They made Al Rubin a terrific offer; he'd get a lucrative lease on an entertainment pier in exchange for a weekend of clandestine photography in a hotel room. Seduced by glamor and luxuries, aware of the risks, Al agreed. J. Edgar Hoover would be a guest of the city, a dignitary attending the gala 1929 Memorial Day ceremonies. Historians are puzzled by Hoover's hands-off approach to organized crime. During his thirty-seven year reign as the FBI's Director, he inve...

It started in April with the long distance, person-to-person call from my wife’s cousin the gangster, Sam Brodsky. He wanted to offer me a job, he told me, one that would pay a lot, one that he chose not to discuss over the telephone. My first thought, when he came on the line, had been that he wanted to spread a little of his money around by having me take the pictures at his June wedding. I dropped a hint, which he ignored. Instead, he told me that his fiancée was a lo...