long days and interminable nights? Conspiracies are just a microcosm of unsolved mysteries, yet they are at the center of countless cover-ups. The David vs. Goliath struggle is never more apparent then when the 99% tackle the 1% or the government that enshrouds the elite. Untangling any mystery is no small task, as the perpetrators throw various obstacles in the way of their pursuers. Dead ends, false leads, corrupt officials hamper any true investigation of circumstances before and after.

August 1987-Teenagers Don Henry and Kevin Ives are apparently run over by a train in Saline County, Arkansas. The parents of both victims are shocked and overcome with grief. The medical examiner cites Marijuana use (20 joints smoked) as the cause of the boys’ bodies lying on the tracks. Kevin Ives’ Mother, Linda, has doubts and has the boys bodies re-examined. The 2nd medical examiner finds stab wounds on Henry and blunt force trauma (besides the train) to Kevin. The case becomes one of the initial “Unsolved Mysteries”, yet this was used to advantage by perpetrators/co-conspirators, as the tip line was used to threaten witnesses/tipsters. The boys had either stumbled into a drug drop or were scapegoats for thieves, they were interrogated and murdered. Linda Ives has been relentless in her pursuit of the truth, despite a prosecutor with ulterior motives attempting to throw her off the scent. A handful of witnesses, suspects were murdered in the aftermath of the train deaths. Jean Duffey was an investigator on a Drug task force in Arkansas. She was forewarned not to use the task force to investigate public officials and corruption. This was easier said than done, as public officials were in neck deep in the drug trade. Jean Duffey investigated where her leads brought her, and for that she was investigated, accused, and threatened. The train deaths and the ripples of the Mena Airport drug smuggling were destined to intertwine.

The legacy of Adler Berriman “Barry” Seal should not be confined to a marginally true Hollywood movie with Tom Cruise. The truth is always far more interesting. The amount of drugs flown in by Seal into the US, particularly during the Contra-Sandinista war in Nicaragua, may never be fully quantified. Yet, Seal was one of the most prolific smugglers in the country, he was utilized by both the Colombian Cartels and the United States government. The Intermountain Regional Airport in Mena served as a hub for drugs being brought in, weapons sent out, as well as training for Contra pilots. The wanton and rampant criminality engaged in with a veil of national security turned Arkansas into a narco state. This behavior wouldnt halt even when Seal’s life ended in a fusillade of bullets in February 1986.

The heart of Linda Ives’ quest is who murdered her son Kevin and his friend Don? Linda was given a sympathetic ear or shoulder by prosecutor Dan Harmon, yet he has been identified as being on the tracks with the boys on the night of the murders. Bill Clinton was Governor during a majority of the 1980’s as his state was utilized for covert purposes, he was sympathetic to Ives’ story. Yet his inaction to the rampant corruption is glaring. The journey of Ives has been pondered and written about by Ambrose Evans Pritchard (The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories), Mara Leveritt (The Boys on the Tracks) as well as by Micah Morrison of the Wall Street Journal as well as Daniel Hopsicker (The Secret Heartbeat of America). Yes men journalists write of Ives as part and parcel of the vast right wing conspiracy who longed to see Bill Clinton undone by lies, libel and slander. Linda Ives doesn’t see her son’s murder as belonging to the political maelstrom to be fought over by left and right. She sees it as unsolved, protected and in need of long sought after justice. 32 years is enough.

What books resonate with you on an emotional level? Has a book remained ingrained in your memory months, years after the last words were read? What authors connect with you? Thinking back, there are some books & authors that you read loyally and furtively. What spurred that reaction? I can remember the first time I gravitated towards certain authors…..1997…Senior Year in High School….I was enamored with books about Organized Crime…I see the preview for the movie, L.A. Confidential. I am happy when I hear the movie is based off a best selling novel by James Ellroy. I get the book as a birthday present and my world is now opened to Ellroy’s dark places. Ellroy is a master whose LA quartet and Underworld USA trilogy redefine Noir. 2007…I am introduced to the masterful work of Don Winslow, when I stumble upon a Wikipedia reference to his novel, “The Power of the Dog”….I picked this epic book off the shelves and devoured it with intense enthusiasm, I have been a Winslow fan since…enjoying his earlier works and excellent stand alone novels. The excellence of his work has steadily been getting the long deserved recognition from critics and authors, his cartel trilogy stunning in its depth about the quixotic drug wars. I tend to seek out certain subjects, but fall into certain titles and new authors. There has never been anything bad resulting from fortunate turns. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the works of Dennis Lehane after seeing his name on an Amazon search….The Kenzie-Gennaro novels (A Drink Before the War-Moonlight Mile) are a treasure trove of mystery fiction with enough twists to keep a reader up at night. His stand alone work is captivating and fun…The written word can hit the brain with as much stimulation as a hot cup of coffee.

