The Purple Gang:
Organized Crime in Detroit 1910-1945
by Paul R. Kavieff
June 2005 | $15.95 | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-56980-281-6
The Purple Gang—Detroit’s ruling organized crime organization—became one of the most notorious gangs during the Prohibition Era. The gang was comprised mostly of the offspring of recent immigrants—Eastern European Jews who were hard-working and honest. This vicious gang quickly rose to power by engaging in extortion, gambling, and the illicit trade of drugs and alcohol. Graphically illustrated with 32 pages of photographs depicting the gangsters from their lives on the streets to their bloody deaths, The Purple Gang is full of local flavor. Having sold more than 30,000 copies in hardcover, this paperback edition will feature a new introduction detailing the overwhelming response from readers whose relatives were involved in the stories told in the book.
Paul R. Kavieff
PAUL R. KAVIEFF is an engineer and historian. He has devoted more than ten years to researching and writing about organized crime in Detroit. He resides in Royal Oak, MI—a suburb of Detroit. Paul R. Kavieff also wrote The Violent Years (1-56980-210-6).