August 10, 1991-Freelance writer and Journalist Danny Casolaro is found dead in a hotel bathtub in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The scene was indicative of a suicide, at least on first inspection. However, things are not as they seem. Casolaro had traveled to Martinsburg to gather further evidence on a book he had been laboring on for more than a year. The story begins with the theft of software from a small company named INSLAW. The company, owned by Bill and Nancy Hamilton had designed software that would revolutionize case management for the Department of Justice. A contract had been signed, INSLAW would be compensated. At some point, the software named PROMIS, was seen as fulfilling larger purposes far beyond what was ever intended by its creators. The copy furnished to the Justice Department would soon be duplicated, backdoors installed to track those utilizing the software. USDOJ soon cancels the contract with INSLAW. INSLAW soon learns that copies of PROMIS are turning up in Canada. The DOJ double crossed them and drove INSLAW into bankruptcy.

By the time Casolaro enters the picture, INSLAW is at a crossroads. One judge has ruled in their favor, citing the government stole the software through “trickery, deceit and fraud.” Yet the government is unyielding in its resistance to compromise. The men who inhabit the background of the theft served in the Reagan Administration, some having connections with Reagan back to his days as Governor of California. A computer prodigy named Michael Riconosciuto has reached out to the Hamiltons and alleged that he helped install the backdoor on the PROMIS software. Riconosciuto is soon a source for Casolaro, who is ensnared in the story of a lifetime. The men who helped engineer the PROMIS theft are seen as operatives in a long running cabal known as “The Octopus”. Casolaro sees connections between the PROMIS theft and the long rumored October Surprise scandal, where Bush/Reagan operatives allegedly negotiated a deal to keep hostages in Iran until after the 1980 election in exchange for weapons. Shadowy figures appear with great frequency in the October Surprise, Iran-Contra stories. As Casolaro keeps finding connections, the makings of a great book seem more apparent. He meets a man named Robert Booth Nichols. Nichols is an enigmatic figure, you never know what angle he is truly playing. He gives Casolaro information, yet not without a hint of menace. Casolaro bounces information he receives from Riconosciuto off Nichols. Nichols is an associate of the Gambino Crime Family as well as the Yakuza, CIA connections are hinted at as well.

The potential to break a major story propels Casolaro’s movements. The danger is apparent, but the light isn’t blinking red at least to Casolaro. The book proposals aren’t generating enough traction, but Casolaro is undeterred. The theft of the PROMIS software has connections to weapons deals and the utilization of sovereign Native land in California involving the small Cabazon tribe. Unsolved murders in the 1980s of multiple tribal members have tangible connections to the subjugation of the land for nefarious purposes. Riconosciuto is arrested for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine. Casolaro is talking to members of law enforcement who warn him about Nichols. Nichols issues a threat to Casolaro. Threatening calls are being made to Casolaro’s home. Casolaro refuses to drop the story, as its importance is paramount. He travels to West Virginia to link up with a former Hughes Aircraft employee who is giving him vital evidence in Casolaro’s story. Casolaro is found dead the next day. His notes have gone missing. He had told his brother if anything were to happen to him not to believe it was an accident. The Martinsburg authorities embalm him before conducting an autopsy or notifying his family. Bloody towels under the bathtub are ignored as are evidence of a struggle.

The death of Danny Casolaro hits family and friends with the shock of a tremor. Many don’t see him as suicidal, his note reflects a spiritual side, which is contrary to his beliefs. The funeral leaves a lingering mystery as well…..As his coffin is set to be lowered, a soldier accompanied by a Government agent of sort, salutes the coffin and lays a medal on the coffin. Casolaro hadn’t served in the armed forces, in any capacity. The identities of the two mourners remain unknown. One more mystery to add to a plethora of mysteries. The work done by Danny Casolaro is not to be forgotten, his quest not quixotic. The pursuit of truth should never be belittled or marginalized in any way.